Recently I had the opportunity to watch and review the TTH cast of Footloose at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy. My overall take on the performance was mixed, but I mentioned I would like to see the MWF cast because there was so much I did enjoy about the production. By chance I was available this Monday and the good folks at Hale are generous enough to permit me to see their show twice and write an additional review. Hale should be praised for allowing their work to be seen by someone who will be fair and honest but who admittedly had mixed feelings about their production. Not every company would be so open to feedback and willing to share their valuable ticket space with a critic like myself twice. In the end, I hope they will feel the gamble paid off because this second performance solved most of the issues I had with the previous night’s showing. It is an outstanding production of Footloose, and one I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys coming of age stories well told with all the spectacle and fun only Hale can put on stage.

First, I would like to speak a little bit about my previous review. I knew sitting down to write it some would be upset with what I had to say. I’ve been reviewing community theatre long enough to know that singling out a particular actor some would take as rude or unkind. It is something that in general I have learned to avoid in reviewing community theatre as most of the actors and crew are volunteering their time. In the end, what is basically a community goodwill project should be treated as delicately as possible. However, with a semi-professional company like Hale Center Theatre I would like to assume the people on and behind stage have some degree of professional aspirations and desires. I know for my career ambitions it can still sting to get feedback, but I try and push those responses away because unbridled and perhaps unearned praise would not help me to be a better critic and podcaster. Certainly if I am going to be a critic I need to be open and responsive to criticism of myself!

For people that are less accustomed to criticism and the process of being critiqued it can, however, be a quite jarring and uncomfortable experience. This is why I tried to temper my criticism with phrases like “maybe he was having an off night.” I certainly haven’t seen every night, and I don’t know the backstory to that particular performance and what might have been happening behind the scenes. I am by no means saying the actor isn’t capable of a great performance or making a judgement on their work ethic or talent in general. I am simply trying to give an honest assessment of what I witnessed on that night from that cast. I am trying to do my job as a professional theatre critic and sometimes that means saying a performance didn’t work for me. It’s as simple as that.

Anyway, I say all this to give some context to my thoughts of the MWF cast of Footloose at Hale Center Theatre. All of the many points of praise I gave of the production were of course still there for this cast. Certainly the heart and soul of the Footloose story are present in any version whether the original film or a stage adaptation. Perhaps because it is so ensconced in pop culture and music the story has more of a bubble-gum reputation than it deserves. Footloose tries to tackle some serious issues about faith, grief, censorship, forgiveness, parenting and more and it does so well. Director Dave Tinney and the entire team at Hale seem to understand the richness of the story but also don’t forget to have a great time with the spectacle I expect from this company especially at the Young Living Stage.

The MWF cast of Footloose is led by Benjamin David Tate as Ren McCormack. It’s an extremely demanding role for a young man to take on, and he does so expertly. His dancing is excellent, and he sells Ren’s emotional arc within the musical. It was also nice to see Tate with Bryndal Braithwaite who plays Ariel. I saw Braithwaite as a substitute in the TThS cast and while she was good, the chemistry wasn’t quite there. I said in the review it’s “got to be easier to have chemistry with someone you are regularly acting with” and that is definitely the case here with her and Tate. In addition, Braithwaite has a deeper chemistry with Greg Hansen playing her father Rev Shaw Moore in this cast. Collin Larsen is also a riot as Willard Hewitt and “Mama Says” is still my favorite song in the show.

To be clear, I did not have a miserable time with the other cast. I would not have seen it a second time if that was the case. It was a mixed reaction because of a performance that did not work for me. Now I have seen what I think is the best version of this production, and I can recommend it without any reservations. Especially moments like “Holding out for a Hero,” which I still won’t spoil for my readers, will be a highlight of their theatre-going year. It’s a blast and well worth your time and money. Footloose is playing through August 30th and tickets can be purchased here.

Footloose: the Musical has a stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on the original screenplay by Pitchford. The music is by Tom Snow with lyrics by Dean Pitchford and additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman

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