Footloose: The Musical returns in 2017
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
FOLLOWING a highly successful 2016 tour which was seen by over 160,000 people, Footloose: The Musical returns in 2017 with an international tour launching from New Wimbledon Theatre on Friday, April 21.
As well as including a strictly limited West End season at the Peacock Theatre – from September 12 to September 30 – the tour will visit Richmond Theatre from May 15 to May 20, 2017.
Gareth Gates and Maureen Nolan will reprise their roles as Willard and Vi Moore.
Based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose: The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren, who has to move to a rural backwater in America where dancing is banned. All hell breaks out as Ren breaks loose but soon he has the whole town up on its feet.
Featuring classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track, Footloose: The Musical is bursting with youthful spirit, dazzling dance and electrifying music.
When the film was released in 1984, it became the highest-grossing February release in US film history. The soundtrack album ended the year-long reign of Michael Jackson’s Thriller at number one and went on to top album charts all over the world, eventually selling in excess of 17 million copies. Footloose was nominated for a Golden Globe, and both the title song and Let’s Hear It for the Boy received Academy Award nominations.
Footloose: The Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 where it ran for 709 performances, with a London production following in 2006.
Gareth Gates rose to fame through the inaugural series of Pop Idol in 2001, going on to sell over five million records worldwide and have hits across the globe. His version of Unchained Melody sold over a million copies in the UK and is the 3rd best-selling single of the Noughties. He is also the youngest ever male solo artist to debut at number 1.
More recently Gates has enjoyed a successful career on stage, with credits including Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In 2014, he appeared in the final series of Dancing on Ice, and joined boyband 5th Story as part of ITV’s second series of The Big Reunion, touring arenas with bands including Blue and Five.
Maureen Nolan has been singing with her sisters since she was nine years old, when they became one of Europe’s first girl bands, The Nolans. Best known for their smash hit single I’m in the Mood for Dancing, The Nolans enjoyed phenomenal record sales worldwide, and worked with some of the world’s most respected artists including Frank Sinatra.
On stage, Maureen Nolan has played Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers in the West End and on tour to critical acclaim. She was the fourth Nolan sister to play the role, earning them entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Her other credits include Sadie in Girl’s Behind, Jill in Mum’s the Word and Sarah in The Naked Truth.
Further casting will be announced in due course.
Footloose: The Musical has music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and is adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It is based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford.
The production is directed by Racky Plews (American Idiot, West End), with choreography by Matthew Cole, design by Sara Perks and musical supervision by Mark Crossland. It is produced by David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree for Selladoor Productions, Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Stephen McGill Productions. It is presented by arrangement with R&H Theatricals Europe.
NB: Gareth Gates will not appear in Wimbledon and Chester.
Image: Gareth Gates as Willard. Photo by Matt Martin.
Following the Wimbledon dates, Footloose: The Musical will tour to York, Wycombe, Richmond, Hornchurch, Buxton, Llandudno, Coventry, Swansea, Guildford, Bromley, Belgium, Eastbourne, Basildon, Chester and London.