Review: Cast Finds The Freedom To Be 'Footloose' In Wagon Wheel Show
June 15, 2017 at 5:14 a.m.
Review: Cast Finds The Freedom To Be 'Footloose' In Wagon Wheel Show
By David [email protected]
That, to me, is what the original 1984 movie and the musical has always been about – freedom. Freedom to dance. Freedom to sing out loud. Freedom to be yourself, to succeed or fail, to try new things, to be different than your friends and family, to be creative and express yourself as you best see fit. And freedom from oppression.
And thanks to the energetic, young, fun, lively cast in Wagon Wheel’s show, I’ve once again been reminded about why I’ve always loved the story “Footloose” tells. The cast brings to the musical their own charisma and charm in their roles so that while the story is familiar, it’s also different.
Leading the charge is Copley, who probably still is finding out how talented he truly is performing. As the young college man continues to grow in his career path, I can see great things ahead of Copley, whether that’s on Broadway or television, or even movies. It’s up to him to work to get there, but he’s got the gifts inside him to do that, and, yes, that includes dancing. I’d love to see him in a really dramatic role some time to see how far he could push himself. Copley’s take on Ren is more attitude and swagger than Kevin Bacon’s Ren in the original film, but it works so well for Copley I wouldn’t change a thing.
In “Footloose,” Ren and his mother Ethel McCormack (Jennifer Dow) move from Chicago to the small Midwestern town of Beaumont where dancing and rock music are outlawed. Ren struggles to fit in and faces an uphill battle to change the community. With help from a new friend, Willard Hewitt (Blake Bowejski), and the rebellious Ariel Moore (McKenzie Kurtz), who Ren quickly falls for, he makes headway. But Ariel’s influential father is the Rev. Shaw Moore (Brett Frazier) and he stands in Ren’s way of dancing and getting the girl.
In Act II, Copley and Kurtz duet on the classic song “Almost Paradise,” sung by Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson in the original film. Copley and Kurtz sing it very well together, having that on-stage chemistry that audiences crave for a story’s main couple. They are tender and sweet and feelings just float around with each note they hit. I did, however, wish they could have sang it with less instrumentation – perhaps even a cappella. Let their voices sway the audience as Copley and Kurtz both have great voices that need no support.
And let’s talk about Blake Bowejski as Ren’s friend Willard. He was great as Crutchie in “Newsies,” but he’s so hilarious and, well, awesome as Willard. Bowejski has a knack for comedy on stage. Willard is one of those guys who aren’t very smart, get in fights easily but have hearts of gold, and Bowejski had me laughing out loud with his portrayal of Willard. I loved it.
Ren gets a job at a burger joint after being fired from several other places. Willard comes to visit him and there’s this whole scene that just had the audience and I laughing. In Act II, Ren, Willard, Ariel and Rusty (Leanne Antonio) go to a country and western bar for some line dancing, and that’s where everyone learns that Willard can’t dance. Also, it’s a funny scene. Then in the middle of Act II, Willard sings “Mama Says (You Can’t Back Down)” and it’s a rip-roaring good time. Those scenes made me laugh so hard not only because of the character of Willard, but because Bowejski gave a perfect performance. Did I mention how much I love him in the role?
The burger joint scene also brings about the song “Holding Out for a Hero” sung by Rusty, Urleen (Bailee Endebrock), Wendy Jo (Sarah Ariel Brown) and Ariel. A few women in the audience vocally loved the scene, especially those on the firefighter’s side, and I’m going to leave it at that.
Since I’ve mentioned Rusty, who has been more than friends with Willard since kindergarten, Antonio has a powerful voice that needs to be let out of its cage more often. She’s so phenomenal in “Somebody’s Eyes” that I wrote myself a message in my little notebook to make sure to mention how good her voice was on that song. The song seems written just for her voice.
Voices can often be great solo but strengthened in an ensemble. Such is the case when the characters of Chuck Cranston (Britton Hollingsworth), Lyle (Riley McFarland) and Travis (Ben Ahlers) take on the classic Sammy Hagar song “The Girl Gets Around.” While being thoroughly entertained by their performance of the rocking number, I found myself thinking they’d make an interesting rock band. Perhaps they can share lead singing duties, and maybe they’d need to learn some musical instruments if they don’t already know how to play, but I’d go out to a bar and listen to them bring down the house. The trio were a lot of fun on “The Girl Gets Around,” so I bet they could entertain a crowd anywhere they performed out.
Just, please, leave the denim at home.
A lot of these actors’ names I’m mentioning are new to those who’ve gone to the Wagon Wheel for years or even decades. It is, after all, a fairly young cast. However, “Footloose” also features some familiar faces who longtime Wagon Wheel fans will recognize.
For example, Dow is playing Ren’s mother Ethel, but she still looks and sounds as great as the time I saw her perform in “South Pacific” years ago. Perhaps even better.
Kira Lace Hawkins, as Vi Moore, the reverend’s wife, gives the younger actors a voice lesson every time she belts out a number. She’s exquisite in the numbers “Learning To Be Silent” and “Can You Find It In Your Heart?” When Hawkins delivers a line – such as when she’s telling the other townspeople that Ren has a right to be heard – you’d better listen.
After playing the misery Ebenezer Scrooge in 2016’s Christmas show “A Christmas Carol,” Brett Frazier is back to play Shaw Moore in “Footloose.” He’s a lot more stern, willful and headstrong than John Lithgow was in the original film, but he’s very convincing.
What would a Wagon Wheel season be without Mike and/or Tim Yocum? For “Footloose,” you get both, so no need to worry. Mike plays Coach Roger Dunbar and Tim is Ren’s uncle-by-marriage Wes Warnicker, two men who probably would burn witches at the stake if the Rev. Shaw Moore told them to.
After the music stopped playing, the actors stood in the zoo line and the audience made its way to their vehicles in the sprinkling rain, I found myself with a smile on my face and several songs in my head. That to me told me I enjoyed the show, even though I’ve seen “Footloose” in several incarnations many times over.
Artistic Director and Choreographer Scott Michaels did it again – he put together an enjoyable night of storytelling on the stage. And he has the freedom to bring his vision to the shows for the rest of this season and years to come, and I’ll have the freedom to like them or not and to say so.
And I thoroughly enjoyed “Footloose” on opening night Wednesday. So my rating for it (out of four): 3.75.
The rest of the 2017 summer season includes: “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” June 28-July 8; “Young Frankenstein,” July 12-22; “The Crucible,” July 26-Aug. 5; “Into the Woods,” Aug. 9-19; and “Next to Normal,”?Aug. 29-Sept. 3.
For more information on the Wagon Wheel and tickets, visit wagonwheelcenter.org.
That, to me, is what the original 1984 movie and the musical has always been about – freedom. Freedom to dance. Freedom to sing out loud. Freedom to be yourself, to succeed or fail, to try new things, to be different than your friends and family, to be creative and express yourself as you best see fit. And freedom from oppression.
And thanks to the energetic, young, fun, lively cast in Wagon Wheel’s show, I’ve once again been reminded about why I’ve always loved the story “Footloose” tells. The cast brings to the musical their own charisma and charm in their roles so that while the story is familiar, it’s also different.
Leading the charge is Copley, who probably still is finding out how talented he truly is performing. As the young college man continues to grow in his career path, I can see great things ahead of Copley, whether that’s on Broadway or television, or even movies. It’s up to him to work to get there, but he’s got the gifts inside him to do that, and, yes, that includes dancing. I’d love to see him in a really dramatic role some time to see how far he could push himself. Copley’s take on Ren is more attitude and swagger than Kevin Bacon’s Ren in the original film, but it works so well for Copley I wouldn’t change a thing.
In “Footloose,” Ren and his mother Ethel McCormack (Jennifer Dow) move from Chicago to the small Midwestern town of Beaumont where dancing and rock music are outlawed. Ren struggles to fit in and faces an uphill battle to change the community. With help from a new friend, Willard Hewitt (Blake Bowejski), and the rebellious Ariel Moore (McKenzie Kurtz), who Ren quickly falls for, he makes headway. But Ariel’s influential father is the Rev. Shaw Moore (Brett Frazier) and he stands in Ren’s way of dancing and getting the girl.
In Act II, Copley and Kurtz duet on the classic song “Almost Paradise,” sung by Loverboy’s Mike Reno and Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson in the original film. Copley and Kurtz sing it very well together, having that on-stage chemistry that audiences crave for a story’s main couple. They are tender and sweet and feelings just float around with each note they hit. I did, however, wish they could have sang it with less instrumentation – perhaps even a cappella. Let their voices sway the audience as Copley and Kurtz both have great voices that need no support.
And let’s talk about Blake Bowejski as Ren’s friend Willard. He was great as Crutchie in “Newsies,” but he’s so hilarious and, well, awesome as Willard. Bowejski has a knack for comedy on stage. Willard is one of those guys who aren’t very smart, get in fights easily but have hearts of gold, and Bowejski had me laughing out loud with his portrayal of Willard. I loved it.
Ren gets a job at a burger joint after being fired from several other places. Willard comes to visit him and there’s this whole scene that just had the audience and I laughing. In Act II, Ren, Willard, Ariel and Rusty (Leanne Antonio) go to a country and western bar for some line dancing, and that’s where everyone learns that Willard can’t dance. Also, it’s a funny scene. Then in the middle of Act II, Willard sings “Mama Says (You Can’t Back Down)” and it’s a rip-roaring good time. Those scenes made me laugh so hard not only because of the character of Willard, but because Bowejski gave a perfect performance. Did I mention how much I love him in the role?
The burger joint scene also brings about the song “Holding Out for a Hero” sung by Rusty, Urleen (Bailee Endebrock), Wendy Jo (Sarah Ariel Brown) and Ariel. A few women in the audience vocally loved the scene, especially those on the firefighter’s side, and I’m going to leave it at that.
Since I’ve mentioned Rusty, who has been more than friends with Willard since kindergarten, Antonio has a powerful voice that needs to be let out of its cage more often. She’s so phenomenal in “Somebody’s Eyes” that I wrote myself a message in my little notebook to make sure to mention how good her voice was on that song. The song seems written just for her voice.
Voices can often be great solo but strengthened in an ensemble. Such is the case when the characters of Chuck Cranston (Britton Hollingsworth), Lyle (Riley McFarland) and Travis (Ben Ahlers) take on the classic Sammy Hagar song “The Girl Gets Around.” While being thoroughly entertained by their performance of the rocking number, I found myself thinking they’d make an interesting rock band. Perhaps they can share lead singing duties, and maybe they’d need to learn some musical instruments if they don’t already know how to play, but I’d go out to a bar and listen to them bring down the house. The trio were a lot of fun on “The Girl Gets Around,” so I bet they could entertain a crowd anywhere they performed out.
Just, please, leave the denim at home.
A lot of these actors’ names I’m mentioning are new to those who’ve gone to the Wagon Wheel for years or even decades. It is, after all, a fairly young cast. However, “Footloose” also features some familiar faces who longtime Wagon Wheel fans will recognize.
For example, Dow is playing Ren’s mother Ethel, but she still looks and sounds as great as the time I saw her perform in “South Pacific” years ago. Perhaps even better.
Kira Lace Hawkins, as Vi Moore, the reverend’s wife, gives the younger actors a voice lesson every time she belts out a number. She’s exquisite in the numbers “Learning To Be Silent” and “Can You Find It In Your Heart?” When Hawkins delivers a line – such as when she’s telling the other townspeople that Ren has a right to be heard – you’d better listen.
After playing the misery Ebenezer Scrooge in 2016’s Christmas show “A Christmas Carol,” Brett Frazier is back to play Shaw Moore in “Footloose.” He’s a lot more stern, willful and headstrong than John Lithgow was in the original film, but he’s very convincing.
What would a Wagon Wheel season be without Mike and/or Tim Yocum? For “Footloose,” you get both, so no need to worry. Mike plays Coach Roger Dunbar and Tim is Ren’s uncle-by-marriage Wes Warnicker, two men who probably would burn witches at the stake if the Rev. Shaw Moore told them to.
After the music stopped playing, the actors stood in the zoo line and the audience made its way to their vehicles in the sprinkling rain, I found myself with a smile on my face and several songs in my head. That to me told me I enjoyed the show, even though I’ve seen “Footloose” in several incarnations many times over.
Artistic Director and Choreographer Scott Michaels did it again – he put together an enjoyable night of storytelling on the stage. And he has the freedom to bring his vision to the shows for the rest of this season and years to come, and I’ll have the freedom to like them or not and to say so.
And I thoroughly enjoyed “Footloose” on opening night Wednesday. So my rating for it (out of four): 3.75.
The rest of the 2017 summer season includes: “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” June 28-July 8; “Young Frankenstein,” July 12-22; “The Crucible,” July 26-Aug. 5; “Into the Woods,” Aug. 9-19; and “Next to Normal,”?Aug. 29-Sept. 3.
For more information on the Wagon Wheel and tickets, visit wagonwheelcenter.org.
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