FOR THE SECOND TIME around I watched Footloose( The Musical) in the Opera House, Belfast, Northern Ireland early this year. The show did a limited engagement around the UK and had a week run in Northern Ireland. I watched the production for the first time in 2005 prior to my trip to Belfast at the Meralco Theater, Manila, Philippines. This is an adaptation of the film (of the same title) released in 1984 starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose was one of the classical-teenage films like Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, Fame and Grease. It was first adapted for the Broadway production in 1998 and had its debut UK tour in 2004 which could be compared to other screen-to-stage ...  Read the complete review

I walked out of the theatre having seen Footloose wishing I could go straight back in and watch it again. If you were after a quickie summary of the show, that’s it. It’s good. Really good. When I danced, back in the day, I did numerous ballets and musicals, but Footloose is always a fond memory for me because it was the last one I did before I quit dancing to, um, ace my A Levels. The only version I knew apart from ours was the Kevin Bacon film one, so when I heard the stage musical was touring the UK, I immediately logged on and got a ticket. A gas station. A church. A school gym. They’re not the most normal of settings for a musical, but they all ...  Read the complete review