Oxford, get ready to cut loose because Footloose The Musical hits the stage in George Street next week.
Based on the 1980s screen sensation, Footloose The Musical will bring classic 80s hits Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let's Hear It For The Boy and the title track Footloose to the New Theatre Oxford.
The musical stars Joshua Hawkins as Ren McCormack, Lucy Munden as Ariel Moore, Darren Day as Rev.Shaw Moore and Jake Quickenden as Willard Hewitt, with JLS star Aston Merrygold picking up the role of Willard at certain theatres along the tour.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire mum's plea to parents after child suffers vile racist bullying
TV and musical theatre star Mr Day said it is “amazing” to be back on tour with the show, after the Covid-19 pandemic delayed it by two years.
He said: “2020 was devastating for us all. But coming out of the other end things have really started moving quickly for me.
“Having not been able to perform during the pandemic, going back on stage and being part of a big musical feels so magical, in the way it felt when I landed the role of Joseph at the Palladium at the beginning of my career.
“I recently finished the UK tour of Chicago which was brilliant and during that tour I saw a genuine thirst for live theatre so couldn’t be more delighted than to move straight into another tour with Footloose.
“In all of my years as a performer in musical theatre I don’t think I have jumped straight from one tour into another… I feel very lucky.”
Mr Day’s back-to-back tours in Chicago and Footloose has come full circle for him.
He explained: “Over a decade ago I met with the producers for Footloose and Chicago within about three months of each other. I was told I didn’t look old enough.
“So … the only downside of me playing these two roles back-to-back is that I must now look ‘old enough’.
“Since those meetings all those years ago Billy Flynn and the Reverend have been on my bucket list of roles I desperately wanted to play, so to get the opportunity to play them both in one year is incredibly exciting for me and I feel deeply grateful.”
To get into the role of the Reverend, Mr Day drew on his own experiences as a father to a teenage daughter.
“It’s tough letting your ‘little princess’ out into the big bad world,” he said.
The father-daughter moments in the show are also some of Mr Day’s favourites, as they are “lovely to play”.
If the thrill of being back on stage was not enough, Mr Day described this production of Footloose as “particularly special” and that it will “blow you away”.
He feels this is down Racky Plews, the director, who has brought an “edgy and exciting new take on the show”.
He said: “She’s been working closely with the writer of the original movie and songs, Dean Pitchford and his input into this new production has been invaluable.
“The cast and the whole team on this are truly ‘the cream of the crop’ a really gifted bunch of performers.
“Acting, singing, dancing and playing instruments throughout the show.”
Footloose The Musical is at the New Theatre Oxford from June 28 to July 2.
Tickets can be purchased from the New Theatre Oxford box office and atgtickets.com/shows/footloose/new-theatre-oxford/
-
Read more from this author
This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
A message from our Editor
Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.
If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more.
You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile.
If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here