"Footloose" - by Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie, Tom Snow and Jim Steinman - Theatre at the Mount (Gardner, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Chase Bolduc as “Ren McCormack” shows some dance moves to Xavier Cormier as “Willard” in a scene from the musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through August 16, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“It must be so cool to live in a city where you can walk down the street and get mugged by people you don’t even know."
- ("Rusty") / Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie
Theatre at the Mount
Presents the Musical
"FOOTLOOSE"
Book by Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie
Music by Tom Snow, Jim Steinman (and Kenny Loggins)
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Conceived by Dean Pitchford
Based on the 1984 film “Footloose”
Directed by Will Gelinas
Music Director Dave Twiss
Choreographer Kaden Scopelitti
Cast Includes: Chase Bolduc as “Ren McCormack,” Tori Rich as “Ariel Moore,” Luke Esposito as “Reverend Shaw Moore,” Carolina Sanchez as “Rusty,” Xavier Cormier as “Willard,” Alexa Querin as “Vi Moore,” John McCauliffe as “Chuck Cranston,” Addelyn Esposito as “Wendy-Jo,” Abbie Lemieux as “Urleen.”
Ensemble: James Asadoorian, James Cannon, Nathan Daniels, Ally Doyle, Emmanuel Flores de la Cruz, Aiden Hughes, Jennifer Knight, Anna Metcalf, Maliyah Moeun, Alecia Piscitello, Evan Piscitello, Steve Piscitello, Ryan Rollo, Peter Russo, Luke Tommila, Chay Tower-Hughes, Ruby Tower-Hughes, Matt Trombley, Diane Twiss, Jenna Vanella, Abby Waterhouse, Samantha West.
Additional Creative Team:
Producing Director – Gail Steele; Technical Director/Set Design – David Allen Prescott; Lighting Design – Sam Gagnon; Costume Coordinator – Gail Steele; Stage Manager – Jillian Whitney; Assistant Stage Manager – Mia Senneville; Props Mistress – Jennifer Scopelitti; Sound Engineer – Sean Kyle; Box Office Manager – Paul Caouette; Graphic Designer – Michelle Carpenter; Lobby Displays And Printing – Lori Adams; Playbill Designer – Michelle Carpenter; Running Crew – Kristen Carpenito, Rachel Twiss, Amelia Cormier, Joban Tremblay, Bob Allen, Mike Shear, Layla Holliman, Elizabeth Carlson; Follow Spot Operators – Waylon Letarte, Aeon Smith; Construction Crew – Abby Brogan, Jen Knight, Jillianne Prescott, Mia Senneville, E. V. Shaw, Jovan Tremblay, Elsa Guerra, Cass Martyn-Seidl, Abby Brogan, Zoe Peer-King, Mike Dickson.
Performances:
August 7, 2026 through August 16, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Mount Wachusett Community College, 44 Green Street, Room 182, Gardner, MA. 01440
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
I know that, after 15 years (this year) of doing theatrical reviews, I should be better than lowering my standards by using such tired cliches as “cuts loose” when describing the musical "FOOTLOOSE" like so many other reviewers do.
I should absolutely be above such things.
I’m not.
Theatre at the Mount (TATM) cuts loose with the freewheeling dance musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing in Gardner.
The musical stage adaptation is, of course, based upon the 1984 film of the same name which catapulted actor Kevin Bacon to six degrees of worldwide acclaim (in no small part thanks to the movie’s now iconic theme song written and performed by 80s soundtrack hit guru Kenny Loggins).
Interesting movie trivia tidbit: the video used for the song "FOOTLOOSE" used a solo sequence dance by Kevin Bacon which was performed to a totally different song in the movie ("Never" by the Australian pop-rock band Moving Pictures).
The TATM stage adaptation features a book by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, with the score from Tom Snow using lyrics by Pitchford (among others which will be noted in this review).
Opening on Broadway in 1998 with stage direction by Bobbie, the musical "FOOTLOOSE" ran for a respectable 709 performances, closing in 2000.
The Broadway production would be nominated for four Tony Awards in 1999 including one for Best Score and one for Best Choreography.
While "FOOTLOOSE" was not a critical darling, it did garner some positive reviews about its overall message and the strength of the performances - and those comments certainly apply 28 years later with this latest staging by TATM.
Directed by Will Gelinas, the TATM show is music directed by Dave Twiss and features some imaginary choreography supplied by Kaden Scopelitti.
The set design creatively uses the entire stage space in inventive ways to keep all transitions fluid running from scene to scene.
As for the show’s dancing, the only word that can describe the TATM choreography by Scopelitti is “flammable” - because by the time we get to the show’s finale, the entire stage is absolutely set ablaze by the exceptional dancing of the ensemble in this show.
Oh, and for those of you who tend to head for the parking lot before the bows even begin – DON’T, as most assuredly YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS OUT on the show’s exciting finale.
In the annals of Broadway shows, while perhaps not one of the best in the genre of jukebox musicals, "FOOTLOOSE" has managed to find and grow its audience, mostly due to its relatable characters and surprisingly still-relevant message of acceptance.
Plus, the show is just a lot of fun.
As the TATM show begins, we meet Chicago teen Ren McCormack (Chase Bolduc), who works hard to help support his divorced mother and, when he isn’t in school or working, Ren spends his free time with friends at a dance club.
As to the TATM show’s opening title song sequence, not for nothing, but I don’t know where younger generations got the impression that most of the 1980s were dominated by flourescent neon.
I mean, one Dire Straits video (“Money for Nothing”) and fifty years later the entire 80s is assumed to have been one long decade of neon.
It wasn’t, and fortunately it is only the opening number that gives such an impression.
Costumes overall for the TATM show are well in keeping with both the time period and the various areas represented in the show.
Bolduc has the charisma and frenetic energy required to play Ren, who informs his buddies that he and his mother are moving to Texas.
Pressed by his friends as to why, Ren tells them that it is because of the financial stress brought on by his father who ran out on he and his mother.
Bolduc later reveals a more vulnerable side to the Ren character in musical numbers that include “On Any Sunday” and “Almost Paradise,” which he renders well vocally although struggles with some of the harmonies.
(Photo: Chase Bolduc as “Ren McCormack” shows some dance moves to Xavier Cormier as “Willard” in a scene from the musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through August 16, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
As we witness in “On Any Sunday,” Ren and his mother, Ethel (Shannon Ward), are forced to move to the small town of Bomont, Texas, populated by a deeply religious and conservative community.
They only moved here because Ren’s Aunt Lulu (Ally Doyle) and Uncle Wes (Chay Tower-Hughes) have offered Ethel a place to stay until she and Ren can get back on their feet.
Once settled, Ren and Ethel attend church with Lulu and Wes, where they are introduced to staunch conservative Reverend Shaw Moore (Luke Esposito), his wife, Vi (Alexa Querin), and their daughter, Ariel (Tori Rich).
Esposito is thoroughly invested in the character of Rev. Moore, who gives a fire and brimstone sermon condemning the “evils of rock and roll music.”
The above sermon hits as ridiculous to Ren (as it should to anyone with a brain), but this also puts Ren at odds with the pious community of Bomont.
As Ren, Bolduc leans nicely into the prevailing “fish out of water” point of view as the teen tries to adjust to his new suppressed surroundings and appears to be consistently punished for it.
Rich gives an enthusiastic portrayal of Ariel who, while dominated by her father's iron-fisted influence, also reveals a confrontational, rebellious side.
As she quickly dismisses newbie Ren, Ariel runs off to a gas station where she meets boyfriend Chuck (John McAuliffe), the local bad boy, and his buddies Travis (Emmanuel De La Cruz) and Lyle (Aidan Hughes) who provide some of the show’s comic relief.
Even with the above performers giving it their best effort, as does TATM choreographer Scopelitti, there is just no saving the Sammy Hagar-penned number "The Girl Gets Around" - quite possibly the worst song ever shoehorned into any score since "Mamma Mia."
At his new school, Ren meets Willard (Xavier Cormier), a kindly but rather obtuse young cowpoke with a strong loyalty to his mother, which we learn more about later in the hysterical number, “Mama Says” performed with Ren along with buddies Bickle (Ryan Rollo), Garvin (Evan Piscitello) and Jeter (Nathan Daniels).
Both Bolduc and Cormier are fantastic dancers, with Cormier allowed to showcase his prowess with much of the physical comedy required as Willard.
Kudos to Scopelitti for highlighting the varied strengths of all the dancers in the cast.
Frustrated by a lack of fun party places in town, Ren busts a move right in the middle of school to the tune of “I Can’t Stand Still" (also not one of the show's better original songs) which lands him in hot water with Mr. Clark (Steve Piscitello) the school's principal.
Mr. Clark angrily informs Ren that dancing is illegal in the town of Bomont.
We then meet (through Ren) Ariel's best friends: Rusty (Carolina Sanchez), who crushes on Willard; Wendy Jo (Addelyn Esposito) and Urleen (Abbie Lemieux), as they provide the reasoning behind the ludicrous law.
Before we get to that reason: the above trio is probably one of the BEST reasons to see TATM's "FOOTLOOSE" as they work quite well together, especially while harmonizing on singer Karla Bonoff’s haunting transitional number, “Somebody’s Eyes.”
Throughout most of the TATM musical, Sanchez will unintentionally steal focus, astonishing many with her incredible voice and expert portrayal of Rusty, especially "tearing the hide off" the Act Two cover of singer Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.”
As written and evidenced by the infectious chemistry between Sanchez as Rusty and Cormier as Willard, their relationship is probably the best musical sub-plot romance since Will Parker and Ado Annie in “Oklahoma.”
Anyway, back to the silly "FOOTLOOSE" plot device and story behind the “No Dancing” law:
The law went into effect after a horrifying car accident killed four teenagers returning from a dance.
After the tragedy, Rev. Moore championed a law forbidding all residents from dancing.
The dancing ban is not actually about dancing itself, but rather it is a misguided attempt by Shaw and a grieving community to control their environment and hopefully prevent another tragic loss of young people.
Although cautioned by his friends not to rock the proverbial boat, of course Ren does (otherwise we wouldn’t have a story, here) sending the entire town into an uproar.
The adults see Ren as a cancer infecting their impressionable teenagers to take on reckless actions.
Conversely, the teenagers, but mostly Ariel, see Ren as a rebel, which he most certainly is…and thank God for that (otherwise we wouldn’t have, well, you know).
(Photo: Tori Rich as “Ariel Moore,” in a moment from the musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through August 16, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
Similar to the outstanding TATM youth ensemble, the TATM actors portraying the adults in the Bomont community also give exemplary performances.
As Ariel and the kids increase their rebelliousness, she becomes more estranged from her family.
Meanwhile, Ethel is shunned by her new neighbors and she, Vi and Ariel all lament their respective isolations and the overwhelmingly silenced voices of women in Bomont in the song "Learning to be Silent" quite possibly the best of the added original songs in the show.
We hear lots of familiar 80s tunes that became instant hits because of the movie, including the dynamic "Holding Out for a Hero" made famous by recently departed singing legend Bonnie Tyler as arranged for Dean Pitchford by the late, incomparable Jim Steinman.
Another iconic favorite is the Eric Carmen-penned classic "Almost Paradise" sung by Ren and Ariel who admit their attraction to each other.
Moore gets a deeply emotional revelatory number in "Heaven Help Me" where he ponders his seemingly impossible conflict of wanting to succeed doing the right thing as a man of God while recognizing his failings as a father.
(Photo: Xavier Cormier as “Willard” with Carolina Sanchez as “Rusty” in a scene from the musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through August 16, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
Surprisingly, there is a deeper message that comes with TATM's "FOOTLOOSE" - and it is not just about bridging a generational gap.
At the core of this high-energy dancing and pop-rock score, there is a profound story about empathy and forgiveness, showing how true healing comes from letting go of the past.
"FOOTLOOSE" shows us characters requiring some kind of bridge - one that allows them to heal after tragedy, a bridge that will allow them to enjoy life once more…a bridge that is comprised mostly out of music and dance.
Attempting to be one such bridge between Ariel and Shaw is Vi, adeptly played by Alexa Querin in an affecting performance, with Vi many times serving as the voice of reason in confrontational scenes.
As she tenderly tries to explain to Shaw in her song "Can You Find It in Your Heart?" unless Ariel and her father find a way to stop yelling at each other and start listening to one another's pain, healing might never begin.
(Photo: Chase Bolduc as “Ren McCormack” and members of the CAST of the musical "FOOTLOOSE" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through August 16, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
For Ren and Ariel, their respective stories of abandonment and grief are alleviated by finding one another.
Together, they help the adults and teens of Bomont learn to acknowledge the impact of the tragedy that has held them back – to accept it for what it was but ultimately, to stop punishing the innocent and move forward.
The TATM musical offers us an entertaining way of bridging differences through understanding rather than control, teaching everyone the vital importance of acceptance, personal expression and freedom.
"FOOTLOOSE" continues at Theatre at the Mount until August 16th, 2026 and, with the combined music and talent involved in the Theatre at the Mount production, the show will have audiences wanting to dance in the aisles...but please don't - leave that to the professionals.
Coming up next for Theatre at the Mount will be the Agatha Christie mystery "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" which begins October 2nd and runs until October 11th, 2026
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at # 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
"FOOTLOOSE" is the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago.
He and his mother move to the small town of Bomont, Texas after his father abandons them.
Upon arriving, Ren finds himself at odds with most of the town, including the Reverend Shaw Moore.
The Reverend has convinced the town to outlaw dancing, which Ren finds unbelievable.
With the help of the Ariel (the Reverend’s daughter) and Willard (a country hick who becomes his best friend), Ren convinces the Reverend to let the teenagers dance, and in the process helps the town to heal from a tragedy that affected them all.(STAGEAGENT)
Mount Wachusett Community College
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA. 01440
