Ever since the pandemic, entertainment has been more difficult to come by. For me, it has consisted of watching movies on the couch. Not a bad way to spend a night, but I was ready for something a little more lively.
With news of “Footloose” hitting the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres stage, I was looking forward to diving back into the world of live entertainment. I hadn’t been to the dinner theater since 2019 and “Footloose” seemed like just the show to get me back into the groove.
After more than two years of the pandemic, it was refreshing to be in a room full of anticipation for live entertainment. Once I arrived and took my seat at a booth, the theater was already looking full. There was a familiar buzz in the air, a feeling I had almost forgotten about. It signaled that the show was just moments from starting.
While I couldn’t see the audience’s smiling faces due to the theater’s masking policy, their body language did all the talking. At every table I glanced at, people sat with their bodies turned toward the stage and at full attention. In those moments, I’m fairly certain I was the only person in the room without their eyes glued to the expressions and effortless movements of the actors on stage.
The musical “Footloose” follows Ren McCormack, played by Alan Bach, as he moves from Chicago to the small Southern town of Bomont. Ren soon finds out that things are not like how they were back home. Most notably is that dancing has been banned by the Rev. Shaw Moore, played by Michael Gruber. Ren soon takes on the task to overturn the ban.
Through the musical, I felt a kinship with Ren. He is thrown into a new environment and shocked when he finds out that one of his favorite ways to express himself is banned.
I think we can all sympathize and see ourselves in his confusion. Our typical lives before the pandemic included working amongst others in an office, sharing a meal with extended family over the holidays and occasionally going to concerts, shows or movies.
For the past two-plus years of our lives, the safety of these life fixtures has been questionable and we had to make do with some big changes and restrictions. We were thrown out of sorts when the basic ways of life couldn’t go on like they had before.
The triumphant end to the musical was cathartic. Ren wins out over the adults and the teens are able to have a school dance. The colorful ruffled dresses with puffy sleeves and incredibly 1980s tuxedos made the finale all the more dazzling. I particularly enjoyed when all the adults characters finally let loose with a dance as well.
The character I found myself searching for scene after scene was Willard Hewitt, played by Matthew Hall. “Footloose” was his Chanhassen Dinner Theatres debut. I admired his ability to poke fun at himself and was delighted by his song “Mama Says,” in which he recounts the solid advice he’s received from his mom such as “Don’t buy a chandelier unless you’ve got a ceiling.”
Based on the laughs Willard received from his goofy quips, and his final bow at the end of the night, I was in good company. I look forward to seeing his name in future Chanhassen Dinner Theatres programs.
After the past couple of years we’ve had during this pandemic, an energetic and upbeat show is exactly what I was hoping for, and is what I got. If you’re looking for a way to lose your blues, check out “Footloose” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. The show runs through Sept. 24.
