Young entertainers nail ’80s energy

Footloose 

High-energy dance sequences, songs and hi-jinks come thick and fast in Taieri Musical’s hugely entertaining production of Footloose.

The show, which opened at Mosgiel’s Coronation Hall last Thursday, features a committed, talented young cast, led by the youthful production team of Ben Thomas (director), Samuel Leaper (musical director), and Cadyne Geary (choreographer).

Accompanied by a tight live band, the large company dance and sing their way through some of the top musical hits of the late 20th century, including Footloose, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and Holding Out for a Hero.

Leading couple Sam Kelly and Zara Anthony-Whigham are committed and believable as determined lovers, while best mates Jack Archibald and Lexie Tomlinson are top-notch in their own hilariously awkward love affair. All are in fine voice and move very well.

Darrel Read is superb as the stern Rev Shaw Moore, with Charlotte Mckay also strong as his long-suffering wife.

The other principal cast members Harriet Moir, Max Beal, Ariana Gepte, Clare Lewis, Ben Johnson, Brent Caldwell, Lisa Caton, Justin Wilson, Nina O’Callaghan and Blair Hughson all play their parts with verve and passion, and some excellent singing.

It is in the ensemble numbers that Taieri Musical’s Footloose is at its most successful, with ensemble cast members weaving vigorous and complicated dance patterns on a compact stage with aplomb, all while maintaining enough breath to sing their hearts out as well.

The impressive sets, designed and constructed by Paul Mulholland, combine some sizeable pieces — such as a full-width railway bridge — with projections to create a picture of small town America.

Costume design by Sharon Wassell is also cleverly evocative of the period, while allowing cast members to dance and move freely.

With its high-energy performances, and superb music, Taieri Musical’s production of Footloose is a resounding success. Shows continue until Saturday.