Review: (Ottawa) Footloose

Fancy Free!
by Jim Murchison 
@JimMurchison

Last week was a busy week for theatre in Ottawa. So much so, that I did not have an opportunity to review Footloose until Tuesday evening. The play is an adaptation of the intensely popular film screenplay of the 80’s starring Kevin Bacon and written by Dean Pitchford. Pitchford and Walter Bobbie adapted the screenplay for the stage.

My seat was in row H and so I ventured down the aisle getting ever closer to the stage. As I reached row J, I stepped down two more positions and found myself at row G. That’s when it hit me! There is no I in the theatre. Actually there are lots of them. There are 42 people in this production. It makes Pride and Prejudice look like an intimate family gathering. The credit for making this production a true ensemble has to go to the dedicated production team headed by artistic director Shaun Toohey, but equally important is the musical direction of Wendy Berkelaar who also plays keyboards in the 8 piece orchestra and the choreography of Gabe Wolinsky. It is a huge task to move and motivate a group that large and mostly not possible for professional companies to undertake because of the expense.