The production will offer a contemporary presentation of the 1984 film.
Locals looking to have a little fun this weekend or next can cut loose, kick off their Sunday shoes and dance on over to Lenape High School for the school’s upcoming production of “Footloose.”
Those at Lenape say the production will offer a contemporary presentation of the 1984 film, in which a big-city teen moves to a small town and tries to overturn the efforts of the local minister who has worked to ban dancing and rock music.
Yet according to show director Michael Del Rossi, the story of “Footloose” — the original film and Lenape’s upcoming production — is much deeper than the surface-level plot of rebellious teens throwing a school dance against the wishes of their local town council.
Rather, as Del Rossi puts it, “Footloose” is about “broken” people dealing with grief, no matter the year in which the show is set.
Del Rossi points to the characters of Ren McCormack who lost his father due to divorce, Rev. Shaw Moore who lost his son to a car accident and Ariel Moore who lost her father to his grief.
“People think its a bubble-gum, pop dance show, but really the show centers around loss,” Del Rossi said. “I thought that’s still a theme that’s very strong in 2019, so I thought we could really work with any time period.”
With that in mind, Del Rossi said he’s been consistently impressed with his strong group of performers, crew and fellow staff members who have worked since November to prepare for what he describes as a “phenomenal” production.
“This is pretty heady stuff for high school actors to take on,” Del Rossi said. “After working with this group of talented young people last year in ‘Aida,’ I realized I had a special troupe who were up for the challenge. It has been a pleasure and privilege to take on this project and share my love of this musical.”
Just two of the performers getting ready for the show are sophomore Carlos Bollar, set to play the lead role of Ren McCormack, and senior Amber Murray, one of the performers portraying Ariel Moore.
However, the two are connected by more than just their roles in the show.
This time last year, Bollar was on a wrestling mat instead of a stage, and it was only at the encouragement of Murray — a friend he made through choir class — that he was convinced to try out for Lenape’s show this year.
Now, as Bollar prepares for his first time on stage, he also has the added responsibility of taking on the show’s leading role.
“I’m absolutely honored to be a part of this. It’s been one of the best experiences of my entire life,” Bollar said. “I would be lying if I said I’m not a little scared, but I was a wrestler before this, so not much can be harder than getting thrown around on mat by another guy for about six minutes.”
Murray, herself a longtime performer, said she knew Bollar’s voice would be great for the show and that he would just have fun with the production.
“With the experience that I have, and the potential that I saw in him, I was like a little agent,” Murray said.
As for the show overall, Bollar and Murray also echoed Del Rossi in their praise for their fellow cast members.
“Our show has the same heart as the original, and I think our cast is incredibly passionate about what they do,” Bollar said. “Everyone brings their own special and unique talents.”
“Every performer in this cast has an amazing talent that we try our best to showcase,” Murray said. “How can you not have an amazing production when you have all these kids who are working for so long to perfect this show?”
“Footloose” will run at Lenape High School on Friday, March 1, Saturday, March 2, Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9.
Fridays will feature one show at 7 p.m., while Saturdays will feature two shows at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased one hour before each performance for $12.
Golden Age Passes will only be honored at the 1 p.m. performance on March 2.
For more information, visit ww.lrhsd.org.
