Aug 8, 2008 9 min read

FLATWOODS – Flatwoods Productions will present the musical “Footloose” Friday today through Sunday at the Curfew Grange building in Flatwoods (across from the cemetery). Curtain times will be 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with a matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m. Dinner theater will also be available for an additional charge. For reservations, call 724-366-7923. Tickets will be available at the door for all three performances.

The play begins with Ren McCormack, an ordinary city kid (played by James Parker of Uniontown), in a dance club in Chicago, dancing off his stresses born of his long and arduous eight-hour work as he sings “Footloose.”

But this is his last visit. He tells his friends that due to financial pressures brought on by his father’s abandonment, he and his mother Ethel (played by Nancy Flinn of Donora) are moving to a small town named Bomont, where his aunt and uncle have offered to give him shelter.

Once there, Ren and Ethel attend church and get their first glimpse of Reverend Shaw Moore (Rob Ross of Weirton, W,Va.), a conservative minister who is a big authority figure in the town as they sing “On Any Sunday.”

After a long sermon lambasting the evils of “rock and roll” music and its “endless chant of pornography,” the Reverend’s daughter, Ariel, (Candy Butala of Charleroi), runs off to the local burger joint to meet her boyfriend Chuck Cranston (Wayne O’Brien of Monongahela), who is, for lack of a better term, trailer trash, only wanting to get in Ariel’s pants singing the song “The Girl Gets Around.”

While they embrace, the Reverend shows up and catches Chuck with his hands around his daughter, much to his chagrin.

The next day, Ren shows up for school and immediately becomes friends with Willard Hewitt (Kaleb Oswald of Connellsville), a slow-witted cowboy with a bad attitude and a strong loyalty to his mother.

Ren tells Willard about the dancing he used to do in Chicago as he sings the song “I Can’t Stand Still.”

Willard tries to stop him from dancing in the middle of the school, but Ren ignores him and puts on a show in front of the school principal, who angrily explains that dancing is illegal in the town of Bomont.

Willard defends Ren, saying that he is new in town and does not know the rules. After the principal leaves, Rusty, who is madly in love with Willard, tells him how brave he is to have stood up the principal on Ren’s behalf.

Rusty (Alexis Arnold of Brownsville) and her friends then explain to a bemused Ren that dancing is illegal after Reverend Moore passed a law forbidding because his son died in a car accident returning from a dance. They then warn him to lay low unless he wants to get into even more trouble than as they sing “Somebody’s Eyes.”

In the next scene, Ariel returns home to a disgruntled Shaw, who stubbornly ignores her despite her repeated attempts to engage conversation with him. Exasperated, she leaves the room in a huff, leaving the Reverend and Vi (portrayed by Michelle Rivas of Pittsburgh), his wife, alone to bicker over her.

Shaw expresses his concern over Ariel’s relationship with Chuck Cranston, but when Vi attempts to assure him their fling will soon cool down, he silences her and storms off to finish writing his sermon.

Ethel, fed up with the groundless suspicion that Ren as the “new kid” is forced to suffer, enters the kitchen to commiserate with Vi over a cup of tea. The two discuss how no one ever listens to them, everyone being so set in their own ways that they are seldom allowed to get a word in edgewise as the song “Learning to be Silent.”

After school that day, several of the students go to the Burger Blast, a burger restaurant. Ariel, Rusty and their friends (Llanelle Gibson of Charleroi and Stacey Bonasarte of Rostraver) are doing homework at a table while Willard talks to Ren, who is dressed up in a waiter’s uniform and roller skates, as he has just been hired to work at the restaurant.

When Ren takes Ariel’s order, she flirts with him. Willard warns Ren that Chuck Cranston would not be happy if Ren were to become involved with Ariel. Ren then proceeds to question Willard about his relationship with Rusty.

Willard proclaims that he thinks she is very good looking but is annoyed by her non-stop talking. The scene shifts back to Ariel’s conversation with her friends, and she is talking about how she wants to find a decent guy as she sings “Holding Out for a Hero.”

As she finishes her song, Chuck shows up in a fury and starts to yell at Ariel. Ren and Willard come to her defense, but it is Betty Blast, the owner of the restaurant, who breaks up the fight.

After Ren gets off work, Ariel takes him to her secret place beneath the train tracks where she discusses her hatred of Bomont. Unbeknownst to them, Chuck witnesses the pair together.

Afterwards, Ren walks her home, catching the Reverend and Vi by surprise, as they had believed that Ariel was at home in her room all the while.

Despite Shaw’s displeasure at his daughter’s disobedience, a nervous Ren absentmindedly insults him in an attempt to ease his worries, ironically, only making the situation more awkward and causing all of Shaw’s friends who were over playing a game of bridge to dash off.

An irritated Shaw then sternly orders Ariel to cease her visits with him, but Ariel retaliates, claiming that he is doing no more than make her feel like a prisoner. After a fed-up daughter and wife storm off in a rage, Shaw begins to feel a pang of guilt, pondering whether or not he is being fair with his daughter while considering the problematic task of being both a preacher and a father as he sings “Heaven Help Me.”

At school the next day, Ren shows up late to gym class with Ariel and Willard and explains to the teacher that he was jumped by Chuck, but the teacher won’t listen. Ren laments that the citizens of Bomont are so “wound up,” muttering that at least in Chicago he had the clubs to turn to in times of stress.

After a quip by Willard suggesting that they “should take the coach dancing,” Ren realizes that throwing a dance would be the perfect way to alleviate the teenagers’ pressures, while at the same time making a statement to Reverend Moore and the town council.

Willard tells Ren that he is insane, but Ren won’t listen and reveals his plan to all of the students, eventually winning them over. Word catches on to Reverend Shaw, who, as the one responsible for banning it to begin with, is determined to do anything within his power to ensure that it does not happen when he sings “I’m Free.”

Act two opens with Ren, Ariel, Willard and Rusty in a town miles from Bomont where there is a big dance hall, complete with a country band playing “Let’s Make Believe We’re in Love” sung by Charlene Diaz of Chareroi.

Rusty repeatedly attempts to dance with Willard, but he weasels his way out, dragging Ren off to the bar to get drinks. There, he explains to Ren that he doesn’t know how to dance. Rusty overhears them, and so do several cowboys, who begin to mock Willard. Rusty comes to his defense, saying that he might not be perfect, but she loves him anyway in the song “Let’s Hear it for the Boy.”

During Rusty’s song, Ren tries to teach Willard to dance, who after much initial stumbling and apprehension, whips off an amazing dance combination, much to Rusty’s surprise.

When Ren brings Ariel home, Shaw is extremely angry with her for seeing Ren. He almost hits her, but he stops himself and Ariel runs from the room. Vi talks to Shaw and tries to explain that he is too hard on her because of the way he feels about their son’s death and that she doesn’t mean to make him upset when they sing “Can You Find it in Your Heart?'”

Meanwhile, Ren, Willard and their friends are trying to find a way to present their idea to the town council. Ren is extremely discouraged and considers forgetting the whole idea.

Willard gives Ren some advice that his mother told him and explains that he can’t give up in the song “Mama Says.”

Just as Ren’s confidence has built up, Ariel shows up with a black eye and tells Ren that Chuck beat her up. Willard and his friends go off to find Chuck, and Ren comforts Ariel. Ariel reveals the truth about her brother and gives Ren a Bible with various passages he can use for his motion. It is then they both realize they’ve fallen in love with each other when they sing “Almost Paradise.”

At the town council meeting, Ren stands up and explains to the council, including the principal, coach and Reverend Moore, that dancing is written about in the Bible and should not be illegal as they sing “Dancing is not a Crime.” Ren is favorably supported, but the members don’t listen, and the motion is dismissed.

After the meeting, Ren’s mother explains that Shaw had those votes locked no matter what, and she suggests for Ren to go talk to him.

Ren goes to the church on the suggestion of his mother and explains to Reverend Moore that he should not take his anger about his son’s death out on the entire town.

Shaw becomes furious and kicks him out of the church and remembers back to when his son was alive as he sings “I Confess.” The memory fills him with a long-missed happiness, and he realizes that Ren is right and knows what he must do.

At the next service, Shaw tells the whole congregation that he is going to allow the teenagers to hold a dance. They are overjoyed. Ren asks Ariel to the dance and Willard invites Rusty, telling her that he is even willing to dance with her.

After the crowd leaves, Vi and Shaw are left on stage alone, where Shaw tells Vi how much he loves her and how he has made many mistakes in the past as he sings “Can You Find It In Your Heart?” The show ends with a huge dance that the Reverend, his wife, and even the townsfolk attend “Footloose/Finale.”

Other cast members include Dimitri Lazzarri, Josh Hanzes, Melba, Laurie Watson and Scott Watson. Tickets are available at the door for all performances.