The 1984 film Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer, tells the story of a Chicago teenager, Ren McCormack, who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned.
Boosted by a catchy score, it was fairly successful on screen but has found eternal life in its 1998 adaptation for the musical theatre, becoming one of the most frequently performed of all school musicals.
This Friday and Saturday, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Conservatory of Performing Arts’ vacation camps for grades 6-12 will produce and perform Footloose, under the direction of New York actor Dennis O’Bannion.
“This is a great opportunity for local children and teens to have the chance to experience what it’s like to work in professional theater and perform on that theater’s stage in a full musical, complete with lighting, sets and more,” O’Bannion said. “I’m particularly excited to share with the students all of the knowledge I’ve gained from living and working in New York City as a professional performer for the past nine years.”
O’Bannion, seen on Broadway in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Marquis Theatre in 2009, appeared at the Maltz in March in the musical Crazy for You, after which he was invited by Andrew Kato, the artistic director at the Maltz, to return in June to direct this show.
O’Bannion grew up performing in musical theatre at the Children’s Musical Theatre in San Jose, Calif., and has performed in Footloose himself.
“This is a great show about youthful energy and standing up for what you believe in,” he said. “The kids are so much fun and have so much energy and potential. I hope to inspire them to pursue theater as I have.”
With a cast of 60 students and dozens of musical numbers to choreograph and direct, the job can be daunting.
Students rehearsed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for three weeks to learn their choreography, songs, lines and roles. It is an intense program, but one that the students are passionate about.
Lanardo (Leo) Davis, 18, a senior at Royal Palm Beach High School who will attend the New World School of the Arts in Miami this fall, auditioned for and won the role of the Rev. Shaw Moore, who was played by John Lithgow in the film.
Davis, who has studied voice and dance since fifth grade and was classically trained at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, plans to pursue a career in the theater.
“My life changed when I joined the conservatory at the Maltz,” said Davis, whose favorite musicals include In the Heights, Cats and Beauty and the Beast. “I fell in love with musical theatre. I love the songs in Footloose – the title song, Footloose, as well as I Need a Hero and Almost Paradise.”
Not one to sit passively by, Davis watched a DVD of the original film and watched the musical version on YouTube, looking for a role that he wanted.
“I asked myself, what role will fit me?” he said, “and decided to try out for the role of the reverend. I was interested in playing a role with power and authority and the role of the reverend has both.”
Jessica Pereira, 17, a senior at Wellington Christian School who aspires to be like her idol, Kristen Chenoweth, plays the lead role, Ariel Moore, the reverend’s daughter. Pereira credits musical theater with bringing her out of her shell.
“I have studied dance with Brian Andrews at Ballet Plus in Lake Worth since I was four years old,” Pereira said. “I used to be very shy before I discovered singing and dancing.”
Pereira comes from a line of dancers. Her maternal grandmother was a dancer and her mother, Kathleen, danced with Ballet Florida in the mid-1980s.
Pereira’s younger sister, Kristina, 13, is in the chorus.
“This is the best show I’ve ever been in,” gushed Jessica Pereira, even though she’s been in two shows at the Maltz: Cats, and the Best of Broadway Showcase last December. “Dennis is a great choreographer and I’m so thankful to be in the show and so thankful for all my teachers – they are all amazing.”
The biggest challenge for Pereira, who is in every scene, is learning all her lines.
“The music comes easily,” she says, “but it’s not easy to memorize all the dialogue. Sometimes my mother helps me in the car on the way to rehearsal and other times I lock myself in my room and try to memorize all the lines. It can be just as hard as schoolwork, but it’s much more fun.”
Caiti Marlowe turns 15 on the last day of the show and has dual roles as Vi (played by Dianne Wiest in the movie), the reverend’s wife, and as a mother of a teenager. At the age of 9, Marlowe announced to her mother, “I want to be an actress.”
Her mother, Kit, who was a former catalog model for the long-gone department store, Jordan Marsh, and played an extra in the film Caddyshack, says her daughter “has the talent that I never had.
“She made tremendous strides in last summer’s production of High School Musical at the Maltz thanks to the very devoted staff. They love the kids and treat them as professionals and bring out the best in the students,” she said. Spending so many hours together, they truly become a family. The faculty is very devoted and nurturing, and teach the kids to be themselves.”
While Marlowe admits to not having seen any of the rehearsals, she is looking forward to the opening night Friday.
“We booked a room at the Jupiter Beach Resort,” Marlowe said. “We will stay overnight and celebrate Caiti’s 15th birthday and her role in Footloose.”
Footloose will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for children. Call 561-575-2223 or visit www.jupitertheatre.org.