“Footloose” (Milwaukee) reviewed by Wayne Mell

 **** The Milwaukee Repertory Theater has kicked off their 2026/27 Season with a spectacular and wildly entertaining production of Footloose, the musical, that hits the mark on every level.

I honestly didn’t expect to write that.  Footloose has never been a project that has earned much critical respect.  Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie adapted the story from Pitchford’s  1984 screenplay which starred, yes, Kevin Bacon.  It tells the story of Ren, a city teen who moves to a small town where rock ‘n roll and dancing are banned. He challenges the rules, sparks romance, and inspires a community with the wisdom of a 17 year-old and the power of music.  Sound familiar?  It should.  It’s the plot of at least a dozen other stories including Dirty Dancing and six seasons of Glee.  And to make it gritty, the original was peppered with small town prejudice, drug dealers, and domestic violence.

However, it has a score that is a Top Ten list of radio hits that defined MTV and music videos for a generation.  The obvious ones I knew by name:  Let’s Hear It for the Boy, Holding Out For A Hero, Almost Paradise, and the title song Footloose.  But other songs, like Heaven Help Me, are familiar in that “I didn’t know that song came from here” way, even if you don’t remember them well enough to sing along.

Is that enough for an entertaining evening?  Not without help.  Director and Choreographer Stephen Mear built a brilliant show around the concept that we were here for the music.  The set by Todd Edward Ivins and the lighting design by Jason Fassl worked together for the perfect rock concert experience.  Stage trusses and easily moving platforms were dripping with LED instruments and enough haze to showcase the many shifting light colors.  The entr’acte leaned into this fully, revealing the backstage band while the red lights flashed to the beat.

The dancers were spectacular against this concert backdrop with group numbers that were tightly synchronized and solos that showed off the amazing physical prowess of the performers.  And the characters were portrayed with the perfect amount of camp and tongue-in-cheek style so that you took them at their word, but that you never took the situation too seriously.  Angstful teens were mostly goofy and not mean, pig-headed adults were unapologetically pig-headed, the mothers always knew best, and this made us care about all of them.  The afore mentioned drug dealers and domestic violence became gratuitous and quickly forgotten, never overtaking the story of the kids lovingly trying to re-connect with the adults.

Keyon Pickett starred as Ren McCormack, with an amazing voice and dance moves that reminded you of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Michael Jackson simultaneously.  Instead of the jaded city-slicker, he presented an endearingly vulnerable teen-ager suddenly thrust into a situation he doesn’t understand and where he doesn’t fit in.  Carson Zoch as Willard played the loveable doofus sidekick with the perfect amount of charm and comic timing.  And the two of them led a jaw-dropping ensemble of male dancers that handled most of the spectacle in the group numbers.

This left the emotional grounding to the women, and they were what prevented the campiness from turning into a cartoon.  Maddie Robert as Ariel, the preacher’s rebellious daughter, took a role that was written as a cliché and elevated it so that she was our entry point into the story.  Yes, Ren needed to instigate social reform so he could dance in public, but we wanted the reform to happen for her, so she could reconcile with her father (deftly portrayed by Steven Koehler) and claim the extraordinary life she seemed destined for.  She gave a performance that was compassionate and complex, a feat made even more difficult by being introduced in the song “The Girl Gets Around” and by being dressed like Daisy Duke for the entire first act.  And when she and Ren finally kissed, it was a genuine moment earned from an honest connection, and not the inevitable task for the boy and girl stars of a musical.

Like mother, like daughter.  Jackie Good as Ariel’s mother Vi was our emotional tour guide, setting the stakes amidst goofiness.  Her rendition of “Can You Find It In Your Heart” was beautiful, and spelled the point of the show out for all of us..  And her duet with Rae Davenport as Ren’s mom was another beautiful moment giving us a welcome breather from the high-octaine 80s hits.  Davenport was always a welcome addition to any scene with her big city sass, motherly support, and outstanding voice.

And a shout out has to go to Olivia Hellman.  Just like Willard, her Rusty was the perfect 2^nd.  Always funny, always supportive.  The show stopping number of the night was her “Let’s Hear It For The Boy,” and even though Zoch’s dancing was amazing, her singing and character was so exceptional that she was never upstaged by him.  Music Director Dan Kazemi also deserves high praise.  In a jukebox musical of 80s hits, every song meant something emotionally, and was never just ear candy in the moment.

This show is a perfect example of how talented performers and designers with strong direction and a unified concept can transcend ordinary material and make it something special.

They say that the performance is only 60% of your satisfaction at the theatre.  The newly renovated Ellen & Joe Checotra Powerhouse Theater certainly made up the other 40%.  The décor is modern and elegant, and makes you feel like you’ve gone somewhere special.  The seats are comfortable and raked, providing excellent sightlines from everywhere.  And the arena stage feels both traditional and intimate all at the same time.  Plus, there’s affordable parking in a lot underneath the building, so you can go from your car to your seat without going outside.  As a North Shore guy who’s about an hour away from Milwaukee, it’s certainly just as enticing as heading into the Loop.

Footloose will run September 22 – November 1, 2026, at the Ellen & Joe Checotra Powerhouse Theater, 108 E Wells Street, downtown Milwaukee.

“Footloose” will continue thru November 1st with performances as follows:

Wednesdays          7:30 p.m.

Thursdays              7:30 p.m.

Fridays                   7:30 p.m.

Saturdays              3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Sundays                2:00 p.m.

To purchase tickets, visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com or call the Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.

 photos by Michael Brosilow