Look for Footloose, the stage adaptation of the 1984 musical film, to reach Broadway in October, after trying out at Washington DC's Kennedy Center in August.
Originally, the show has been booked for the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA, July 14-19 and the Buell Theatre at the Denver Center, July 21-Aug. 2, but those plans have been changed. Footloose, to be produced by Dodger Endemol and Madison Square Garden, was originally slated to play the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, but rumor has it the show will come into the Richard Rodgers Theatre, recent home of Side Show.
Footloose, which played to overflowing audiences during three workshop performances in July 1997 at 890 Studios in New York, is being directed by Walter Bobbie, winner of a Best Director Tony Award for the 1996 revival of Chicago (and currently the toast of London for his direction of Chicago there).
The choreographer is theatre newcomer A.C. Ciulla, whose credits include several acclaimed music videos. Footloose has music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, with original music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman. The musical director and vocal arranger is Doug Katsaros. The stage adaptation is by Pitchford and Bobbie.
Footloose is the story of a teenage boy who moves to a small town where dancing has been outlawed -- the result of a tragic prom-night car accident some years earlier -- and goes head-to-head with the town minister in an effort to bring dancing back. The original film had an all star cast including Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow and Sarah Jessica Parker.
In addition to the title song, the stage version of Footloose includes "The Girl Gets Around," "Holding Out for a Hero," "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise" and "Somebody's Eyes."
Casting has not yet been announced for the show. The actors in the 1997 workshop included Jeremy Kushnier, Stacy Francis, Martin Vidnovic, Dee Hoty, John Deyle and Tom Plotkin.
Designing Footloose will be John Lee Beatty (set), Toni Leslie James (costumes), Ken Billington (lighting) and Tony Meola (sound).
