The tuner, about a city kid trying to fit in at a small town high school where dancing is verboten, will have its UK debut in February. After that, the show, which has undergone a revision, will tour the provinces, possibly leading to a berth in the West End.

Footloose ran a respectable 21 previews and 737 regular performances at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre. However, it never really overcame a set of negative reviews and stubbornly refused to become a hit property, despite the name-brand recognition of its title and a score littered with pop hits like "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise" and "Holdin' Out for a Hero."

The plot concerns a preacher who bans dancing in his small town, and the rebel who breaks the rule and wins the love of the clergyman's daughter. Walter Bobbie directed and co-wrote the stage version with screenwriter Dean Pitchford.

Toward the end of its run, producers tried to raise interest among the teen set by packaging five "boys" from the show, 'N Sync-style, as the "Footloose Five." The young men, including star Jeremy Kushnier and fellow cast members Casey Miles Good, Jamie Gustis, Bradley Jay Madison and Mark Myars, were seen on building-size billboards and posters around Times Square.

The show gave careers to Kushnier and Jennifer Laura Thompson, who played the preacher's daughter and went on to star in Urinetown and Little Fish. Also in the cast was Hunter Foster, another future Urinetown star.