Cove Presents... Footloose The Musical
Performing Arts
Footloose- “To say it was amazing is an understatement”
Footloose, performed by Cove School students on the 9th, 10th, and 11th February was a sell-out production that received outstanding praise and applause every night.
With a cast and crew of eighty students and a full orchestra, the lives of the grief stricken Bomont people were brought to life with absolute clarity and passion. Ren McCormack played by Mason O’Connor and Rev. Shaw Moore, played by Ben Ruewell, held the audience in a constant state of tension as their individual battle for freedom and protection played out. Both young actors conveyed their characters with absolute precision and conviction.
Nicole Daly, who embodied the role of Ariel, the Reverend’s rebellious daughter, demonstrated with remarkable sincerity her passion for breaking free from the constraints of Bomont following the death of “the four young people who held the promise of Bomont’s brightest future”. The audience related to her pain and were engaged by her relationships with Rev. Shaw Moore, Chuck and Ren. Darcy Burgess played Chuck, Ariel’s bad-boy boyfriend, he successfully helped to show Ariel’s coming of age and her want to feel excitement. When Chuck abused Ariel and insulted Ren the audience responded with disapproval as he was met with a boo and hiss reception in the finale. Ren and Ariel’s developing love was played out so truthfully that the audience cheered as the characters shared their common stories of loss and finally embraced under the moonlight sky. Following Rev. Shaw Moore realisation and acceptance that his grief had consumed him, both he and his daughter Ariel learnt to understand each other, providing a pleasing resolution.
To bring a little light relief, at times, the characters of Willard and Rusty played by Adam Marsden and Lily Wheeler, lit up the stage with their performances. They were humorous, endearing and compelling to watch bringing excitement and enthusiasm to the stage whenever they appeared. The audience also cheered as the quirky couple finally got together following Willard’s offer to take her to prom in a rusty pickup truck wearing an old brown taped up suit.
Hannah Wenham who played Ethel McCormack and Grace Johns who portrayed Vi Moore both gave stunning performances each night. They passionately communicated their individual story of survival and resilience following loss. Both never succumbed to the pathos of their situations and decided to be strong for Ren and Rev. Shaw Moore. Their humour and wit was playful and good natured and lightened the tension within the drama.
This audience feedback absolutely summarises the quality of the production and professionalism of the students: “Wow! To say it was amazing is an understatement. The talent those children have is mind blowing. It was so lovely to see how much each and every one were enjoying it. I can’t believe that was a school production, it felt like we were watching a professional stage show”.
Footloose was produced and directed by Victoria White, the Musical Director was Sian Cosgrove, the Choreographer was Lucy Mellor and Stage Management was run by Lucille Buchan. We are all so incredibly proud of the students - they were just superb.