Mount Baker Secondary School students will be cutting loose and kicking off the Sunday shoes at its spring musical, debuting May 8.
The school's Wild Theatre is performing beloved 80s classic Footloose at Key City Theatre, based on the 1984 hit movie starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Chris Penn and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Footloose follows teenager Ren McCormack (Navy Gross), who moves from Chicago to a small town called Bomont. A terrible tragedy in the town led to a ban on dancing, and McCormack and his newfound friends upend the status quo to try and bring spirited fun back to rural life.
"It follows all of these teenagers who are lobbying against this oppressive law to try and have some fun and express themselves," said drama teacher and director Emily McCue
Along the way McCormack meets his good friend Willard Hewitt (Finn McBurney), the goofy clumsy character in the friend group with two left feet, and he finds himself falling for the fiery Ariel Moore (Abbie Pasowisty).
With iconic songs like "Footloose", "Holding Out For A Hero" and "Let's Hear It For The Boy," the teenagers rebel against the town's restrictive rules and chart their own path of self-discovery.
"It's timely. This musical is saying fight for what you believe in. People should have the right to express themselves how they want to," said McCue.
The musical will blast to the past with bright neon coloured costumes, big poofy hair and blue eyeshadow. It's an energetic show with an eclectic mix of dance styles ranging from line and swing dancing, to waltzing. Choreography was developed by Courteny Green, with help from Candice Fisk and Bella Blanchard.
The show features a large cast with 47 students, and introduces some new characters that were not in the movie.
"Just trying to get all the people who are nostalgic for the 80s or love the movie, to come see the show," said McCue. "It's a super fun show. It's not heavy or trying to make any intense points or anything like that. It's just entertainment and fun."
McCue participated in the high school's production of Footloose back in 2010. She actually met her husband Brad for the first time through the musical, so it's a sentimental and nostalgic show for her. Brad played Hewitt and she was part of the ensemble.
Now, she's excited to bring it back for another go.
"Every single song is different, and every dance is different. It just gives you such a variety of dancing and performing styles, even in the ensemble. Every person on stage is going all out for all two hours. You'll be feeling really great," she said.
The musical runs May 8 to 10 at 7 p.m. and May 11 at 3 p.m. at Key City Theatre. Tickets are available on the Key City Theatre's website or at the box office.
To see the full cast, visit Wild Theatre's Facebook page.
