Footloose is probably best-remembered by most people for the smash-hit title song which transcended the success of the hit 1984 film. And as Pitlochry Festival Theatre prepares to stage its new musical adaptation of the story, audiences can be assured that the iconic tunes which first made them want to cut loose will remain. “This production has lots of the music from the film in it,” says Douglas Rintoul, artistic director and chief executive of the , which is co-producing this version of the musical.
“We might think of these songs as if they were big hits before the film, but they were specially written for it, so they naturally lend themselves to a musical adaptation. “Obviously, it has all those exciting numbers, particularly the key song, Footloose. “There’s also Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler, which was written for the film, and Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams.
“There are lots of recognisable songs an audience will know, and lots of new songs that were written for the musical.” But Pitlochry Festival Theatre has made a habit of blending the crowd-pleasingly popular with plays which are perfect for the moment. And this new version of Footloose – which uses the text from the 1998 West End and Broadway musical adaptation by original screenwriter Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie – is no exception.
“It was (PFT artistic director) Elizabeth Newman’s idea to do Footloose, and I’ve always been really taken by the film, so I went.
