A full ensemble of 27 actors performing Footloose at open with an even more energetic reprise at the close of the show should be enough incentive to get you to attend the Milwaukee Rep’s presentation of Footloose, The Musical. But if you need more encouragement, the cast is obviously having a lot of fun and it is seriously contagious. So if you don’t have fun, it’s because you don’t know how to have fun…so sit back and take your cue from Willard.
Ethel McCormack is in sad straits. After he husband has left the family, she does not have the means to continue living in Chicago. So she accepts help from her sister and brother-in-law, but that involves moving to the small town that they live in. So she and her high-school aged son Ren, pack the car and head off on a ten hour drive, for Bomont. Once they arrive there Ren has a hard time adjusting to small town life and abruptly finds out that his favorite outlet for stress relief, dancing, is actually against the law in Bomont. Now, hopefully, I can be forgiven, given the cowboy hats and country music, for thinking we are in Beaumont Texas…I was surprised to see Bomont written on the gym attire on our youngsters at mid-play.
Ren finds out that his new pastor, the Rev. Shaw Moore, was the impetus on banning dancing following a traumatic car accident that killed four local teens on their way home from a…dance. And the pastor’s daughter, Ariel, is, of course, involved with the town’s bad boy but is curious about the new kid. Ren gets a bit of unearned notoriety as a troublemaker but eventually wins over his peers and takes on the Rev. Moore and town council and wins, allowing the big dance finale to end our version of Footloose.
Keyon Pickett alone is worth the price of admission. And you will feel his stage presence immediately on seeing his first Michael Jackson dance step. But beyond his remarkable dancing, Pickett is the real deal. His voice is a true musical instrument. From sad and questioning tunes to triumphal dance numbers, he can hit the whole range of nuance and the whole range of tones. And beyond his musical skill set, he has the chops to be a dramatic actor as well if he ever feels the need to pursue that. He’s going to be big Broadway star some day and we are lucky to have him here in Milwaukee.
The pastor’s daughter, Ariel Moore, is being played by Madison Robert. But she is only playing the role through October 11th. Robert owns this role and I certainly recommend seeing Footloose while she is still here. Robert’s Ariel is something of a free spirit and determined to do things her way and wants more out of life than what Bomont has to offer. Robert brings all of Ariel’s emotions front and center, from her love for her father, and her curiosity about Ren, and her playing the bad girl fling with Chuck. Robert too is in possession of a full, alive, vocal range and non-stop energy as a dancer and actor.
The voice that blew me away? That belongs to Olivia Hellman who plays one of Ariel’s besties, Rusty. And Rusty is a bit of a hell raiser herself. Hellman too is a remarkable dancer and actor, but her voice just fills the room and gave me chills at times. Rusty’s love interest is Willard, who after a bit of an altercation becomes Ren’s best friend. Carson Zoch is a tough talking and blustery acting young man who is just covering up his own self doubts and self perceived inadequacies. Zoch’s Willard has feelings for Rusty too but doesn’t know how to express them until Ren’s dance adventures allow him to break out of his shell. And break out is exactly what Zoch does going from stumbling bumbling to Saturday Night Fever slick in just a few moments of lessons and realizations that he CAN do it.
And there are a few adult characters that I’d like to mention. Of course: Rev. Moore. For a pastor, he seems a bit domineering and officious in Steven Koehler’s portrayal. Koehler’s Moore is hard to like and it is hard to understand his motivations…until his final confrontation with Ren. A character who catches up with you is his wife Vi. She seems too compliant until you realize she is just holding back. Jackey Good is a perfect Vi and my goodness, her singing in ‘Learning To Be Silent’ with Ethel and Ariel and then the solo, ‘Can You Find It In Your Heart’, is a moving thing of beauty. Listen. And Rae Davenport as Ren’s mom, Ethel McCormack, is the calm and thoughtful and supportive mom you would hope every teen has in their life. And watch carefully as Milwaukee favorite Dimonte Henning plays a convincing high school athletic coach, Roger Dunbar.
It boggles my mind that just one person, Stephen Mear, can perform the dual roles of director and choreographer so effectively. Besides the dozens of actors, there are 18 songs which all require not just the direction of the actors but quite elaborate dance sequences as well. His version of Footloose is seamless and constantly in motion. This is where most of the fun gets made. And Rep stalwart, Dan Kazemi is the conductor (and a keyboard player) of the live band that is performing at the back of the set.
Footloose, The Musical, continues from now through November 1, 2026 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre’s Ellen and Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater.
Additional Information Here and Ticket Info Here
Extra Credit Reading: The Program
I agree Olivia Hellman‘s performance was absolutely amazing. Her rendition of let’s hear it for the boys was the best I’ve ever heard.