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Glendale Centre Theatre stages musical ‘Footloose’

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Last week, the Glendale Centre Theatre opened a production of the musical “Footloose,” based on the 1980s film of the same name, featuring such hits as the title song, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and “Holding Out for a Hero.”

Although many versions exist of the popular dance story, with both a stage production and a 2011 remake of the 1984 original movie, Glendale Centre Theatre’s version is closely tied to the original Broadway production that opened in 1998, which follows much of the original film’s story with added musical numbers.

In “Footloose,” Chicago teenager Ren McCormick (played by Chaz Feuerstine) is forced to move to a small Midwestern town after he and his mother are abandoned by his father. After learning that the rural community has outlawed dancing, he rebels against authority figure Rev. Shaw Moore (George Champion), by organizing a dance.

This is the second time Tim Dietlein, executive producer of the Glendale Centre Theatre, has produced “Footloose” at the local venue, this time working with a new director and choreographer.

“We kept all the set pieces from the last time we did it, but after I sat down with the director this time to go over [the production], we ended up using nothing,” he said. “This take is a little more minimalist.”

With a larger number of dancers and fewer set pieces, Dietlein said he hopes to bring a “higher energy” to this production.

Dietlein called last week’s opening “very strong” and said he noticed a variety of people in the audience, especially families and their children. He added that perhaps the parents were excited to share their memories of seeing the ’80s film, which starred Kevin Bacon, by introducing it to a younger generation.

Besides the upbeat music, audiences will enjoy the positive message of the show, Dietlein said.

“I had a guy come up to me, he was probably 90 years old,” Dietlein said. “He said to me, ‘This show cuts across all demographics, all ages — I cried at the end because of how tender the message was.’”

“Footloose” will continue through Oct. 7 at the Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., with mostly weekend performances and select Thursday shows.

For information about prices and showtimes, visit glendalecentretheatre.com.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda

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