The Dolphin Show’s rendition of “Footloose” opened in Cahn Auditorium Friday, rewarding audiences with a fun-packed, heartfelt performance of professional caliber.
“Footloose” tells the story of Ren (Bienen and Medill junior Mackenzie Kirkwood), a Chicago teenager who moves to the small town of Bomont and struggles with the community’s strict rules, including the illegalization of dancing.
Reverend Moore (Communication senior Garraway Nance), Bomont’s influential traditionalist pastor, personifies this conflict, especially after Ren falls for his daughter, Ariel (Communication junior Anna Rigo).
Kirkwood said he moved to the United States at the age of eight and relates to Ren’s struggles in Bomont.
“I was able to use those feelings of being an outsider and learning to assimilate into a new culture for the show,” he said.
The Dolphin Show has a long history, with “Footloose” being its 83rd annual performance.
It is the largest student-produced musical in the country, featuring over 150 student actors, musicians, crew members, and other contributors.
“Literally every single aspect of it is done by a student, and I just think that’s so impressive and so telling of the drive of Northwestern theater students,” said Communication senior Sarah Novak, who plays Vi, Reverend Moore’s wife.
While talent and passion are visible throughout the production, they are especially prominent in the energized, memorable dancing.
Communication junior Myah Shelton and Communication senior Marcella Tracy’s choreography is at times complex and at others simple. But, it is always central to a musical that is, at its core, about dancing.
The high-quality execution of the choreography might suggest that the cast is comprised of trained dancers. However, it was a new skill for some actors.
Kirkwood said, outside of a couple of years of tap dancing around the age of six, he did not have any dancing experience.
“I was petrified to take this role because I was like, ‘This is so much dancing,’” he said.
To prepare for the role, Kirkwood practiced both in and out of rehearsal since November, eventually bringing his moves to the “natural” appearance he wanted for his character.
Rigo said she had a dance injury about a year ago and had to undergo surgery at the end of the summer, making “Footloose” her first show she’s danced in since.
“The part that I honestly love the most is it feels like a triumphant return for me to get to dance so much and do the amazing choreography,” she said.
With instantly recognizable hits such as the title track and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” the musical is filled with ’80s pop rock that is suited to Ren’s story.
In “I Can’t Stand Still,” Kirkwood’s vocals remind the audience early in the show that despite being an upbeat, dance-centric show, “Footloose” has plenty of moments for vocalists to shine.
Kirkwood is majoring in opera, but he said he finds it important to have versatility as a performing artist.
“It’s like ’80s pop rock, so that just completely goes directly in the opposite way of all my training,” he said. “But, I mean, it’s interesting — a lot of my classical opera technique does help support me to belt these rock ballads in ‘Footloose.’”
The entire ensemble’s vocals are showcased in full in large numbers involving the church choir.
Rigo’s singing is also spotlighted throughout the show, and she brings out the emotions of her songs to convey her character’s complex story.
“(Ariel is) a character who puts on a lot of different masks based on who she’s around but is just struggling with a lot of grief deep down under all that,” she said.
The singing and dancing are complemented by the crew’s stage usage.
The unique location allows for certain aspects that aren’t compatible with the theater department’s other venues, including a massive bridge across the top of the set and eye-catching signs. The signs serve as simple but effective scene transitions, indicating the characters’ location, whether it be a gas station, burger joint or Reverend Moore’s church.
“There’s a lot of things flying in for this show, which is a lot of fun, and it’s fun to call as well. But, it’s also something where you really have to pay attention when you’re calling it,” Communication junior and production stage manager Ella Poon said. “When you get it right, it’s really satisfying.”
Poon credited the scenic designer, Communication senior Nic Lam, for creating “incredible” signs, as well as the technical directors for helping bring them to life.
She said the production process started last spring, but some people on the team were putting in over 40 hours a week for the two weeks leading up to the show.
“It’s really exciting when you get to see it in reality for the first time,” she said.
The end result is a two-hour runtime of classic musical theater with five performances, three of which took place last weekend.
There are two more chances to see the show, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“‘Footloose,’ at the end of the day, it’s just such a joyful experience, for the cast, for the crew,” Novak said. “It’s genuinely been so lovely and I just really invite people to come to closing weekend because it’s just a blast.”
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Related articles:
— The Dolphin Show debuts ‘Footloose’ for its 83rd annual production
— ‘Footloose’ and fancy-free: The Dolphin Show to debut 80s-inspired musical in January
— By the Numbers: Splashing through the history of The Dolphin Show
