The first thing that impresses about this high energy show – before the cast have even appeared – is the huge video wall stretching right across the back wall of the stage which provides a colourful and informative backdrop for every scene, ensuring not only that we know where we are but adding to the atmosphere as well.

But then the huge cast exploded onstage, filling Shanklin Theatre with sound and movement, energy and enthusiasm. We quickly picked up the story of the central character, Ren, moving from his Chicago home to a small country town, only to find that his favourite pastime, dancing, has been banned by order of the Rev Shaw, local church leader. Ren befriends Shaw’s daughter Ariel and…as we all expect (well, this is a feel-good musical, right?) eventually they fall in love and Ren leads first Ariel and her friends and finally even the Reverend himself into a love of dancing and they all finish the show ‘footloose’.

Lydia absolutely captured the essence of Ren, with boundless optimism and energy, strong vocals – and some great dance moves too. Charlotte’s portrayal of Ariel was sweet and engaging, and I particularly liked Logan’s turn as Willard – especially in the scene where he was learning to dance. Harriet and Ember, playing Ariel’s parents, had some lovely moments and you could really feel for Vi as she tried to advocate for her daughter against her stubborn husband, and I enjoyed the three-way song between her, Ariel and Ethel, played by Olivia. Ember’s Rev Shaw dominated the stage and the scenes she was in – some great character acting there!

But the show really rests on the ensemble: the big songs and dances and the obvious team spirit. The sound quality was good, although there were a couple of ‘mic moments’ in the first half of the show. However, the music drowned a few lyrics occasionally, and a little sharper diction would have made every word of the spoken dialogue clear. A few ensemble speakers had no mic: if they had been placed nearer the front stage mics their speeches would have also been clearer. These are minor points against the sheer energy and enthusiasm with which the cast approached some challenging singing and dancing. And there were some seriously great dancers onstage: the choreography was demanding but they met the challenge.

Everyone involved with ‘Footloose’ has obviously worked their socks off, and can be proud of what they have achieved – I look forward to seeing each and every one of these young performers develop their skills and experience on the stage and will be interested to see where their talent takes them in the future.