This year Shaker High School’s Theatre put on Footloose! The three productions, two in the evening and one matinee took place on March 27 and 28 in the auditorium. I had the privilege of seeing all three shows, and they did not disappoint. From the amazing vocals, to the well-orchestrated choreography, and the emotional acting, it was like going to Broadway. All three shows were sensational with the actors giving it their all. 

Footloose! tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago-played by the talented Jackson Majewski-who moves to a small town called Bomont, where dancing has been banned. Ren and the strict local Reverend Shaw Moore- played by none other than charismatic Cristiano Logrippo- who forced the ban to control the town’s youth following a past tragedy. Despite this, Ren falls for the Reverend’s rebellious daughter, Ariel- performed by the captivating Lily Maynard and befriends a local named Willard, portrayed by the comedic Vinny LaMorticello. Together, the teenagers decide to fight back against the outdated rules by planning a school dance. In the end, Ren convinces the town to overturn the ban, leading to a celebration of music, dancing, and teenage freedom. My favorite scene in the show featured, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” This scene is when Willard learns to dance because his “girlfriend” Rusty, played by Charli Rentz, is ashamed her man cannot dance. They go to a bar outside of town, along with Ren and friends, to escape the society of Bomont. Here at the bar they dance and socialize.  It was thrilling and exciting to the audience to see the moves the actors on stage could do and the energy was electrifying.

As mentioned before I was privileged enough to see the show three times. Every show was better than the next with each of the actors adding in quirks throughout the performances. However, if you were to ask me, the last show was the best. For the seniors it was their last show on Shaker’s stage. The sadder scenes toward the end of the last show had great emotion as the seniors knew it was their last time performing on our Shaker stage. The seniors were not alone, the entire cast was devoted to delivering a powerful, emotional performance.Through it all they danced and sang their hearts out. 

Congratulations to the whole cast and crew for making this show one of the best to hit the Shaker Stage. A special congratulations to Mrs.Kimbler and Ms.Baldwin who took the time to direct and produce the show, and to Jenna Cannistraci, who put together all the wonderful choreography. The size of the cast and the dance numbers could challenge a student production, but not with this leadership – the cast delivered under the direction. The talent that we have at Shaker is unmatched and I can not wait to see what is in store next year!