Published: June 13, 2008 08:36 pm      

‘Footloose’ adds Sunday show

EDMOND — Summerstock opened last weekend with about 1,000 people in attendance for the first two performances of “Footloose.”

Even though one performance was canceled last weekend because of weather, Theresa Nelson, Summerstock vice president, is hoping for record-breaking numbers for this week-end’s shows, with an additional show added for Sunday night.

The cast is packed with talent, Nelson said, with some familiar faces as well some new actors taking the stage.

“Footloose” features local musical theater students from the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and Oklahoma State University, and also includes some veteran performers. Former mayor Saundra Naifeh plays the role of Betty Blast and attorney Jay Buxton is the Rev. Shaw Moore.

The show is directed by Lisa Fox and choreographed by her daughter, Aubrey Adams, while Lisa’s son, Brandon Adams is the stage manager.

A Tony-nominated musical, the performance is full of youthful energy as the cast entertains with familiar songs like “Footloose,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and “Holding Out for a Hero”.

Fox said the two leads, Kaleb Patterson as Ren and Emiley Mitchell as Ariel, are triple threats.

“They sing, they dance and they act,” Fox said.

Mitchell is a student at UCO along with Myka Plunket, who plays Rusty.

Fox, a performer herself, is on an extended run in Texas this week with a role in “Menopause: The Musical.”

The plot of the 1984 movie loosely is based on events in Elmore City, a tiny, rural farming community in south-central Oklahoma.

Dancing had been banned for more than 90 years in this city, but the ban was lifted in 1980 when Ren (played by Kaleb Patterson, OCU music theater major and cheerleader) moves to town. He comes to live with his aunt and uncle and brings with him a looser view of life and a love of dancing.

A group of students in the graduating class made history by getting permission to dance at the school prom.

The story rocked the small community of Elmore City and rolled across America when the movie, “Footloose” set the nation dancing.

“Even though the musical shows a rebellious side of teenage life, the show has a wholesome message and is a positive family experience,” Nelson said.

This will be Summerstock’s fourth season at the outdoor Mitch Park Amphitheatre. Previous shows include “The Sound of Music,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The King and I,” “West Side Story” and “Grease!”

“We have amazing talent and a cast that sings better than the Broadway CD,” Nelson said. “It’s wonderful that our community has a chance to meet these talented performers, many of whom will go on to Broadway.

“The audience coming to Summerstock has much to look forward to.”