Maureen Nolan joins the cast of the touring production of Footloose – The Musical
Full casting has been announced today for hit musical Footloose – The Musical which will be back in 2016, touring the UK from January.
Joining the previously announced Gareth Gates as Willard will be Maureen Nolan as Vi Moore.
Maureen Nolan has been singing with her sisters since she was nine years old, when they became one of Europe’s first girl bands, The Nolans. Best known for their smash hit single ‘I’m in the Mood for Dancing’, The Nolans enjoyed phenomenal record sales worldwide, and worked with some of the world’s most respected artists including Frank Sinatra. On stage, Maureen has played Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers in the West End and on tour to critical acclaim. She was the fourth Nolan sister to play the role, earning them entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Other credits include Sadie in Girl’s Behind, Jill in Mum’s the Word and Sarah in The Naked Truth.
Gareth Gates will play Willard from 29 January until 16 April, returning to the show from 20 June 2016. Gates rose to fame through the inaugural series of Pop Idol in 2001, going on to sell more than five million records worldwide and have hits across the globe. His version of ‘Unchained Melody’ sold over a million copies in the UK and is the third best-selling single of the Noughties. He is also the youngest ever male solo artist to debut at No. 1. More recently Gates has enjoyed a successful career on stage, with credits including Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2014 Gareth appeared in the final series of Dancing on Ice, and joined boyband 5th Story as part of ITV’s second series of The Big Reunion, touring arenas with bands including Blue and Five.
Luke Baker will play Ren McCormack, the role immortalised on screen by Kevin Bacon. Luke is about to finish playing Theo in Green Day’s American Idiot in the West End, with other West End credits including the Olivier Award-winning Sunny Afternoon, Beautiful Thing and I Can’t Sing!
The cast features Hannah Price as Ariel Moore, Nigel Lister as Reverend Shaw Moore, Nicky Swift as Ethel McCormack, Joanna Sawyer as Rusty, Matthew Tomlinson as Chuck, Natasha Brown as Wendy-Jo, Miracle Chance as Urleen and Scott Haining as Bickie. The cast also includes Lauren Storer, Natalie Morton-Graham, Luke Thornton and Alex Marshall.
Based on the 1984 screen sensation starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose – The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren, who has to move to a rural backwater in America where dancing is banned. All hell breaks out as Ren breaks loose and soon has the whole town up on its feet. The show features classic 1980s hits including ‘Holding Out For a Hero’, ‘Almost Paradise’, ‘Let’s Hear it for the Boy’ and the title track.
When the film was released in 1984, it became the highest-grossing February release in US film history. The soundtrack album ended the year-long reign of Michael Jackson’s Thriller at number one and went on to top album charts all over the world, eventually selling in excess of 17 million copies. Footloose was nominated for a Golden Globe, and both the title song and ‘Let’s Hear It for the Boy’ received Academy Award nominations. Footloose – The Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 where it ran for 709 performances, with a London production following in 2006, opening at the Novello Theatre following a UK tour.
Footloose – The Musical has music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and is adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It is based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford. It is directed by Racky Plews (American Idiot, West End) with choreography by Matthew Cole, design by Sara Perks and musical supervision by Mark Crossland. It is produced by David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree for Sell A Door Theatre Company and Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment.
Full tour details are:
29 January–6 February 2016 – Bridlington Spa
8–13 February – Dartford Orchard Theatre
16–20 February – Edinburgh Festival Theatre
22–27 February – Lowestoft Marina Theatre
29 February–5 March – Cardiff New Theatre
14–19 March – Manchester Palace Theatre
21–26 March – Carlisle Sands Theatre
28 March–2 April – Portsmouth King’s Theatre
12–16 April – Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
19–23 April – Oxford New Theatre
25–30 April – Weston-Super-Mare Playhouse
2–7 May – Wimbledon New Theatre
9–14 May – Liverpool Empire
17–23 May – Watford Colosseum
31 May–4 June – Derry Millennium Forum
6–11 June – Torquay Princess
13–18 June – Glasgow King’s Theatre
20–25 June – Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre
4–9 July – Birmingham Alexandra Theatre
12–6 July – Newcastle Opera House
18–23 July – Woking New Victoria Theatre
25–30 July – Brighton Theatre Royal
1 August–6 August – Bristol Hippodrome
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