Norwich High School Musical Club students preparing for this weekend's shows at a dress rehearsal Wednesday.
Frank Speziale photo
NORWICH – The Norwich High School Musical Club will present three showings of the 1998 Broadway musical "Footloose" this weekend.
The showings will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Norwich High School auditorium. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the NHS office or at Service Pharmacy in Norwich for $5, and will also be available at the door.
Since January 1, 36 Norwich students cast in "Footloose" have been working on their production, which is directed by 2011 NHS graduate and Stanford Gibson Primary music teacher Shannon Richards. As a student at NHS, Richards played Eponine in "Les Miserables" in 2010, and Christine Daae in "Phantom of the Opera" in 2011.
The musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name. Playing the lead role of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomant after his father abandons them, is NHS junior Robert Brown. Brown said it's his 15th musical and first big lead.
"I feel like it's a show that everyone thinks they know, but I don't think they do," said Brown. "People say, 'I've seen 'Footloose' a billion times,' but you have not seen 'Footloose' the way that we are doing it."
In the musical, Brown's character – an avid dancer – finds himself at odds with most of the Town of Bomont, including Reverend Shaw Moore, who makes it illegal to dance.
