Madison High School will present “Footloose” on May 9, 10, & 11 at  7:30 p.m. at Rabbit Run Theater at 5648 Chapel Road in Madison, Ohio. This unique barn theatre is an Ohio Historical Landmark that once housed performances by young up and coming actors such as Jim Backus, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Charles Grodin, and Dustin Hoffman when it was a regional theatre stop in the 1950s and ‘60s. Madison High School is proud to perform there with the support of the Rabbit Run Community Arts Association. Reserved tickets for “Footloose” are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets will be available at the door at the Rabbit Run box office 90 minutes before curtain, or through advance purchase at Madison High School.

“Footloose” features a stage adaptation from Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on Pitchford’s original screenplay for the popular 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. Pitchford also wrote the lyrics to go along with music from Tom Snow. The Broadway version also features music from Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, and Jim Steinman and is presented in cooperation with Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals.

“Footloose” was a popular film in 1984, but the soundtrack surpassed it and is the 8th best selling film soundtrack of all time - reigning at the top of the Billboard album charts for two months in the spring of that year. The original nine-song soundtrack sent six of them to the charts as Top 40 singles, including the #1 title track by Kenny Loggins and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams. Ann Wilson and Mike Reno’s duet on “Almost Paradise” also hit the Top 10 at #7, while additional hits like Kenny Loggins “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man)” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” also made the Top 40. All five of those songs are included in the Broadway musical, along with original music composed for the stage adaptation.

“Footloose” features more than 45 students in the cast, crew, and pit. Steve Couch directs his second Madison High School production, having also directed seven musical productions for Madison Middle School and eleven productions at Memorial Middle School in Mentor since 2009. He has also directed his own original productions at Wildwood Theatre Camp for the City of Mentor for 24 years, and has also directed productions at Perry High School, Mentor High School, and Rabbit Run Theatre in Madison. His column “Young Thespians” runs frequently in the News-Herald.

Mr. Couch, a current Mentor High School social studies teacher and Model U.N. advisor, is also working with music director Alex Ulle, vocal director Aaron Lange, choreographer Jailyn Harris, and technical director Ray Beach and lighting director Blaise Beach of the Ashtabula Arts Association. Tom Linsenmeier is sound designer. You can follow us on Twitter @BlueStreakDrama.