Footloose (1998 Broadway)
FOOTLOOSE opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on October 22, 1998 and ran for 709 performances (and 18 previews) until July 2, 2000 with book by Dean Pitchford, David Saint and Walter Bobbie. Based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford. Music and lyrics by Eric Carmen, Michael Gore, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, Tom Snow, Jim Steinman, Bill Wolfer and Dean Pitchford.
Produced by Dodger Endemol Theatricals; Developed and produced in association with Radio City Entertainment; Associate Producer: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Joop Van Den Ende; Executive Producer: Dodger Management Group (Sally Campbell Morse, Robert C. Strickstein) and Tim Hawkins.
Directed by Walter Bobbie; Choreographed by A.C. Ciulla; Music orchestrated by Danny Troob; Vocal arrangements by Doug Katsaros; Dance arrangements by Joe Baker; Scenic Design by John Lee Beatty; Costume Design by Toni-Leslie James; Lighting Design by Ken Billington; Sound Design by Tony Meola and Hair Design by Ross Ringo.
Starring Stephen Lee Anderson (Reverend Shaw Moore), Dee Hoty (Vi Moore), Jeremy Kushnier (Ren McCormack), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Broadway debuAriel Moore), Jim Ambler (Lyle), Billy Angell (Ensemble), Robin Baxter (Betty Blast Irene), Rosalind Brown (Wendy Jo), Angela Brydon (Ensemble), Catherine Campbell (Lulu Warnicker), Bryant Carroll (Travis / Ensemble), Paul Castree(Garvin / Ensemble), Catherine Cox (Ethel McCormack), Kathy Deitch (Urleen), John Deyle (Principal Clark / Saloon Keeper), Hunter Foster (Bickle / Ensemble), Stacy Francis (Rusty), Kristen Leigh Gorski (/ Ensemble), Artie Harris (Cowboy Bob / Jeter / Ensemble), Billy Hartung (Chuck Cranston), Sean Haythe(Ensemble), John Hillner (Coach Dunbar), Lori Holmes (/ Ensemble), Daniel Karaty (/ Ensemble), Adam LeFevre (Wes Warnicker), Katharine Leonard (/ Ensemble), Donna Lee Marshall (Doreen / Eleanor Dunbar), Mark Myars(Ensemble), Tom Plotkin (Willard Hewitt), JoAnna Ross (Ensemble), Serena Soffer (Ensemble), Nick Sullivan (Cop / Country Fiddler) and Ron Todorowski (Ensemble)
Swings: Ben Cameron, Sean Haythe, Paige Hinton, Jeanine Meyers and Orfeh
Understudies: Jim Ambler (Ren McCormack, Chuck Cranston), Susan Bigelow (Vi Moore, Ethel McCormack, Eleanor Dunbar, Lulu Warnicker), Ben Cameron (Travis, Lyle), Paul Castree (Willard Hewitt), Rick Crom (Reverend Shaw Moore, Wes Warnicker, Coach Dunbar, Principal Clark, Cop, Country Fiddler, Saloon Keeper),Hunter Foster (Ren McCormack, Chuck Cranston, Coach Dunbar), Kristen Leigh Gorski (Wendy Jo), Jamie Gustis (Travis, Lyle), Artie Harris (Willard Hewitt), Sean Haythe (Cop, Country Fiddler), John Hillner (Reverend Shaw Moore), Lori Holmes (Rusty), Katharine Leonard (Ariel Moore, Urleen), Donna Lee Marshall (Vi Moore, Betty Blast, Irene), Jeanine Meyers (Ariel Moore, Urleen, Ethel McCormack, Eleanor Dunbar, Lulu Warnicker), Orfeh (Rusty, Wendy Jo, Betty Blast, Irene) and Nick Sullivan (Wes Warnicker, Principal Clark, Saloon Keeper)
Assistant Director: Andrew Goldberg; Assistant Scenic Design: Eric Renschler; Assistant Costume Design: Veronica Worts; Associate Lighting Design: Brian Monahan; Assistant Sound Design: Kai Harada and Asst. to the Choreographer: Paige Hinton.
Production Supervisor: Steven Beckler; Technical Supervisor: Peter Fulbright, Tech Production Services, Inc., Elliot Bertoni and Kimberly Parker; Production Stage Manager: Steven Beckler; Stage Manager: Dale Kaufman; Assistant Stage Manager: J. Philip Bassett; Company Manager: Sandra Carlson; Assistant Company Manager: Marney Andersen
Casting: Hughes / Moss Casting; Press Representative: Boneau / Bryan-Brown; Marketing Consultant: Margery Singer; Online Marketing by Toby Simkin / BuyBroadway Online Inc,; Dance Captain: Paige Hinton; Advertising: Serino Coyne, Inc.; Press Associate: Amy Jacobs, Susanne Tighe, Jackie Green and Michael Hartman.
Musical Supervisor: Doug Katsaros; Musical Coordinator: John Miller; Conducted by Doug Katsaros; Associate Conductor: Joseph Baker; Guitar: John Benthaland Bob Rose; Drums: Clint de Ganon; Bass: Vince Fay; Keyboard: Doug Katsaros and Joseph Baker; Reeds: Tim Ries; Violin: Kenny Kosek; Cello: Stephanie Cummins; Percussion: Mark Sherman
Replacement Cast: Mary Gordon Murray (Vi Moore), Martin Vidnovic (Reverend Shaw Moore replaced in previews), Darrin Baker (Coach Dunbar / Wes Warnicker), Christian Borle (Willard Hewitt), Luther Creek (Lyle), Teri DiGianfelice(Ensemble), Sean Dooley (Ensemble / Garvin), Jennifer Gambatese (Broadway debut Urleen), Asmeret Ghebremichael (Ensemble Feb 14, 1999 – Aug 25, 1999), Casey Miles Good (Ensemble), Jamie Gustis (Jeter / Cowboy Bob / Ensemble), Katie Harvey (Wendy Jo), John Hillner (Reverend Shaw Moore), Curtis Holbrook(Ensemble), Michelle Kittrell (Ensemble), Bradley Jay Madison (Ensemble), Kathleen Marsh (Lulu Warnicker), Matthew Morrison (Ensemble), Tanya Nieves(Ensemble), Carolyn Ockert-Haythe (Ensemble), Orfeh (Rusty Jun 08, 1999 – Jun 13, 1999), Timothy Quinlan (Lyle May 27, 2000 – Jul 02, 2000 / Ensemble May 27, 2000 – Jul 02, 2000), Anika Noni Rose (Broadway debut Rusty), Teresa Marie Sanchez (Rusty), Michael Seelbach (Bickle / Ensemble), Karl Wahl (Ensemble),Jason Wooten (Bickle / Ren McCormack / Ensemble)
Replacement Swings: Meredith Akins, Jason Davies, Michelle Kittrell, Ipsita Paul and Teresa Marie Sanchez
Replacement Understudies: Meredith Akins (Wendy Jo), Robert Boles (Reverend Shaw Moore), Bryant Carroll (Willard Hewitt), Luther Creek (Willard Hewitt), Sean Dooley (Garvin, Willard Hewitt), Jennifer Gambatese (Ariel Moore), Asmeret Ghebremichael (Rusty, Wendy Jo, Urleen), Casey Miles Good (Chuck Cranston), Sean Haythe (Coach Dunbar), Lori Holmes (Eleanor Dunbar), Michelle Kittrell(Ariel Moore, Rusty), Donna Lee Marshall (Ethel McCormack), Matthew Morrison(Chuck Cranston), Ipsita Paul (Wendy Jo), Timothy Quinlan (Ren McCormack, Willard Hewitt, Chuck Cranston), Teresa Marie Sanchez (Ariel Moore, Rusty, Urleen), Michael Seelbach (Ren McCormack) and Jason Wooten (Ren McCormack)
Replacement Assistant Stage Manager: Gregory Victor (Mar 29, 2000 – Jun 04, 2000); Replacement Conductor Lon Hoyt; Replacement Management Associate: Sally Campbell Morse, Robert C. Strickstein, Staci Levine, Robert Pullen (Jan 2000 – Jul 2000) and Tim Hawkins
As Founder and CEO of Theatre.com and BuyBroadway.com. The pioneer in moving the Broadway industry onto the internet. The theatre press branded me as “Toby is the man pushing theatre, kicking and screaming, into cyberspace.” What started in 1989 as a Broadway industry service called ShowCall via dialup BBS for members of the League of American Theatre Producers evolved onto the world wide web in the early 90’s, and shortly after this, the vast majority of Broadway shows (starting with my production of Victor/Victoria) and theatrical organizations followed. The “Super site of Broadway” became a publicly traded company, prior to my re-branding it as Theatre.com at the Minskoff Theatre.
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A new musical adapted by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie from the 1984 film of the same name following a rebellious teenager who moves to a small middle-American town where dance is forbidden, and encourages his classmates to defy the local pastor and call for a rock’n’roll prom. “Footloose” had its World Premiere at the Opera House at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on August 25th, 1998.
Musical Numbers
Note: (*) denotes song was heard in the original 1984 film.
Act One:
“Footloose” (*) (lyric by Dean Pitchford and Kenny Loggins, music by Kenny Loggins) (Jeremy Kushnier, Company); “On Any Sunday” (lyric by Dean Pitchford, music by Tom Snow) (Stephen Lee Anderson, Company); “The Girl Gets Around” (*) (music by Sammy Hagar) (Billy Hartung, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Bryant Carroll, Jim Ambler); “I Can’t Stand Still” (lyric by Dean Pitchford, music by Tom Snow) (Jeremy Kushnier); “Somebody’s Eyes” (*) (Stacy Francis, Rosalind Brown, Kathy Deitch, Company); “Learning to Be Silent” (Dee Hoty, Catherine Cox); “Holding Out for a Hero” (*) (music by Jim Steinman) (Jennifer Laura Thompson, Stacy Francis, Rosalind Brown, Kathy Deitch); “Somebody’s Eyes” (reprise) (Stacy Francis, Rosalind Brown, Kathy Deitch); “Heaven Help Me” (Stephen Lee Anderson); “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man)” (*) (music by Kenny Loggins)/“Heaven Help Me” (reprise)/“On Any Sunday” (reprise) (Jeremy Kushnier, Stephen Lee Anderson, Company)
Act Two:
“Let’s Make Believe We’re in Love” (Robin Baxter, The Country Kickers); “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” (*) (Stacy Francis, Company); “Can You Find It in Your Heart?” (Dee Hoty); “Mama Says” (Tom Plotkin, The Boys); “Almost Paradise” (*) (music by Eric Carmen) (Jeremy Kushnier, Jennifer Laura Thompson); “Dancing Is Not a Crime” (Jeremy Kushnier, The Boys); “I Confess” (Stephen Lee Anderson); “On Any Sunday” (reprise) (Company); “Can You Find It in Your Heart?” (reprise) (Stephen Lee Anderson); “Footloose” (reprise) (Company)