Worldwide smash hit show Footloose: The Musical is heading to the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne this summer from 15th to 19th August. The cast features Gareth Gates as Willard and Maureen Nolan as Vi Moore and a full company of West End talent. Based on the 1984 screen sensation starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose: The Musical follows city boy Ren, who has to move to a rural backwater in America where (for convoluted reasons) rock and roll and dancing is banned, but Ren soon has the whole town up on its feet!
In between shows I talked with Gareth about the production, his busy stage career and about his charity work…
So Gareth, how much fun is Footloose?
The show is great fun. It’s based, as closely as it can be, on the original film so, if you’re a fan of the film, you’ll love the show as well. The people who come to watch the show are a really good mixture. Some of them love the film, some of them love musical theatre and some people just love the 80s music that we play, but the one thing that they have in common is that they all have a really good time.
The show ticks all the boxes. There’s a big megamix at the end where we all sing the biggest hits from the show like Let’s Hear it for the Boy, Holding Out for a Hero and the title track, Footloose and everyone gets up and dances and they all have loads of fun.
…and you have an on-stage band.
Yes we do, It’s an actor/musician show. So it looks very impressive. I’ve actually never done an actor/musician show before although I act, and I play several musical instruments as well, I’ve never been asked before and, I have to say, I’ve found a new level of respect for the cast. The sing, they act and they dance just like any other show, but they do it while playing saxophones, clarinets, flutes, pianos, guitars, bass guitars – it’s incredible. Our audiences are always astounded by how it’s done.
Well, that’s what surprised me, as you play both guitar and keyboards in the show but you are most famous for your voice.
Indeed, yes. I started to play the guitar first, from the age of five. Then I took up the piano, and learned mainly classical based stuff, and that was just something that became a part of my childhood and it really set a good grounding for my musical career so yes, in Footloose we have to be able to play as well as act and sing.
I know I shouldn’t really ask this, but how is your dancing?
Ummmm, well, the dancing is definitely the hardest part for me, however, I do play the part of the “cowboy who can’t dance” so that is very much life imitating art!
The thing is Gareth, you say you can’t dance, but we all watched you on Dancing on Ice.
I mean I’m not a terrible dancer, but it’s not my forté and that’s what I mean when I say I can’t dance. I’m a perfectionist and I like it best when I can do something I’m really good at, and dancing isn’t something that I am very good at. I mean, I’m ok, but you wait until you see the rest of the cast.
Well, I suppose you will always be best known for the wonderful voice that took you to the final of Pop Idol, 16 years ago.
Thanks for that, you’ve made me feel really old now! Yes, 16 years ago. Time flies and I’m very lucky because I am just as busy as ever, in fact I just seem to get busier. It’s great and I am so thankful and grateful for the opportunities that I have been given.
Has there been a highlight for you, or has it all just been part of the journey?
I suppose I have had a few highlights over the years. The first time I got to number one was a massive highlight of course, and my other number ones were highlights as well. But I also have personal highlights. Becoming a dad completely changed my life. So yes, there have been lots of highlights along the way and I’m looking forward to the next one, whatever it may be.
When you appeared on Pop Idol you said, “If I ever become famous I want to help the homeless and the hungry”. What did it feel like when you were able to do that?
Just great. Charity is a big thing for me and I try and help as many people as I can, on various levels. I really work hard to help people with speech therapy and stammering. I try to give back and to heighten awareness of this affliction that I suffer with, as with so many other people. I also help with charities that help children with cancer as well as those who help the homeless and hungry. The thing is, I don’t always like to talk about that because, and I’m not pointing fingers here, some people do it as a kind of media event but I prefer not to do that. When you do that it kind of becomes about something else, not about the charity.
Obviously, things like my stammer I try to address in a more public way, because it raises awareness, which helps stammerers all around the country but there are a lot of other things that I get involved with that I prefer to keep, kind of, private as it were. I don’t think that a lot of people realise that about one in a hundred people are afflicted with a stammer and, although I can’t disclose too much about it right now, I’m in the process of creating my own speech therapy program – and that is very exciting for me.
What happens after you finish in Footloose?
Well, firstly, I’m desperate for a holiday. Footloose finishes at the end of October and I have a few weeks off then, so I might get away and then it will be straight into panto season. I’m starring in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton this year and, as that starts on December the 9th, I won’t have too much time to rest.
Featuring classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track, Footloose: The Musical is set to be the highlight of your summer as this brand new production, bursting with youthful spirit, dazzling dance and electrifying music, smashes onto the Devonshire Park stage from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th August. Performed nightly at 7.45pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm, tickets are priced from £27 and can be booked by calling the box office on 01323 412000 or online eastbournetheatres.co.uk
