Footloose: The Musical

Got word that the Canadians we met in Scotland were heading back through London. Initially we were talking about going to a medieval-themed banquet evening, but the reviews were a bit iffy so we talked them into going to the Footloose musical instead. The evening was a real bargain, dinner and show for £20. Meet the girls in Covent Garden, and headed into a bit of dive called The Roadhouse. Kind of like a Hard Rock Cafe, but without the cool signed stuff. Cocktails were cheaper than beers, but the food was pretty average. Anna and I had hotdogs, I think Tiff had a burger, but Ally got the best deal - a pretty nice looking set of fajitas on a hot plate. Mmm.

It was nice to see them again, and we had a bit of a chat about this & that before heading off to the show. Seating was a pretty casual affair - I drank a can of Cherry Mountain Dew that I'd bought at CyberCandy (they import foreign confectionary). The show began, with no warning, with a eardrum-piercing blast of noise. You could see the audience jump a mile in their seats. One way to get attention, I suppose.

Anna and I were initially very concerned - the show is pretty damn cheesy - and we even apologised to the girls at half-time. Fortunately they were enjoying it, and there were some good moments. Basically they'd taken the 80s soundtrack to the film, and made each of them a show number. Some worked better than others, and there were some frankly bizarre production choices. Bonnie Tyler's Hero was turned into a Coyote Ugly meets The Village People freakfest. What the hell?

In the end, the dancing was fun and the music was fun (now and then) and for £20 you can't really complain too much. Amy Pemberton (who played Ariel) was terrific, and IMHO the best thing abouthe show. In fact, it was almost as if the show was less about Ren moving into a small town than about Ariel trying to get out. Curious.

Tiff and Ally are back on a plane home now, and we wish them safe travels and hope to hear from them again. Lovely!

PS: We introduced Tiff to the furtive pleasure of openly drinking bottled beer on public transport.