St. John's Prep Brings 'Footloose' to Paramount

COLLEGEVILLE (WJON News) - Dancing is not a crime, it’s the premise of the musical ‘Footloose’.

St. John’s Prep is celebrating its 20th-anniversary spring musical by bringing ‘Footloose’ to the Paramount Center for the Arts from March 30th through April 1st.

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Based on the 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon, ‘Footloose’ is the story of a teenager who moves from Chicago to a small town where dancing is banned. Through the course of the musical, the school students decide to hold a Senior Prom in defiance of local leaders.

St. John's Prep students rehearse the curtain call of 'Footloose'. Photo: Jeff McMahon, WJON

The musical ran on Broadway for 709 performances between 1998 and 2000. It was nominated for four Tony awards. In 2005, the musical was rewritten slightly and has become a staple of summer theaters as well as high school and college theater programs.

Brandon Anderson is the director of ‘Footloose’. He says it’s a challenge to stage a musical based on a movie that everyone has seen and loves.

One of the things that I wanted to do is think about the confinement of this small town of Beaumont but also make it modern and edgy. It's great - it's a spectacle

Elizabeth St. Hilaire (center) and Issac Miller (left - in black jacket) lead an ensemble cast in 'Footloose'. Photo - Jeff McMahon, WJON.

‘Footloose’ runs for four performances this weekend at the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud: