EVERYBODY cut loose because Footloose: The Musical is dancing in to Chester’s Storyhouse next week on its first visit to the city.

The sizzling smash hit show marks the theatre’s first visiting production and the start of the new season.

Based on the classic 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, the musical is set to entertain city audiences at the stunning £37m Hunter Street venue from September 5-9.

Footloose: The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren, who moves to fictional Bomont, a rural backwater in America where dancing and rock music are banned by the community’s elders. But all hell breaks out when Ren soon has the whole town up on
its feet.

Not only does the show feature a host of classic 80s hits including Almost Paradise, Holding Out for a Hero, the Oscar-nominated Let’s Hear it for the Boy and of course the toe-tapping Kenny Loggins title track, but it also bursts with youthful spirit and some dazzling dance sequences.

Footloose: The Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 where it ran for 709 performances, with a London production following in 2006, opening at the Novello Theatre following a UK Tour.

This latest production comes from Selladoor Worldwide, the team behind recent tours of hit shows including American Idiot, Avenue Q and Little Shop of Horrors.

Paul Lavin from Storyhouse said “We are really excited to see an energising show such as Footloose open the inaugural touring season at Storyhouse. Next week will be the first opportunity to see the theatre space which doubles from the Storyhouse produced season space to the 800 seater auditorium, audiences are going to love the show and will open our new season with a bang”

The cast features Maureen Nolan as Vi Moore. Maureen has been singing with her sisters since she was nine, when they became one of Europe’s first girl bands, The Nolans. Best known for their smash hit single I’m in the Mood for Dancing, The Nolans enjoyed phenomenal record sales worldwide, and worked with some of the world’s most respected artists including Frank Sinatra.

On stage, she has played Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers in the West End and on tour to critical acclaim. She was the fourth Nolan sister to play the role, earning them entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Other credits include Sadie in Girl’s Behind, Jill in Mum’s the Word and Sarah in The Naked Truth.

The cast also includes Joshua Dowen (Cool Rider, West End) as Ren McCormack, Hannah Price (reprising her performance from the 2016 tour) as Ariel Moore, Reuven Gershon (Let It Be, West End and Broadway) as Reverend Shaw, Lindsay Goodhand (Crazy For You, Watermill Theatre) as Ethel McCormack, Laura Sillett (Grease, International Tour) as Rusty, Connor Going (The Pirates of Penzance, Sh*tfaced Shakespeare) as Chuck, Emma Fraser (The Vaudevillians, Les Enfants Terribles) as Wendy Jo, Gracie Lai (Avenue Q, UK Tour) as Urleen, Laurence Libor (American Idiot, West End) as Willard, Tomas Wolstenhome (Once, West End) as Bickle, Dominic Gee Burch as Jeter and Alex Marshall (Buddy, UK Tour) as Wes.

l Footloose: The Musical at Storyhouse Chester runs from Tuesday September 5 – Saturday September 9. Evenings 7.30pm, Matinees Wednesday and Saturday 2.30pm. Tickets from £20.50 (dynamic pricing – book early to receive best seat and the lowest price).