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Cut Loose

Everybody Cut Loose!

One of the most iconic films of the 80’s is playing at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater through July 31st. Directed by Michael Brindisi and adapted to the stage by original screenplay writer Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, this show stirs the same emotions as the original film and adds even more dance and song.

We had a chance to interview Dean Pitchford about the production to help better understand how the film came alive on the stage. About the Chanhassen Dinner Theater (the largest dinner theater in the country), Mr. Pitchford was “knocked out by this theater” and added that he’d seen this production everywhere from Wales to Tokyo, and thought Chanhassen was “the most, comfortable, beautiful operation I’ve ever seen.”

“This cast is amazing.” After gushing over the performances of the actors, we talked a little about the music and the challenges of adapting of the screenplay to the stage. It was a surprise to hear that the music wasn’t written for the film until much later. In fact, at the end of the film, during the Prom scene, the actors we’re actually dancing to “Johnny B Good.” While Kenny Loggins hadn’t written the song “Footloose” yet, they understood what kind of tempo would be needed.

Finding the emotional equivalences to the action scenes (like the tractor scene) proved to be a challenge from the beginning. Another challenge was adding depth to the adults’ voice. “For the most part, I intended the songs to be the subconscious thoughts of the kids,” so in adapting the screenplay to the stage, he and Tom Snow borrowed heavily from “Protestant Hymns” to provide songs for the parents to express their emotion. While the songs for the kids are longer and mostly up-tempo, the parents’ songs are reflective, shorter and emotional.

“The one thing I was really conscious about was that I did not want to write a piece that was confined to a time or a place.” We never hear a year or a state in the film or the play, and the story and play are timeless for sure. The themes of Footloose are something everyone can identify with. We can all feel constrained, and sometimes, we all need to just cut loose.

PHOTO CREDIT ACTE ONE, TOO

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