PREVIEW: Playhouse Stage Company "Cuts Loose" for 38th Season
07/28–08/15 @ Cohoes Music Hall
Photos by Andrew Elder, Best Frame Forward
Playhouse Stage Company enters its 38th summer season with the opening of the high-energy musical Footloose at the historic Cohoes Music Hall. The production debuted last night and runs through August 15 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with a unique approach to its casting that has Playhouse Stage Academy students paired with seasoned Broadway and regional professional actors.
Based on the 1984 film, the live performance adaptation follows Ren McCormack, a Chicago teenager who moves to the small town of Bomont where rock music and dancing are outlawed.
The creative team behind the Playhouse’s record-breaking performance of A Christmas Story: The Musical reunited for the summer to make this performance possible: Michael LoPorto as director, Brian Axford as musical director and Gabi Bazinet-Douglas as choreographer. The cast is led by Playhouse Stage Academy graduating senior Jackson Majewski as Ren, Broadway veteran Patrick Ryan Sullivan and Playhouse Stage Academy senior Molly Kirby with support from an eight-person professional band from the Albany Musician Association to provide the instrumentals directed by Axford.
Producing Artistic Director Owen Smith described the production as a "rebel yell of young optimism," adding that the energy brought by the Capital Region's talented students brings a much-needed optimism for the future.
Tickets are available online at www.playhousestage.org or by calling (518) 434-0776. Youth tickets start at $20, with discounts available for seniors.
