A hugely successful pop musician who had sold over a million albums, Kenny Loggins has never been an artist on the cutting edge of contemporary music. There isn’t any deep thematic complexity to what he's singing about in songs like Highway to the Danger Zone or I'™m Alright. There'™s really no questioning that this guy is a pop musician. All one has to do in order to do justice to his music is perform it with the kind of honest passion he'™d written into it. And so, when asked about the latest recorded version of his song Footoose, (by country music artist Blake Shelton) one can hear him trying to be as nice as possible. And as nice as he was trying to be, he couldn'™t help but say that, "Âœthey went a little crazy with the Pro Tools." He'™s saying that it'™s over-produced. And he'™s right. It lacks the simple passion that formed the basis for the song in the first place.
That recording of that song is part of a larger filmed version of the stage musical that is, in turn, based on a film from 1984 starring Kevin Bacon. The 2011 film version of the musical has a much bigger budget than the 1984 film it'™s based on. And it loses some of its soul in the process of production . . . not that it didn'™t lose some of its soul in the transfer from film to American musical prior to that, but there'™s still some strength of heart to the musical that gets whisked away under editing and production of the 2011 version. Those looking for a much more respectable presentation of the musical need look no further than a local high school production.
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This November, Wauwatosa West High School'™s Trojan Players are staging a production of the musical drawing on the talents of some 70 different kids. Director Tim Catlett has been working with cast and crew for two months. No big glossy post-production here. The raw talent of people just getting to know the stage for the first time accompanied by an 11-piece rock band. The musical is like the song it'™s named after--”simple and passionate. If the Players can live-up to that, they can accomplish a lot more than a $24 million Hollywood movie could ever accomplish.
The production will be holding a footwear drive (okay, that sounds weird--”they'™re calling it a "Âœshoe and boot drive,"Â) to benefit Milwaukee Rescue Mission. Donate gently used shoes and boots to the Milwaukee Rescue mission and you get $1 off the ticket price.
The Trojan Players production of Footloose runs November 4th-“ 12th at Wauwatosa West High School--11400 West Center Street in Wauwatosa. For ticket reservations, Seat Yourself.
