When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. But he’s not prepared for the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, who is determined to exercise control over the town’s youth. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. The heartfelt story that emerges pins a father longing for the son he lost against a young man aching for the father who walked out on him.

To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top Forty score, augmented with dynamic new songs, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind.

Footloose first burst onto the silver screen in 1984 and proved to be one of the year’s most successful motion pictures. The soundtrack recording reached #1 on the Billboard charts, and went on to sell over 17 million copies worldwide, generating such Top Forty hits as its title song and “Let’s Hear It For The Boy" (both of which received Academy Award nominations), plus “Almost Paradise,” “Holding Out For A Hero,” and “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man).” With a screenplay and lyrics by Oscar winner Dean Pitchford, the story focused on young people, much like his previous, and wildly successful movie musical Fame.

Footloose opened on Broadway on October 22, 1998. The next day, the show broke the box office record for the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it continued to thrill audiences through July 2000.

After the Broadway run, the creators made changes throughout the libretto, excised three songs from the original score, and restored one (“Still Rockin’,” available on the newly mastered Broadway CD from Ghostlight Records). The reaction to the ‘new’ Footloose was immediate and enthusiastic; a tour in the U.K. led to a West End engagement, which in turn triggered excitement throughout Europe and around the globe.

In 2011, Paramount Pictures’ remake of Footloose – with a screenplay by Dean Pitchford and the film’s director Craig Brewer – brought this heartwarming story and electrifying music to a whole new generation.