Lose your blues at Renton Civic Theatre’s ‘Footloose’
Published 4:30 pm Monday, June 8, 2026
A few left feet maybe, but RCT’s musical version of “Footloose” is rock n’ roll rollick to kick of your summer — along with the Sunday shoes.
Based on the hit Kevin Bacon-led ’80s movie of the same name “Footloose” is the latest musical at the Renton Civic Theatre and with a nearly-packed full house on opening night, the crowd was ready for singing, humor, wild teens, a flurry of high-kicking cowboy boots and overall they were not disappointed.
A fun show with some real powerhouse performances, RCT’s “Footloose,” where a Chicago teen named Ren McCormack (Julio Ulloa Jr.) moves to a small town in the middle of nowhere where dancing is completely prohibited, is worth the price of admission.
However, it is also worth mentioning that, so far, this has been the weakest opening night of the theatre’s 2026 season.
Opening nights can be tough for stage productions due to all the kinks not being fully worked out and it seems that these realities had hit the RCT stage the evening of June 5. I really enjoyed the show but some of the issues must be mentioned.
For instance, having a live band (on this night we were gifted with the extremely talented Mark Rabe on piano, Lamar Lofton on bass guitar and Berislav Puhlovski on drums) sharing the stage with the actors is a real joy, but it was difficult to hear the vocals or to understand the lyrics through the beginning of the show. It was distracting and took away from the opening number’s impressive dancing. Thankfully, whether it was the band being too loud or the microphones not working properly, the issue was eventually course-corrected and I imagine it will not be an issue for the remainder of the show’s run.
Along with the music volume, there were some rough spots when it came to the ensemble choreography and some of the staging in certain scenes, which made parts of the show feel like a dress rehearsal and not a musical on a professional stage.
These feelings quickly dissolved, however, when the rest of the performances came together. Some of the major highlights of the show were undeniably Ren’s love interest and the promiscuous preacher’s daughter Ariel (Ella Tennant Swenson), and her small girl gang comprised of Rusty (Sydney Belden), Wendy Jo (Amelia Dooley) and Urleen (Sonja Rose Usher). All four absolutely knocked their roles, their group choreography and their fantastic performance of “Holding Out For A Hero” out of the park.
While all of the other leads — from Ulloa Jr.’s Ren to Russell Matthews’ Reverend Shaw Moore — did a superb job, a special shoutout must go to Mykahla George as Willard Hewitt, a quick-to-fight country boy who becomes Ren’s best friend. Willard’s small town charm, comic relief and transformation into a dancer are at their peak with George wearing the overalls and straw cowboy hat.
Another highlight of the show is the romantic duet “Almost Paradise” from the original film, where Ren and Ariel confess their feelings to each other; Both Ulloa Jr and Swenson nail the intensity and vocal standards of the original song, leaving a light feeling of nostalgia for some stellar ’80s music and young love.
I do think that folks should go see this show – I had such a fun time with the performances and I was blown away by the talent of the band and some of the vocalists, there were just some issues that I hope are honed in on and resolved as the show continues its run.
“Footloose” runs at the Renton Civic Theatre until June 21. For showtimes and tickets, visit rentoncivictheatre.org. The 2026 season continues with “Noises Off” from Oct. 2-18 and “Scrooge!” from Dec. 4-20.
Located at 507 South 3rd Street, free parking is available at the City Center Garage at 655 South 2nd Street. Do not use the parking lot next to the theatre’s building, you will be asked to move your vehicle.
