Michael T. Mondak speaks about performing in Footloose 20 years later Part I

How is it that the movie Footloose celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and I performed in a musical production of Footloose 20 years ago at Robert Morris?

As I look back on this moment in my life, I still continue to say that to this day, it was the most fun I ever had doing theater.

Before I do that, let me explain the storyline for Footloose.  A big city kid named Ren McCormack moves to a small town called Bomont where the church leaders and the town council put a law on the books that forbids public dancing because of the death of four young people in a car accident where they were returning home from a dance outside of Bomont (one of them was the son of Reverend Shaw Moore).  Ren and his schoolmates want to do away with this edict and are determined to take on the church leaders and the town council and boost the morale of the repressed townspeople.

The movie that starred Kevin Bacon in his breakout role debuted in February 1984 where it spent its first three weeks at number one.  It finished the year in the top ten highest grossing movies for 1984.  Two of the songs (the title song by Kenny Loggins and Let's Hear it For the Boy by Deneice Williams) were number one hits and received Oscar nominations for best original song.  (Little known fact:  Rob Lowe still suffers from PTSD over any mention of Footloose because he tore his ACL while auditioning to portray Ren McCormack.)

A musical production of Footloose ran for two years on Broadway and made its way to the Robert Morris University Colonial Theatre in the spring of 2004.  There, I worked with folks from Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio.  Michael J. Mainier from Pittsburgh, who portrayed Ren McCormack, was about to receive a bachelor's degree and was hoping for someone to hire him following his graduation.  Tansy Fortner from Tower City, who portrayed Ethel McCormack, had been a champion contestant on Weakest Link.  Lenny Labriola from Fox Chapel, who portrayed Reverend Shaw Moore, was the son of a grocer.  Heather Lazzini from New Wilmington, who portrayed Vi Moore, was an admissions coounselor in the admissions office.  Emily DeWald from Hamburg, New York, who portrayed Ariel Moore, later married Michael Mainier.  Melony Murray from Monroeville, who portrayed Lulu Warnicker, played the flute in the Jam Blues Band.  Dave Budzisewzki from Kennedy Township, who portrayed Wes Warnicker, was a professor of arts and humanities.  Ann Mattis from Glen Mills, who portrayed Eleanor Dunbar, was the cast member who lived the farthest from the campus.  John Locke from New Brighton, who portrayed coach Roger Dunbar, also served as the producer for the stage production.  Lindsey Wright from Beaver, who portrayed Rusty Pizzolo, the mile a minute talker, also worked at Johnny Carino's in Robinson.  Dana Hanzlik from Bridgeville, who portrayed Urleen Fitzgerald, claimed theater was the perfect eexcuse to be a complete goofball.  Caitlin Varley from Fox Chapel, who portrayed Wendy Jo Reed, eventually became an award winning photographer with friends in high places around the Steel City.  Greg Heid from Center Township, who portrayed Willard Hewitt, the hayseed in a hat with a bad attitude and an affection for his mama, was also in the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.  Nathan Oakes from Pittsburgh, who portrayed Chuck Cranston, was our production's response to fellow Pittsburgher Billy Hartung, who portrayed the role on Broadway.  Dominic DeNardis from Chartiers Townhip, who portrayed Lyle Thompson, had previously performed in his high school's production of Footloose.  Doug Beasock from Kennedy Township, who portrayed Travis Troyer, was a graduate of Montour High School.  Dr. Rex L. Crawley from Steubenville, Ohio, who portrayed Principal Harry Clark, worked whenever he had spare time.  Bethany Gallagher from Shaler Township, who portrayed Jeter Stevens, was in a sorority.  Robert Dubs Jr. from Baden, who portrayed Bickle Carter, lived on a farm.  Gary Ashley from Kittanning, who portrayed Garvin Lewis, had been involved with the Colonial Theater before there was a Colonial Theater.  There was also yours truly from Hermitage, who portrayed Sheriff Jim Deakin, that spent his spare time writing a sitcom.  Summer Leigh York from Kennedy Township, who portrayed Betty Blast, the proprietor of the Burger Blast, was also a Montour High School graduate.  The ensemble consisted of Courtney Spradley from Schenley, who never performed in anything on Fridays, Amy Etzel from Newark, New York, who rejected an offer of admission to Syracuse University to attend Robert Morris, Stacey Dixon from Meadville, who initially considered her hometown Allegheny College, Jackie Becker from West Middlesex, who also had the Shenango Valley connection, and Samantha Leonardi from Ligonier, who later roomed with Jackie.

I will talk about some of the stories from our production of Footloose in a later entry this week.