Dare you not to dance

4It’s a familiar story from one of the most popular teen flicks of the ’80s: A fancy-dancing kid is transplanted to a hick town full of repression, where his form of rebellion is to plan a school dance. Now transitioned to a stage musical, Footloose cuts loose in Bomont, a small community where dancing is banned, along with just about anything that might be fun. As Ren, the ebullient Joseph Boyette just can’t keep from kicking up his heels. Tagged a “bad boy,” he attracts the “bad girl,” a minister’s daughter with a back story (Amy Jacques-Jones as Ariel). Ren manages to break through all the repression and get everyone’s toes a-tapping—you know, just like real life. Also excellent are Kate Richardson as Rusty (“Let’s Hear It For the Boy”) and Ben Herrera as the lanky and wise Willard (“Mama Says”).