I’ll admit to never having seen the musical ‘Footloose’ before now. Not only that, I’ve never even seen the film on which it’s based.

So it was with huge anticipation that I went along to see Malborough Amateur Dramatic Kids’ production recently. I had absolutely no pre-conceived ideas. Lovely. I could just relax, sit back and let them entertain me – along with the rest of the packed house. And that is exactly what they did - in spades.

Directed by Claire Tapper with Assistant Director Gaby Clarke, this was an ambitious and very polished production with great attention to detail. The whole cast were supremely confident as they buzzed enthusiastically from one scene to another.

The versatile set, ingeniously designed by Lin Rowe, enabled smooth and swift transitions between the many locations. As well as the crowd-pleasing, toe-tapping song and dance numbers there were some beautifully performed and heart-felt ballads – all under the expert baton of Musical Director, Richard Carter.

The challenging musical numbers combined with a good mix of light-hearted fun and serious drama and made Footloose a perfect choice for MAD Kids.

From the moment the huge cast burst onto stage to perform the title song, the audience were hooked. The energy of the cast was infectious, due partly to the talented youngsters themselves of course, but also to Sarah Montague’s clever, varied and very slick choreography.

Sarah and Assistant Choreographer Tara Roberts made fantastic use of the space, particularly tricky with so many bodies on stage in the big numbers. There were some great comedy moments within the staging and the dancers evoked the 80s era to perfection – we even got a moonwalk!

The story revolves around a restless, dance-mad teenage boy, Ren, who, with his mother Ethel, move from their home in Chicago after being abandoned by Ethel’s husband. Hurt, confused and broke, they settle in a small, conservative farming town where Ren joins a new school and faces some fresh challenges.

Following a fatal accident in the town five years previously, when four youngsters died on their way home from a high school dance, local preacher Reverend Shaw Moore convinced the town council to pass a law banning dancing in the town.

The conservative and controlling preacher’s rebellious daughter Ariel is romantically involved with bad boy Chuck but begins to realise that she has more in common with Ren and gradually they fall in love.

Chuck seeks his revenge but Ren is befriended by the other youngsters in the town including red-neck, non-dancing Willard. Towards the end of the show, when it is revealed that one of those who died in the horrifying accident was Reverend Shaw’s son, Ren asks him to consider that actually they share a common grief – as Ren is in effect, mourning the loss of someone too - his father.

The inevitable happy ending ensues when the reverend acknowledges his mistakes and the whole town plan a dance party to celebrate.

Dan Sinclair, in the demanding central role of Ren, played the part with great confidence and ease. Hardly off the stage, Dan was likeable, funny and thoughtful in his portrayal of the good hearted not-so-mixed-up kid. He handled the complexities of the part with great maturity.

Similarly Rebekah Jarvis gave a fabulous and completely believable performance as the rebellious, conflicted and sometimes vulnerable Ariel, torn between loyalty and love for her family and the many temptations of being a teenager.

As Ariel’s father, the Reverend Shaw, Edward Griffiths shone. He truly seemed middle-aged – not an easy task for a teenage boy. His was a strong performance in every respect which showed an unhappy man at odds with himself, unsure how to deal with the loss of his son, unable to relate to his daughter and venting his frustrations upon his wife.

Devon Taylor as Willard was the comedy hero of the show. His physicality and his timing were excellent throughout and he clearly made the most of every scene he was in - so much so that we could see why Rusty, Ariel’s best friend, was attracted to him, despite his awkwardness.

The excellent Belle Stallard played the chatterbox character of Rusty with great warmth and an enormous sense of fun. Abbie Wood and Zoe Taylor as Ariel’s other besties also made a very good duo and their acting and vocal talents combined really well.

The bad boy of the piece, Chuck, was played by Tommy Booker. Tommy managed to fuse being a bully with an element of charm and feral sex-appeal . We shouldn’t have liked him, but we just couldn’t help ourselves.

Kirsty Bonner played Vi, Ariel’s mother and long-suffering wife of the preacher. Kirsty’s performance was mature and well considered, completely reflecting a woman who is quietly trying to understand and support those she loves the most, even when those people try to push her away.

Ren’s mother Ethel was also beautifully played by Lucy Booker and in her we saw a survivor – someone who deals with whatever life throws at them.

In the role of sports coach was Elisabeth Coulthard and boy, I would NOT want to be late for her training sessions. She punched well above her weight - and height - and this was an inspired piece of casting.

Some other names to note include Olly Simmonds, Jonathan Cardrick, Archie Feetenby, Ben Tyne and Andrew Hurrell who all played their supporting roles with gusto.

Footloose gave the company an opportunity to showcase their very many talented youngsters as well as ensuring plenty of action for the chorus. On the surface the teenage highs provided a frothy, feel-good factor, but underneath was a grown-up gritty layer of uncomfortable realism.

With some thought provoking themes of love and loss, we also saw the fears and anxieties faced by the youngsters whilst their parents try their best to guide them - despite dealing with troubles of their own.

This made the show satisfyingly far more than a succession of disco tracks and MAD Kids conveyed this aspect very successfully.

The musical numbers bounced sound around the hall with just the right blend of well-drilled voices and instruments. The band was excellent. As always the backstage team was just as important as all the performers put together - their wide-ranging skills combined to produce a show which was special and memorable, for all the right reasons.

From the train sound effects which made the whole auditorium rumble, to the neon lights which showed the way to the bar, the staging and production values were spot-on, all due to the expertise of Jill Clarke, Nick Tee, Andy Morgan, Ben Sinnott and many, many others.

Congratulations to ALL the cast and crew and to everyone involved in this zestful production.