By David Gordon

“Footloose,” the 1984 movie with Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow, has earned a place in history along side “Dirty Dancing,” “Fame” and “Grease” as cult classics. Loosely based on true events that occurred in Elmore City, Oklahoma (where a hundred year old law prohibited public dancing) in 1979, “Footloose,” is the story of Ren McCormack, a Chicago teen transplanted to a Podunk town where Reverend Shaw Moore runs the government and dancing and rock music have been banned. Ren then takes it upon himself to bring dancing back.

14 years later, Dean Pitchford, who wrote the screenplay, turned it into a musical. He collaborated on the book with Walter Bobbie and wrote most of the lyrics; Tom Snow composed the score. The musical adaptation had a three-year run on Broadway and has been seen in schools across the country ever since. Presently, it’s the second show of the Drama Department’s fall season and inaugurating their new Musical Theater track. It is directed by guest artist Brett Smock.

Not many people hold the musical adaptation of “Footloose” in high regard. In my opinion, it’s neither good nor bad; it’s just mediocre. The catchiest tunes are the ones which came out of the movie soundtrack: the title number, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” and others, written by the likes of Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman. Only one new song, “Somebody’s Eyes,” stands out; the rest are uneven, melodically and lyrically. The book is inexcusably weak, with cringe-worthy lines like “Daddy, why do I have a thumb?”

However, this production, on the stage of the Adams Playhouse through November 2, manages to make the audience ignore the show’s weaknesses .

How is that possible? For starters, the cast’s enthusiasm is infectious. The pit band (led by Jason Tucker) manages to make even the worst numbers interesting. And then there’s Smock’s entirely character-driven conceptualization that affords actors with both small and large roles to shine in the face of the adversity posed by the weak script. He’s directed the show five times previously; his expertise in the material is apparent.

Leading the company are Andrew Huber as Ren and Casey O’Keefe as his love interest, Ariel, Reverend Moore’s (the stoic Patrick Marran) daughter. Huber and O’Keefe have a natural chemistry that has developed greatly since their performances as Romeo and Juliet last spring. Huber has a goofy charm about him and sings and dances well, as does O’Keefe, who nicely turns from a minx with a sly, sexy smile around the boys to a young woman who just wants to be noticed and loved by her father.

The loose-limbed Steve Spera (as Willard, Ren’s best friend), donning a Jed Clampett accent, gets well-deserved laughs on every line. Amanda McIntyre (Vi Moore) gorgeously delivers “Learning to be Silent,” a Sondheim-esque ballad about the subjugation of women in a male-dominated society, a theme that runs through the piece. Tyler Richardson (as “villain” Chuck) makes a strong impression but disappears in Act 2. Allison Rerecich (as Rusty, Willard’s girlfriend), Gina Ventura and Kaitlin Rose make up the Greek chorus that delivers “Somebody’s Eyes” and win vocal MVP awards. The remaining cast members are uniformly strong singers and dancers.

Smock’s vibrant, unapologetically busy choreography, framed by corrugated steel rods, provides for some very pleasing stage pictures. The sets, designed by Jen Price, work in some cases but are too abstract in others. Rychard Curtiss’ lighting also works in some cases but is too dark during some of the bigger solos.

Rather than make this “Footloose” ’80’s pastiche, Smock set it in the present day. This is reflected solely through the costumes, designed with Podunk blandness by Cheryl McCarron. Taking the piece out of period is a risky proposition, but it pays off big time, with few-to-no questions raised.

There’s a “Flashdance” water chair dance -esque sequence during the grand finale (sans water and chair; glitter, instead) and the production ends on a satisfying high. For anyone who’s ever thought the worst about “Footloose,” this production is for you. It just goes to show that when the right people are involved, even the weakest can prove worthwhile.