A slightly delayed start did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of a packed audience at the opening night of Footloose at the Sunderland Empire.
Based on the 1980s screen sensation which took the world by storm the show sizzles with spirit, fun and tremendous musical talent.
Amongst a plethora of fabulous tunes the talented cast handled classic 80s hits such as Holding Out for a Hero , Lets Hear it for the Boy and Almost Paradise with aplomb whilst the famous title track brought the house down.
There were stand out performances from the hugely impressive Jake Quickenden as Willard and Lucy Munden as Ariel and a terrific turn from West End veteran Darren Day as the Reverend.
In a nice touch and following a prolonged encore the cast announced that they were raising money throughout the week for Sunderland Mind ahead of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
All in all, a tremendous evening and the ideal way to ward off those post Jubilee blues.