Napanee native to star in Kingston production of 'Footloose'

By Katrina Geenevasen

There must be something in the Napanee water. Talent is everywhere.

First came Avril Lavigne, and now 18-year-old John Macpherson is poised to follow in her successful footsteps.

Involved in music since he was old enough to sing along to the radio, performing just seems to come naturally to Macpherson.

“All my life I’ve been singing and wanting to perform,” said Macpherson. “When I was younger I was really into the pop productions, the big musical productions. And then I got into rock when I was older so that gave a bit more edge to what I wanted to do.”

Beginning November 10, Macpherson will be starring as Ren McCormack in the Kingston Grand Theatre’s production of Footloose.

Based on the 1984 movie, the show includes hit songs from the original soundtrack.

“It feels great to be a part of it,” said Macpherson.

Macpherson is no stranger to the theatre stage. Last year, he was part of “Buddy, the Buddy Holly story”, which also played at the Grand Theatre.

“It was a huge success,” said Macpherson. “We had sellouts every night, so that was pretty big.”

And it seems his talent was something to take note of.

Footloose producer Jennifer Forsythe called Macpherson herself to see if he would be interested in taking part in the musical.

“The producer saw I would be pretty cool for this role. I kind of look like Kevin Bacon or whatever,” said Macpherson with a smile. “So she contacted me and asked if I would be interested in doing it if they put it on, so I decided to do that.”

While live performances are Macpherson’s first love, song writing also comes naturally to the teen.

“I think it’s just cool when you hear it back,” said Macpherson. “When you come up with your own idea of something you wrote that stuck in your head, you get really into it. Like, you brought something into the world that could potentially impact people. So I think that’s the best part.”

Despite these marks of success, fame and fortune aren’t all that important to Macpherson.

He just wants to sing.

“I don’t know if fame is something that is the best thing,” said Macpherson. “I just like reaching people. I’ve had a few that have really reached people and they’ll message me and tell me it helped them through a hard time or whatever. And I think that’s the best achievement you can have, really.”