Theatre News

New production of Dirty Dancing to tour the UK

The tour will open in Blackpool in August 2016

Dirty Dancing Tour 2014
Dirty Dancing UK Tour 2014-2015
© Tristram Kenton

It has been announced that a new production of the classic film Dirty Dancing will return next year to tour the UK from August 2016.

The production, which premiered in Milan in July 2015, will be directed by the artistic director of Milan’s Teatro Nazionale, Federico Bellone, with choreography by Gillian Bruce.

The classic story of Baby and Johnny features the hit songs "Hungry Eyes", "Hey! Baby", "Do You Love Me?" and "(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life".

Dirty Dancing –The Classic Story On Stage originally opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre in 2006 and had a successful run for five years. The show then embarked on its first tour, returning to the West End for a year in 2013, prior to launching a second UK and Ireland tour.

Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the original stage show.

The production is written by Eleanor Bergstein, script writer of the successful 1987 film, and features the much-loved characters and original dialogue from the iconic film, with extra scenes added in.

Dirty Dancing is produced by Karl Sydow, Joye Entertainment and Paul Elliott, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions.

The new UK production will open at the Blackpool Opera House on 11 August 2016 and will then tour to: Orchard Theatre, Dartford (1 to 10 September), Opera House, Swansea (12 to 17 September), Aylesbury Waterside (19 to 24 September), New Theatre, Wimbledon (26 September – 1 October), Palace Theatre, Manchester (10 – 15 October), Grand Opera House, York (17 to 22 October), Carlisle Sands Centre (24 to 29 October), Northampton Derngate (31 October to 5 November), Regent Theatre, Stoke (7 to 12 November), Kings Theatre, Southsea (14 to 19 November), and Reading Hexagon (21 to 26 November).

Further tour dates and casting is yet to be announced.