Reader Reviews
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage (Aldwych Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Absolute tedium! As a form of torture this show is perfect... As a musical? Well, to be honest it's an absolute disgrace! Extremely happy that it's coming to an end! Utter rubbish! - Ken | 15 Feb 11 |
| this is a slap in the face of west end theatre. - ben | 23 Jul 10 |
| Caught up with this Thursday last week. What a complete mess. Show's can run too long and this was definately one of them. The performances were lack lustre and there is some of the worst acting seen on the West End stage for years. It really was a masterclass on poor production and execution. Even the die-hard fans of this show had great difficulty summoning any excitement and not until the last 5 minutes of a very long evening was there any real effort from the performers. This was really DIRE! Such a shame when such good shows are closing left right and centre that this can survive and also charging top whack for the tickets. - Stuart | 08 Jun 09 |
| When They Get The Rampant Rabbits Out And Throw Them Into The Crowd Was The Best Part. However the Singing Was Awful. The Sex Scene Impressed Me. Where There Was A 69er Occuring On On Toip Of A Car. - Ryan | 08 Dec 08 |
| The Bit Where She Gets Her Rat Out Is The Best - Ryan | 08 Dec 08 |
| Wonderful evening, the cast were fantastic and the dancing was amazing. - Heidi | 25 Jul 08 |
| Anyone know who played the father Dr Houseman on Monday 16th June 2008? Watch the movie - it is FAR better. - Mary Crampton | 17 Jun 08 |
| Brilliantly staged with excellent use of projections, platforms and the revolve, Sarah Manton is charming as Baby Houseman and, given the demographic of the audience, a really short queue for the Gents, but that's about the extent of the good news. The show plods through countless short scenes with snippets of largely irrelevant pre-recorded songs and the story runs the gamut of emotions from A to A-. Richard Lawrence, the alternate Johnny, has the charisma and acting ability of a limp lettuce and some of the supporting performances aren't even that good. Critically, compared to Strictly Come Dancing (and even more to the American counterpart), the dancing is surprisingly unexciting. After two and a half long hours the show finally bursts into life with a closing sequence that at last features real musical theatre: great vocals and a killer brass section. There is clearly a huge audience for this formulaic, joyless product, as there probably will be for Never Forget. Jersey Boys demonstrates how to tell a story and use great songs from this period but is unlikely to match the success of this limp cash-in. - David Baxter | 25 May 08 |
| As a massive fan of the film, I was looking forward to seeing it played out live but boy was I in for a shock! If you love the film but also have a love of theatre then do not waste your money on this. Me and my friends could have done a better job in high school! The acting was wooden and it felt like the cast were going through the "motions". The only good thing to come out of it was the actress who played Penny and the final dance routine. Very disappointing and I can't help feeling cheated! - Nina | 05 May 08 |
| Been to a couple of west end shows now and only went to this to keep the wife happy. I have to admit it was fantastic. The girl who played baby looked remarkably like her and she played the part to perfection. The atmosphere was electric and i would recommend this to anyone looking for a memorable night. - Jimmy Lyons | 26 Nov 07 |
| The audience spoilt this for me - both by cheering and whistling throughout, and also by getting up and leaving during the finale. Possibly because it was the 2nd showing on a Friday and getting late. Also don't be conned by theatre staff into being allowed into the stalls bar rather than queuing outside. You will be penned into a crowded sauna and not allowed into the cooler corridor for health and safety reasons. One way of making you buy a drink. I was however entertained throughout by the mouse running round the aisles. Loved the movie, but can take or leave this show. - Jennifer | 16 Oct 07 |
| I agree with some of the comments about unnecessary cheering and wolf-whistling. It really ruined the show for me. Other than that though, I really enjoyed it. Thought it was quite true to the film with some new bits added to and some songs missed out. I agree that there wasnt really enough live singing but as the title suggests it's mostly based around Dancing! I did think that the first half dragged a bit but the second half was brilliant. The woman who plays Baby was really good. The only other thing was that I couldnt hear the two main leads very well. They were quite quiet but everyone else was okay to hear. I would possibly go again although the crowds of screaming women put me off. It was like being at a Chippendales concert! - Sophie | 16 Oct 07 |
| I have now seen this show 9 times! l am amazed at the reviews below as the show is fantastic, l have seen most of the shows in the West End and this one wins hands down. If you want a great night out then get in the queue for the time of your life! - Cazzle | 29 Aug 07 |
| Truly appalling. Does not even deserve 1 star. A total scam and complete waste of £55 - What a rip off! This has got to be THE worst show I have ever sat through and believe me I've seen them all, so excruciatingly bad, we left in the interval. Utter tedium. Not one decent song, the music is just a backing track. How the producers have the nerve to charge £55 for top price seats amazes me, a complete disgrace. Half the audience were chavs and the other half middle aged menopausal women who were just there to see the male lead take his shirt off. Avoid this rubbish like the plage, you will be hugely disappointed. AWFUL. - Sam | 11 Aug 07 |
| This is a very silly show which caused much hilarity amongst my friends and me when we went to see this in Feb 2007. We had been looking forward for months as we all love the movie, but ended up very disappointed. The whole audience were laughing throughout - in all of the 'wrong' places; the accents were awful; the dancing (apart from the actress who plays Penny - excellent) was mediocre; and the stage was cumbersome. Baby never seemed to know where she was meant to be on stage, and there was no chemistry between her and Johnny. The whole thing felt like we were watching a high school production rather than a West End show. Save your £50 for a more worthy production! - Kate | 16 Jul 07 |
| I really admired the staging and design and the performances were fine, BUT the incredibly short scenes allow for no character or story development, almost as if they are irrelevant and the dancing is all. I wasn't in the slightest bit involved or engaged - just an onlooker admiring the stagecraft. As for the hen parties in the audience; they talked, laughed in all the wrong places, whooped at bare chests and were just thoroughly obnoxious all round! - Gareth James | 12 Jul 07 |
| Probably the worst musical I've seen in the West End. The movie hype will get the crowds flocking in, but apart from the finale there is very little live singing. The two who sang "I've had the time of my life" were fantastic, but were very much out of place in this show and had all of 3 minutes to shine. My recommendation is to stay in the bar until the last 15 minutes, but that makes for a very expensive night out! - Andy B | 09 Jul 07 |
| Awful waste of time and money. How this rubbish got in to the West End goodness knows. - ILS | 09 Jun 07 |
| First time I've neen to a west end show. I have to say it was really very good. I would agree with othe reviewers. The whooping from the crowd at certain points was annoying when I couldnt hear the next line. I didnt know the story from the film. If I am honest I was a bit reluctant to go but dont mind admitting that the songs in the last 10-15 minutes made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Highly recommended and a good intro to west end musicals. Think we are trying Mary Poppins next - 213.249.239.252) | 30 Nov 06 |
| I was unsure what my impression of this show would be after reading these reviews.I have seen all the West End muscials and booked for this one straight away as i love the film.I am happy to report that this is a great show!Its one of the only shows i have seen which is almost a carbon copy of the film,they almost had it word for word from the film script and all the scenes were the same.The sets were good,some more simple than others,but its such a fast paced show that the moving sreens they have in some scenes worked well.They did have an orchestra(well hidden though)but most of the music was taped soundtrack of the show.And for a couple of songs the cast members in the backgroud sang the songs.But you know what? it worked! The dancing was fab,nobody in the cast let this show down.The best people for me was Georgina Rich who played Baby,she was a mirror image of the way Jennifer Grey played it in the film.She must have studied the film over and over as she got it to perfection.She sounded just like her.Very well cast.Josef Brown who plays Johnny was also good.His accent isnt though! But put the whole package together and this didnt matter,he looks like Patrick Swayze is a terrific dancer and the body aint half bad either! Isabella Calthorpe played a very convincing Lisa and Nadia Coote was amazing as Penny.Probably one of the most best female dancers i have seen.The only real critisism i have of this show is the other people there.There is lots of shouting at certain places in the show.And lots of screaming whenever Johnny was on stage.Some of it is off putting and you are straining to hear what the actors are saying.The clapping at such lines in the show like,"Nobody puts baby in the corner" and "I carried a watermelon" are all well and good.But to do it continually through the show is off putting for both the audience and the actors.These people should be going to a pantomime instead if thats what they feel the need to do when watching a show.You would think some of the groups of Women i saw there were on a hen night! - 195.93.21.67) | 29 Nov 06 |
| OK, so I'm addicted to this move and I think had three copies on VHS at one point (don't ask) so I was well pumped for this. This is the most cynical cash in on a movie's popularity I've ever seen. It may even be the worst show I've ever seen. They've got themselves the title and the story rights to Dirty Dancing and prostituted those two things for all their worth. Waste. - 80.83.156.199) | 28 Nov 06 |
| Ok never been a fan of the film, went with my sis as she LOVES the film. The first 1/2 hour or so did drag a bit but once it got to 'Hungry eyes' it started to pick up a bit. The queue to get in the theatre was incredable, never queued to get in before. And the audience was mainly woman of a certain age - unsurprisingly. This is literally the film on stage. Nothing new or original about it. I did really like the set design, thought it worked really well for the show, and the recreation of certain scenes were well done. There actually isnt THAT much dancing in the show, but what there is brilliant. The constant whooping from the audience is quite annoying, and when it comes to 'Nobody Puts Baby in the corner' the roof nearly came off! The mainly young and sexy cast without exception are brilliant, and the two leads are perfectly suited to their roles. Jonny has the best Abs ive seen on stage! haha Its a very polished production and classier than say, Fame. However there is nothing original about it, you could just watch the film at home. The show never realy comes alive until the last 15 minutes which I have to say was intoxication as the atmosphere was electric and you just get swept along. Im glad ive seen it, but its NOT worth its top price of £60.00 and wouldnt see it again. This will be huge with groups of woman and hen parties etc. Its worth a look, and if your a fan of the film you will be in your eliment. As a piece of theatre however its not fresh or new, just good fun - which isnt a bad thing! - 86.139.160.90) | 19 Nov 06 |
| I felt bad for the actors -- most of whom are clearly talented -- for having to participate in such a joke of a show. The only group who might enjoy this are teenage girls who want to see a hunky guy take off his shirt. (The night I was there, the audience was 80% female, and then men looked like they had been tortured!) - 206.15.98.56) | 13 Nov 06 |
| Overall good show. The dancing was not as dirty as in the movie and Josef Brown who plays Johnny is perhaps more suited to play a super hero in commercials or perform in Chippendales. His acting and painful attempt at an American accent was horrible and overall the chemistry between him and Baby was lacking. I reckon this man was cast based on his perfect physique and that's about it! Baby on the other hand was brilliant! She did a fantastic job and had an uncanny ressemblance to Jennifer Grey. After seeing this show I was even more gutted that Patrick Swayze is just down the road performing in 'Guys & Dolls' and not this :( Overall show is good, I think it they just re-cast Johnny it would make a huge difference and improve the show by a lot. - 217.150.106.236) | 07 Nov 06 |
| Utter tedium. Only stayed for the second half so my companion wouldn't have to go home alone - I feel that this has no guaranteed a place for me in heaven if it exists. - 86.135.146.179) | 31 Oct 06 |
| An excellent show, despite some unnecessary cheering for the famous lines. Georgina Rich was especially good, and believable as Baby. Some of the cast sung songs including Time of my life were probably better than the orignal. Only negative for us was the late finish (Friday - 23:15) which meant a mad rush for the last train. Would have worked better if both the performances were earlier (even by 15 mins). - 62.60.98.134) | 30 Oct 06 |
| My Wife and I went to the show for our wedding anniversary, and thought it was fantastic. The cast were believable, the music was brilliant and the atmosphere was electric! - 80.3.160.10) | 27 Oct 06 |
| Fabulous! - 212.21.115.186) | 25 Oct 06 |
| A complete scam. A true con job. Just cash in on the title throw in the famous bits from the film and watch the folks buy tix. Don't try and tell me everyone involved doesn't know that this is exactly what is going on. - 86.129.151.253) | 24 Oct 06 |
| Being a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing and reading in the paper how it was breaking records in advance sales, I decided to “go for it” and get a ticket to have “the time of my life”. Firstly, I had to queue for 2 hours to get a ticket for the previews at the top price of £50 which were located in row Q of the stalls. My disappointment started when I heard the song of be my baby but in fact it was a song that I had never heard of. As the show went on, I thought that it would get better, but the actor playing the leading role (Josef Brown) was nothing but a “pretty face”, well I should more accurately say a pretty body. I soon became under the impression that with the amount of hours he spent in the gym, he had no time left to do either acting classes or phonetic ones to get a decent American accent. I felt so sorry for Georgina Rich, who plays ‘baby’ and was actually very good, but it seemed that she was trying to recreate a romantic scene with a brick rather than a charming, desirable character. The dancing was ok but definitely not enough to sustain the piece. The set designer should be ashamed of himself because the set looked like they had tried to build a castle in a box of matches. It is a highly technical show managed by an amateur team. The singing was good, but you had to spend minutes scanning the stage to figure out who the hell was interpreting the song. The effort to try to do everything the same as the movie is wasted, as you do not have enough time to assimilate what it feels like 150 different scenes in one act. It would work better if they just put the dvd on the back screen of the stage. All in all I think that Eleanor Bergstein should be a little bit more considerate to her fans by not allowing this boring pantomine to happen, or maybe she just does not care at all and all she ever wanted was to get the advance money from it and make a big scam….. In conclusion I would say that if you are a theatre goer who likes good acting and being entertained don’t bother going to this, but if you have never been to the theatre before and you don’t mind paying £59.50 plus booking fee to see a nice torso jumping around on stage this is the show for you. - 89.240.230.13) | 19 Oct 06 |
| Brilliant show, really good fun. Great music and dancing. Took my wife for a surprise night out and we both loved it. Definitely one for the girls I think (cue lots of wolf whistling at the half naked lead bloke!) but it all added to the atmosphere and didn't put me off. - 194.62.232.102) | 16 Oct 06 |
| As a regular west end theatre goer I was looking forward to this production (17.15hrs performance on Friday 13th October 2006-stalls seat row L)) as I enjoyed the cinematic version when I was in my early teens. After reading the reviews on this site I went with a little trepidation and not really knowing what to expect. As the show started I couldn't hear the dialogue for the first few scenes because the back ground music was too loud. I thought that if the remainder of the production was like that I wouldn't have a clue what they were saying. However, the balance did correct and the rest of it was fine. The cast is very good, some great voices and acting. To me it was an almost exact replica of the film. The two leads were excellent and interpretted their parts very well I thought. There is no orchestra but the sound tracks work well and the loud volume is required for this type of show. The cast members sing with the tracks which also works. There was one hitch which you wouldn't expect on the West End and that was a "no video input" sign on the large screens at one point-that should not happen at £55.00 per seat, at the school play - yes - but not on stage in London. The set is great. Lots of multi media revolving stages and looks the part. I really do not see how the writer or producer could have done this show in any other way. I think they have completed a good interpretation of the film. For those who thought it tacky, well the film was! but very enjoyable. One thing that really astounded me was the behaviour and reaction of the audience collectively. They were like a load of people at a ladies night - really-even the guys with their wives/partners! You expect that type of crowd in Birmingham or Stoke-on-Trent etc but not the West End!! I felt sorry for the male lead, every time he showed his chest or in his boxers the theatre went absolutely wild! I'm sure he must fear women running onto the stage and grabbing him! Weird theatre behaviour! There was also a sense of pantomine with the audience. I have to admit to being really moved by the film as it reaches its conclusion and on this stage version too, but the audience thought it utterly hilarious which really ruins the moment. I felt sorry for the cast who were trying their best to live the emotion. There was one ultimate tacky bit though, when Johnny drives off after losing his job there is a screen display which is realy, really funny. It was supposed to be an emontional section however, well see it yourself and see what you think. On the whole I really enjoyed it and will take my wife to see it as long as she doesn't completely embarrass me by lady to ladette behaviour like the lot I was surrounded by!!! - 86.20.144.199) | 14 Oct 06 |
| Went with great anticipation. Disappointing! - 86.129.155.184) | 10 Oct 06 |
| As a huge, huge fan of Dirty Dancing the movie and after having heard that the Sydney production had wowed critics and audience members alike, I was anticipating a fantastic production at the Aldwych. I could have wept with disappointment. The dancing was technically fine but completely passionless. The acting was truly appalling with the exception of the female lead who looked thoroughly bored and the obvious lack of chemistry between the two leads was laughable. The set is way too big for the theatre and the whole design looks cheap. The amazing music from the movie was showcased incredibly badly and was either sung by random members of the cast, almost as a sidethought or played from the master as very, very loud background music. It could have and should have been a fabulous evenings entertainment but it really, really isn't. Cringeworthy and crass, I'd advise that you avoid it like the plague and spend your money or more worthy West End productions. - 86.129.127.72) | 09 Oct 06 |
| I really enjoyed this show. great cast, great set, great atmosphere. Can't wait to see it again! - 80.193.191.22) | 06 Oct 06 |
| I had a fantastic time. If you go to this hoping to see a serious piece then you will be disapppointed, but this is Dirty Dancing NOT Phantom of the Opera. I've been to serious theatre and I enjoyed that. But I also enjoyed this. If you go just with the idea of having a good night out, you will enjoy it too. - 57.66.70.225) | 04 Oct 06 |
| awfulllllll. such a good cast wasted on such awful awful material. people around me seemed to me enjoying it though so what do i know. - 86.135.205.35) | 02 Oct 06 |
| What a disappointment...and on my birthday too. Sound engineers should be sacked, couldn't hear a word over the 'background' music... cast should not give up their day jobs...script seems to have been cobbled together without much success...audience gave up and enjoyed it as a pantomime! - 195.93.21.67) | 01 Oct 06 |
| It certainly wasn't the time of my life, it has to be the worst thing I have ever seen. Its not ready for a start, You Dont Own Me was mentioned in the programme but not sung. Shonagh Daly and Chris Holland sing a couple but are not really part of the plot and seem as if they haven't a clue why they are there and a cast member uttered an expletive at the matinee as he didn't know what he was doing it seems and didn't realise his mic was still on! The dancing is okay I guess and the last 10 minutes is bearable but the audience mostly is a Chippendales type crowd who only want to see Josef Brown's flesh and probably never seen a decent show in there lives. She's Like the Wind is only done as an Instrumental and most of the songs are the original records which I found most odd. The theatre staff are clueless too as they dont seem to know where to send people, some theatres just cant handle sell out shows. They are so lucky they have the advance they have as I am sure the critics will hammer this complete and utter rubbish which doesn't really know what it is, its not a musical or a dance show, I know many things to call it but there could be kids reading this! All I know is I wasted £50 seeing it and dont start about saying its a preview, they only reduced it by £5 and to do that and not have the full show in place is a total and utter disgrace. - 195.93.21.67) | 01 Oct 06 |
| Very poor - 87.74.125.134) | 30 Sep 06 |
