Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage

Synopsis

Beloved coming of age film, Dirty Dancing comes to the stage to take you back to 1963... ....when everybody called me Baby and it didn’t occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy got shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn’t wait to join the Peace Corps and I thought I’d never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman’s’ Experience the excitement and romance of the blockbuster film - live on stage. Featuring the hit songs from the best selling movie soundtrack of all time including; Time Of My Life, Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby and Do You Love Me? First dance. First love. The 1987 film starred Jennifer Grey as the teenaged Baby who falls in love with the camp's working class dance instructor, played by Patrick Swayze.

Our Review:

25 October 2006

Dirty Dancing arrives at the Aldwych with an almost impregnable pedigree. It has taken over £12 million at the box office. It's an iconic movie for more or less every woman under the age of 35. It proposes the not very brilliant idea that good dancing means good sex, and that physical repression makes you mean-spirited.

It's admirable that the show follows the 1987 film so faithfully, because Eleanor Bergstein’s story is a good one. Jewish princess “Baby” Houseman on holiday with her family in the Catskills falls in with the entertainment set – she goes backstage with a huge watermelon, remember? – and the mambo-dancing instructor Johnny Castle, played on celluloid by Patrick Swayze, sporting probably the worst mullet in the history of cinema.

Standing in for his pregnant partner – whose abortion is charitably arranged by Baby dredging the dough from her doctor father – Baby scores a hit at the dance cabaret evening and eventually weaves her way...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Ken - 15 February 2011:

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!...

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

Minchin's Matilda Comes to West End in Autumn Top Five: Shows to See With Your Mum for Mother's Day Dirty Dancing Closes 9 Jul, Prior to National Tour Dirty Dancing UK Tour Opens in Bristol, Sep 2011 1st Night Photos: New Cast Dances into Aldwych Musicals Extend: Blonde, Dirty, Thriller & WWRY Charlie Bruce Thinks She Can Dance in West End??? Musicals Extend: Thriller, Dancing & Hairspray Review Round-up: Can £12m Make Dirty Critic-Proof? WOS TV & Photos: Daly Presents Dancing Launch More»