By now – fan or not – you probably know the story of the uber-famous Patrick Swayze movie, Dirty Dancing. Now, this touring theatre production – which has been adapted for the stage by original writer Eleanor Bergstein - has returned to the West End.
The plot
Set in 1963, this is the story of the Houseman family – particularly youngest daughter Baby (Jull Winternitz) – who are holidaying at a resort in the Catskills. Intelligent and yet a little naïve, Baby is the apple of her father’s eye – and while her sister insists on donning extra lippy and chasing the waiting staff, Baby has her own ideas of what makes success, and hopes to one day join the Peace Corps and ‘change the world’.
Enter Johnny.
Brooding dancer Johnny Castle (Paul-Michael Jones) works his summers at the resort, making a living from flexing his hips towards the lonely female clientele. With the regular entertainment consisting of songs around the camp fire and musical chairs, Baby finds herself far more intrigued by this illusive man and the after-hours action he seems to centre, and soon enough, she finds himself stepping in to help when Johnny’s dance partner Penny (Charlotte Gooch) ends up unable to move after a painful, and illegal, operation.
Verdict
First things first, the show is called Dirty Dancing – so it’s no surprise to note Kate Champion's choreography on stage is fabulous. Jones and Gooch work impressively well together, while Winternitz portrays a very loveable Baby.
For some reason, there seems to be spark lacking between the two leads, which can leave some scenes feeling a little flat, but this is mostly forgotten when the band beginning playing soundtrack classics such as Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby – and of course, the timeless Time Of My Life.
For me, it’s Papa Houseman (James Coombes) who steals the show. His direction goes from light-hearted golfing talk with the wife to a highly-emotional scene with Baby - and each time he appeared, his presence was warming. Michael Remick and Wayne Smith, who play Max Kellerman and Billy Kostecki, also deserve a mention.
Quite honestly, Dirty Dancing may not win awards for innovative staging or knock-out acting, but it does provide a fun night out. Which, in my opinion, is just as important.
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story is playing at the Piccadilly Theatre until February 2014. To book tickets and for more information, check out dirtydancingonstage.co.uk
