In the late 80s and early 90s, ‘Dirty Dancing’ became a movie classic for a generation. Achieving a modest box office, it's reputation built through the home video market, quickly becoming a staple of sleepovers for many reasons; the chemistry between Swayze & Grey, the soundtrack and because it told the story of outsiders, of teenagers dreaming of making a difference in a world where everything is ‘normal’. Set in 1963, we see the very ‘normal’ Houseman family as they arrive at the very ‘normal’ All-American Kellerman Resort for their very ‘normal’ summer vacation. The two teenage Houseman daughters Lisa and Frances ‘Baby’, change immeasurably during this summer vacation; learning valuable lessons about love, passion and loyalty and most of all, changing the way their family see them forever.
I too learned a valuable lesson last night; I need to read the description of what I’m going to watch BEFORE the event, because, in my head this stage production of Dirty Dancing was a musical but in actuality, it is a faithful adaptation of the 1987 classic movie with the same script and even the well-loved 60s soundtrack, which included the hits such as ‘Do You Love Me?’ and ‘Hey Baby’ as well as the original song ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’. Despite having false expectations, I found this to be a fantastic production and every element of it was a perfect retelling of the original movie.
The design of this production was a total success, recreating the original settings with huge rotating set pieces representing the many different locations of the Kellerman’s resort; from the main building and the family lodge to the infamous ‘watermelon’ steps. This was just one of the brilliant concepts of the set design, but by far my favourite was the clever use of gauze and projection in the lift sequence, in the lake. The comic timing of Johnny and Baby disappearing under the water and reappearing (bone dry), was hilarious and it was also fairly obvious that this production didn’t take itself too seriously as a stage play and the audience loved that! This clever use of lighting and gauze continued in many other scenes was brilliant to completely transform the location but to give the entire production a filmic atmosphere.
As the title suggests Dirty Dancing obviously features a lot of dancing, but where do I begin on the choreography? It was phenomenal! The classical ballroom styles of the Cha Cha Chas, the Pachangas and Merengues typical of Kellerman’s holiday camp were brilliantly executed and in keeping with the camp’s more conservative facade. Whereas the seedy backrooms in which the holiday reps conducted their clandestine parties featured dance moves which were just as raunchy as the movie and then some! It was thrilling to watch and the energy of this entire production was stunning from every single performer on stage.
The lead dancers of the holiday camp, Johnny Castle played by Michael O’Reilly and Penny Johnson (Simone Covele) had an incredible chemistry and their opening number of the dance floor was a sight to behold! Covele stole the show with her mesmerising dance moves and flexibility, she is an incredible dancer, the best I have ever witnessed. Covele and O’Reilly were so well cast as the beautiful dance duo and this director really played up their sex appeal for the audience, offering both performers several opportunities to show off their flawlessly sexy physique, which had the audience whooping in amusement.
Frances Houseman (Baby), played by Kira Malou was a wonderful comedy performer whilst maintaining a sense of Baby’s innocence throughout the story. Her hair styling was rather unfortunate but suited the character to a tee and actually created a more comedic portrayal of the role than the more serious Jennifer Grey. Lizzie Ottley, playing Baby’s sister Lisa, also brought a wonderful sense of humour to her role, especially in her hilarious rendition of the Hula Dance in the Kellerman end of season show.
This production knew exactly how to work the audience, with its fast paced script and brilliant staging. The energy just got better and better throughout and concluded with the infamous finale, which had the audience dancing in the aisles. Although it is a classic chick flick it is also guaranteed to entertain and raise a smile on any theatre goer’s face, male or female. It’s not a children’s show and it would make a brilliant night out as a couple, or with a group of friends. It’s sexy, sassy and I left this show absolutely thrilled to have caught this brilliant stage adaptation. Dirty Dancing runs at The Palace Theatre until Saturday 27th April and continues its UK tour across the country until mid-August.
Reviewer - Johanna Hassouna-Smith
on - 23/4/19
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