Theatre Review: Dirty Dancing

Image Source: ATG

Written By: Alison Jones

Format: Musical
Genre: Romantic Drama
Date: September 18 2017
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

On a rather windy, rainy autumnal night at Liverpool Empire, we were transported to an American 60’s summer at Kellerman’s resort in the mountains (which vaguely reminded me of days spent at Pontin’s Middleton Towers holiday camp in Morecambe and their photocopied entertainment schedules).

The latest musical stage version of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing follows the original dialogue without any variance, albeit at a rather rushed pace, particularly in the first half. Katie Eccles, who plays Frances Houseman (‘Baby’), is very believable and reminds us of those idealistic times and carefree summers.

Lewis Griffiths, who plays dance instructor Johnny Castle, struts onto the stage. Tight black vest and high waist trousers, comb to hand which made the predominantly female audience give a little sigh, most likely in memory of the late Patrick Swayze. Lewis does a great job of bringing the character Johnny to life.

The cast have boundless energy, and the dancing is absolutely brilliant and definitely dirty at times! Special mention goes to Carlie Milner, who plays Penny and managed to merge the strength of a diva dancer with the vulnerability of the character’s storyline.

The familiar songs from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack are all there. The only omission for me was Johnny singing She’s Like The Wind, though the song features as an instrumental. There are some great vocal performances, particularly from Sophia Mackay (Elizabeth), Michael Kent (Billy Kostecki) and Greg Fossard (Neil Kellerman). The live Kellerman’s band did a great job, and the saxophone playing by Thomas Sutcliffe was outstanding.

I didn’t feel there was a huge amount of chemistry between Johnny and Baby, but the audience appreciated every move, recognising and singing along to the soundtrack, and rising to their feet in the second half to cheer on Baby being led from the corner for (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, and a lift that Kevin and Karen Clinton would be proud of (Strictly reference!).

Love conquers the social divide, and on an evening of big knickers, sensible bras and a flash of Johnny’s behind, the audience left the theatre full of smiles and summer memories.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

Dirty Dancing

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Stage Show
Genre: Romantic Drama
Date: April 9 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

There's an expression that something can be summed up in a few words. In the world of show business, sometimes it's a song or an image that can be used to perfectly encapsulate such a feeling. And in the case of Dirty Dancing, it is a song and an image which summarises the movie: I've Had The Time Of My Life by Bill Withers and Jennifer Warnes is the song, and the image is of the character of Johnny Castle lifting Baby Houseman into the air. They are the two things which immediately come to mind when you think of this film. But in the theatre, whilst the aforementioned song and the famous closing dance are the stand-out moments, the stage show adaptation of Dirty Dancing has a lot more to offer.

Set in New York's Catskill Mountains in the summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing tells the story of 17-year-old Frances "Baby" Houseman, who is on holiday with her older sister and her parents. There are a bunch of resort activities on offer, but for Baby, there is greater interest to be found in the night-time activities, most notably the all-night dance party that she stumbles upon. It is there, whilst helping Billy Kostecki to carry watermelons, that she meets his cousin Johnny Castle, the main dance instructor, and slowly their relationship begins.

As Baby gradually develops a crush on Johnny, trouble is on the horizon for Castle on a professional front when he learns that his regular dance partner Penny Johnson is pregnant and therefore cannot participate in an upcoming production. Despite its importance, Johnny has no choice but to use Baby in the role, who only has very limited dancing experience. But having used her father's money to pay for an illegal abortion for Penny (with the reason unbeknownst to her dad), it is partly as a favour in return that Baby is given the opportunity. He tries to teach her and whilst she does pick up some moves, others are a struggle. On the night, their routine goes well, but for a brief moment she loses confidence and therefore the lift, the highlight of their performance, is not successfully performed.

We soon discover that Penny's abortion had complications and that only Baby's father can resolve the situation. He does so, but not before misinterpreting a comment by Johnny to meaning that he was the father, so he tells Baby to stay away from Johnny. Instead, they get closer and become a couple, but their relationship remains under secrecy, until a robbery at the resort and false accusations towards Castle leaves Baby with no choice but to reveal the truth about her and Johnny. Whilst his name is cleared of theft, the nature of their relationship still sees him lose his job, and with Baby's holiday drawing to a close, it also seems that her romance with Johnny had been brought to an end, too ... or has it? The final scene explains all, but needless to say, one character ensures that "Nobody puts Baby in a corner".

As the title might suggest, this show features a lot of dancing, the vast majority being extremely advanced and brilliantly executed choreography from a supremely talented crew of dancers. Johnny Castle is the instructor and so his routines have the most attention, but the best dancer of the crew was Penny, played here by Claire Rogers. Rogers puts forth a brilliant effort and steals the show from a dancing standpoint.

In fact, the majority of this show consists of dancing. There is dialogue between characters, but this is largely limited in the first half. There are also musical numbers performed live, as well as some classic tunes being played in the background whilst the dancing is performed centre-stage. This is worth noting because, if you are not a particularly big fan of dance routines, then this may not be your cup of tea, as dance is such a major part of this production. Of course, the name Dirty Dancing should provide a hint of this, so chances are that most spectators should not find this to be a problem.

Roseanna Frascona puts in a strong performance as Baby, but Lewis Kirk pulling off the role of Johnny Castle to a high standard for the key dance scenes is particularly impressive when you consider that he is actually substituting on the Liverpool leg of this tour for Gareth Bailey, who recently suffered an ankle injury. Also of note are the use of humour in certain dance routines and musical performances, and the effortless manner in which the stage can be transformed into so many locations, from a dancehall to a field to a river. This is achieved in large part by the stunning scenery effects, the range of which include the curtain screen showing a heavy rainstorm, the use of a toppling tree in the forest, and the disco-balls which light up during the final scene. When it comes to turning a theatre stage into the set of a major motion picture, Dirty Dancing is very successful.

On the downside, I found the main storyline a little hard to follow, even as it edged towards the climax. You can see what is happening, but you are not sure where it is heading. Those unfamiliar with the movie would assume that the plotline was leading up to the initial performance with Johnny and Baby as opposed to the developments which come later on. There were also some minor audio issues near the beginning which made it difficult to hear what some characters were saying. And whilst the show is faithful to the movie, it is worth noting that the second half is a lot better than the first half, so the lead storyline may develop a little too slowly for some.

Overall, I found Dirty Dancing to be a very good show. The dancing is simply spectacular, and the scenery and special effects are of a high calibre. The performers suit their roles, and as stated Rogers is someone whose performance leaves a lasting impression. I had a good time, and for diehard fans of Dirty Dancing, there should be enough entertainment to give them a lift and ensure that they have the time of their lives.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

"Dirty Dancing has had a great response in Liverpool"

L-R: Claire Rogers (Penny Johnson),
Lewis Kirk (Johnny Castle) and
Roseanna Frascona (Baby Houseman).

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Prior to tonight's showing of Dirty Dancing at the Liverpool Empire, Mark Armstrong spoke with three leading cast members - Roseanna Frascona, who plays Baby Houseman; Lewis Kirk, who plays Johnny Castle; and Claire Rogers, who plays Penny Johnson - to discuss the show, the Liverpool audience and how often the famous dance scene was rehearsed ...

Firstly, explain the plot of Dirty Dancing to those who may be unfamiliar.

Claire: "Penny Johnson is the dance instructor at Kellerman's. She's also best friends with Johnny Castle, and they've both been friends for many years. Baby comes on holiday to Kellerman's, and suddenly she gets intertwined with Johnny and Penny's lives. You see a whole friendship developing, but at the same time, Penny's going through a very difficult time in her life. There's a lot of sadness, and Baby kind of steps in and pretty much saves the day. So, for me as Penny, you see my work side (at Kellerman's), and then you see the real side of what's actually going on in her life. Which is great, because there's lots of different emotions and dance numbers and scenes. So, it's a packed show."

How did you research your role beforehand, and had you previously seen the Dirty Dancing film?

Lewis: "I've seen the film before. I've got three sisters so, when I was growing up, it was part of my world as well. So I was familiar with Dirty Dancing. Research-wise, I suppose that when you get the job and you get the scripts, in order to give the people what they want to see, you have to add the flavours of the original film. So, you have to go back and watch the film. I went back and watched it again, and I paid attention to how Patrick Swayze was in the role, because really the audience has come to see Patrick Swayze up there. So you add a little bit of that flavour, and then you make it your own as well. And you put your own life experiences into your character as well."

When the opportunity came up to perform in Dirty Dancing, what most attracted you to the role?

Roseanna: "For me, Baby is possibly one of the nicest characters I've ever come across. It was wonderful to be able to go back and look into the 1960s; I made a little scrapbook with lots of pictures! And doing that to get to know her lifestyle was such a lovely opportunity because, essentially, I think she's somebody that stands up for what she believes in. She cares about the environment, she cares about equality, she's about to go off and study the economic development of under-developed countries. She's very much interested in putting the world to rights and, as Claire says, she's able to do that in a very small way when she meets the less advantaged characters of Penny and Johnny, who have come from a very different background from her.

"Like Lewis was saying, what's lovely about performing is that you take aspects of yourself and you take aspects of the character, and you blend them together. It's like having tracing paper: as if you've got tracing paper of yourself, and you've got tracing paper of the character, so some parts match up, and some parts don't. And for the bits that don't match up, you have to fill them in, which you'll be able to do from looking at other places, such as looking at the context of the period, or from re-reading the script lots and lots of times, and figuring out what makes the character a bit different.

"In the case of Baby, I'm incredibly lucky that this my first big job out of drama school, and I've got to play somebody who I think has lots in common with me. At the same time, she's a bit younger, she's got so much energy, and by playing her, you have to fall in love every night, and to be so excited by a new world that you come upon when you go on holiday. Basically, it's like being on holiday all the time! So, I feel really, really lucky, and essentially I'm attracted to everything about the part of Baby."

Claire, you've previously starred in the West End version of Dirty Dancing. How do you tailor your performances to suit the Liverpool audience, if at all?

Claire: "I wouldn't say that I change my performance in any way based on where we are in the country, because the show works no matter where you take it. So, it's just about giving everything that you've got in every performance, and it changes all the time naturally. You're performing every day, so one day you might feel more emotional in scenes. But, at times, that's a really good thing, because you want it to be as real as possible. So far, we've had a great response here in Liverpool, so I think that as a company and as a show, we can see that the audience here are enjoying what we're doing. So, that's a great thing for us."

Roseanna: "I think it's almost more about what Liverpool brings to us than what we bring to Liverpool. For instance, in one of the opening speeches that I have, I mention The Beatles, and of course the crowd in Liverpool gave us a big cheer, which isn't normal. Similarly, when we were up in Glasgow, the Referendum was on, and so some of the scenes about voting got a bit of a cheer, which was unexpected. And then we did the show in Dublin, so of course the abortion stuff that Penny goes through was received differently there. So, like Claire says, we do the show with all the energy that we possibly can, but sometimes we can get different kinds of reactions, and that's what makes it beautiful because it keeps things fresh for us."

Lewis, I understand that your role came up on fairly short notice?

Lewis: "Yeah, I'm covering for Gareth Bailey (who had hurt his ankle). I'm covering for the entirety of the show's run in Liverpool, but for me it's such a great opportunity, because it's a lovely role for me to play. And I get so much enjoyment from playing it. Obviously, based on the audience's reactions to me playing the role, it's nice for me to be a part of it, and to be a big part of it as well."

The last question is for Lewis and Roseanna. How often have the two of you rehearsed the final dance scene?

Lewis: "We've had a few shows on together now, so we've had time to go through it together. But I suppose it works because we're both very comfortable now playing our roles. With the lift, of course, we practiced a few times just to make sure we got that right."

Roseanna: "I think what's been great about Lewis coming on for this run of Liverpool is that we actually did work together for quite a while at the beginning of this tour, so I actually had a week rehearsing with Lewis before we went on in Bristol. So, we're kind of refinding the things that we had and what we found when we danced together almost a year ago."

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre until Friday April 25. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage by clicking here.

Get Ready For The Time Of Your Life

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Following its phenomenal run in 2012, the record-breaking sensation Dirty Dancing returns next week to Liverpool Empire for three weeks only.

Diane Belding, Liverpool Empire General Manager, commented: "We're delighted that Dirty Dancing is returning to the Liverpool Empire in 2015. The audience response in 2012 was unparalleled to anything that had come before it and I don’t doubt the response this time round will be just as phenomenal. If you didn’t manage to get your tickets during the last tour make sure you book now as you don’t want to miss out when Dirty Dancing takes to the Empire stage in April."

Gareth Bailey will star as Johnny Castle, one of the most iconic roles in popular culture. Gareth started his Dirty Dancing journey in the first UK tour where he played Robbie. He then went on to  play Johnny Castle in South Africa as part of the international tour of Dirty Dancing, prior to joining the West End company at the Piccadilly Theatre. Other credits include Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show (UK tour); Starlight Express (Germany); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Theatre Royal Plymouth) and Cinderella (Cliffs Pavilion).

Roseanna Frascona will be carrying the watermelon as idealistic Baby Houseman, who discovers love and life in the summer she will never forget. Roseanna’s credits include At First Sight (UK tour); The Taming of the Shrew (international tour); Murder in the Cathedral (Oxford Playhouse) and Antigone (Southwark Playhouse).

Claire Rogers will play Penny Johnson. Claire’s credits include Dirty Dancing (Piccadilly); Chicago (UK tour); Moulin Rouge (Paris and international tours) and La Varieté (Hackney Empire). Her film and television credits include Nine (The Weinstein Company); Victoria Wood’s Christmas Cracker - The Giddy Kipper and Fashion TV (Sky) and Star Academy for French TV.

The cast also includes James Coombes as Dr. Jake Houseman, Julia J. Nagle as Marjorie Houseman, Jessie-Lou Yates as Lisa Houseman, Colin Charles as Tito Suarez, Alexander Wolfe as Neil Kellerman, Michael Remick as Max Kellerman, Wayne Smith as Billy Kostecki and Mark Faith as Mr Schumacher. Also joining the company are James Bennett, Sarah Cortez, Lizzi Franklin, Francis Haugen, Antony Hewitt, Verity Jones, Lewis Kirk, Robin Lake, Garry Lee, Carly Miles, Carlie Milner, Simone Mistry-Palmer, Marlon Moore, Brandon Lee Sears and Natalie Winsor.

The Dirty Dancing tour launches at the Bristol Hippodrome on March 15 2014, and will then visit Sheffield, Newcastle, Southampton, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Oxford, Eastbourne, Sunderland, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Liverpool.

The first ever UK tour took an unprecedented £42,000,000 at theatres across the country and received standing ovations and 5 star reviews. It also smashed box office records in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dublin, Leeds and Stoke-On-Trent. The production subsequently ran at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End until February 23 2014, prior to launching a new UK and Ireland tour in March 2014.

Produced by Karl Sydow and Joye Entertainment, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein, scriptwriter of the phenomenally successful 1987 film, the production features all the much-loved characters and original dialogue from the iconic film with exciting extra scenes added in.

The tantalising dance sequences and brand new choreography come alive on stage, set to all the hits from the unforgettable soundtrack, including ‘Do You Love Me?, ‘Hungry Eyes’ and the Academy Award Winning ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’, plus many additional songs, making the show a truly extraordinary live experience.

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage opened at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history. The production became the longest running show in the history of the famous Aldwych Theatre and played to over 2 million people during its triumphant 5 year run. A hit show all around the world, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage has opened in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and South Africa, consistently breaking box office records.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Monday April 7-Friday April 25. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage by clicking here.

Dirty Dancing Returning To Liverpool Empire

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is returning to the Liverpool Empire next month as part of its 2015 UK and Ireland tour.

Diane Belding, Liverpool Empire General Manager, commented: "We're delighted that Dirty Dancing is returning to the Liverpool Empire in 2015.

"The audience response in 2012 was unparalleled to anything that had come before it, and I don’t doubt that the response this time round will be just as phenomenal.

"If you didn’t manage to get your tickets during the last tour, make sure you book now, as you don’t want to miss out when Dirty Dancing takes to the Empire stage in April."

Gareth Bailey will star as Johnny Castle, one of the most iconic roles in popular culture; Gareth started his Dirty Dancing journey in the first UK tour where he played Robbie, before going on to play Johnny Castle in South Africa as part of the international tour of Dirty Dancing, prior to joining the West End company at the Piccadilly Theatre. Other credits include Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show (UK tour); Starlight Express (Germany); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Theatre Royal Plymouth), and Cinderella (Cliffs Pavilion).

Roseanna Frascona will be carrying the watermelon as idealistic Baby Houseman, who discovers love and life in the summer she will never forget; her credits include At First Sight (UK tour); The Taming of the Shrew (international tour); Murder in the Cathedral (Oxford Playhouse) and Antigone (Southwark Playhouse).

Claire Rogers will play Penny Johnson; Claire’s theatre credits include Dirty Dancing (Piccadilly); Chicago (UK tour); Moulin Rouge (Paris and international tours) and La Varieté (Hackney Empire). Her film and television credits include Nine (The Weinstein Company); Victoria Wood’s Christmas Cracker - The Giddy Kipper and Fashion TV (Sky) and Star Academy for French TV.

The cast also includes James Coombes as Dr. Jake Houseman, Julia J. Nagle as Marjorie Houseman, Jessie-Lou Yates as Lisa Houseman, Colin Charles as Tito Suarez, Alexander Wolfe as Neil Kellerman, Michael Remick as Max Kellerman, Wayne Smith as Billy Kostecki, and Mark Faith as Mr Schumacher.

Also joining the company are James Bennett, Sarah Cortez, Lizzi Franklin, Francis Haugen, Antony Hewitt, Verity Jones, Lewis Kirk, Robin Lake, Garry Lee, Carly Miles, Carlie Milner, Simone Mistry-Palmer, Marlon Moore, Brandon Lee Sears and Natalie Winsor.

The Dirty Dancing tour launched at the Bristol Hippodrome on March 15 2014, and has visited Sheffield, Newcastle, Southampton, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Oxford, Eastbourne, Sunderland, Edinburgh and Cardiff before finally coming to Liverpool next month.

The first ever UK tour took an unprecedented £42,000,000 at theatres across the country and received standing ovations and five-star reviews; it also smashed box office records in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dublin, Leeds and Stoke-On-Trent.

The production subsequently ran at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End until February 23 2014, prior to launching a new UK and Ireland tour the following month.

Produced by Karl Sydow and Joye Entertainment, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein, scriptwriter of the phenomenally successful 1987 film, the production features all the much-loved characters and original dialogue from the iconic film with exciting extra scenes added in.

The tantalising dance sequences and brand new choreography come alive on stage, set to all the hits from the unforgettable soundtrack, including Do You Love Me?, Hungry Eyes and the Academy Award-winning (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, plus many additional songs, making the show a truly extraordinary live experience.

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage opened at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history. The production became the longest running show in the history of the famous Aldwych Theatre and played to over 2 million people during its triumphant 5 year run. A hit show all around the world, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage has opened in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and South Africa, consistently breaking box office records.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Monday April 7-Friday April 25. For ticket information, click here.

You can learn more about Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage by clicking here.