Dirty Dancing On Stage

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. The weather has been really odd – glorious sunshine and then dark clouds and showers. It feels more like April! Anyway, half term feels like a blink ago now but I’ve been meaning to write my review of my trip to see Dirty Dancing in London’s Dominion Theatre. I’m making a real conscious effort to see as many shows as I can. There’s some absolute classics on this year. I just don’t want to miss out! I hope you enjoy!

The Plot

The plot of the show follows the plot of the film. It’s the summer of 1963 and Baby Houseman and her family head off for the holidays to Catskills Mountains in New York. The entertainment is dated but as chance would have it, Baby stumbles across an all night party. The dancing is the most sublime thing of all and at the heart of it is Johnny Castle, the resort’s dance instructor. Their worlds collide and so begins one of the greatest love stories of all time. Baby becomes one of the leading ladies in Johnny’s life and the two very different characters have the best summer of their lives.

There were some differences from the film, noticeably the political aspects. As we know, America in the 60s was a very difficult time. It was refreshing to see this portrayed on stage.

The Cast

The cast is really something else! Michael O’Reilly is the perfect Johnny. The crowd did go wild when the shirt came off! He’s a glorious dancer too so it really was hard to keep my eyes off him. Kira Malou was also an excellent Baby, starting off as the naïve, young girl who becomes a woman. However, my favourite cast member is Charlotte Gooch, playing Penny. My goodness this girl can dance. She’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I was also thrilled to see Georgia Castle, playing Lisa, as I absolutely loved her in Cinderella! The ensemble really were just as good as those taking centre stage. It’s a truly excellent cast.

Staging, Singing and Dancing

It was a Thursday night so I imagine the crowd is different on a Friday or Saturday. However, didn’t stop the fun filled evening I had. I was lucky enough to be on the front row (but you didn’t see the actors feet) and the dancing was just amazing. It was glorious to have an uninterrupted view. The singing came from a live band on stage which was good but I also appreciated the songs from the film version being played too. We can’t not talk about the final dance and THAT lift… Wow. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was transported to America in the 60s. It was impossible not to smile and enjoy the show.

“I carried a watermelon.”

Overall

I love the film, I grew up watching it with my mum so I am proud to say I know it word for word. I loved hearing the songs and seeing the dancing for real in the flesh. For me personally, the first half was a tad rushed but the second half definitely made up for it. I’m so glad I’ve seen it! I’m also super excited because it’s touring this year too. To get yourself some tickets, click here.

See you next time! It’ll be for my book choice for February for my reading challenge and of course, my round up for this month too.

Big Love xx

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