Dirty Dancing - Aldwych Theatre (review)
Review by Lizzie Guilfoyle
HOW do you follow one of the most popular films of all time with a successful stage adaptation? Eleanor Bergstein undoubtedly had the answer – why else would the London production of Dirty Dancing still be captivating audiences a year after opening.
Basically, she remained true to the original – but why mess with something that has stood the test of time and is as popular today as it was 20 years ago? And let’s face it – a story set in 1963, at a time when the American civil rights movement was reaching a climax, could so easily be passe in this technological age of equal opportunities, a musical dinosaur fit only for the archive.
But that’s not all. The show’s producers have gathered together a company of actors and a creative team that have succeeded in bringing the story of 17-year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman to the stage without losing any of it’s original magic – quite an achievement considering the comparative limitations of theatre.
And it’s all here, right down to the practice session outside the camp – on the log and, believe it or not, in the water. Moreover, it’s very cleverly and very convincingly done.
I’m assuming, of course, that you’re familiar with the story but for those who aren’t (and where have you been?), it’s set in an upmarket holiday camp in America’s Catskill Mountains – Kellerman’s – where the naive but idealistic ‘Baby’ is staying with her parents and older sister Lisa. It’s here that she meets (and falls in love with) Johnny Castle, the camp’s outwardly self-assured dance instructor.
Without a doubt, the success of Dirty Dancing owes as much to the soundtrack and dance sequences (here beautifully choreographed) as it does to the story itself. But then this is no ordinary dancing – it’s ‘dirty’ in that it’s intimate and sexually charged, as indeed, are many of the scenes between ‘Baby’ and Johnny – sensitively played out by the two leads – which, if Saturday night’s audience is anything to go by, are vociferously appreciated with whistles and whoops of delight.
The stage version does, in fact, include two songs that the filmmakers were unable to obtain – Save the Last Dance for Me by The Drifter’s and Marvin Gaye’s Stubborn Kinda Fella, both placed where originally intended.
Obviously Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are hard acts to follow but Richard Lawrence and Sarah Manton are worthy successors. Manton, in particular, displays just the right amount of vulnerability and her progression from gauche beginner to confident dance partner is a joy to behold.
As a matter of interest, both she and Jennifer Grey were videotaped at the start of their dance preparation so that after they had learned the routines, they could refer to them and recreate the mistakes.
Dirty Dancing is everything you’ve come to expect from the film. With its boundless energy and dynamic music, it’s as infectious as ever, so if you missed something the first time round (and with so much happening onstage it’s a distinct possibility), that’s all the excuse you need for seeing it again. Definitely a great night out.
Dirty Dancing by Eleanor Bergstein.
Director – James Powell.
Choreographer – Kate Champion.
Set Design – Stephen Brimson Lewis.
Music Supervisor – Conrad Helfrich.
Lighting Design – Tim Mitchell.
Sound Design – Bobby Aitken.
Video and Projection Design – Jon Driscoll.
Costume Design – Jennifer Irwin.
Ballroom and Latin Choreographer – Craig Wilson.
Music Director – Chris Newton.
Executive Producers – Kevin Jacobsen, Amber Jacobsen and Martyn Hayes.
CAST: Sarah Manton, Richard Lawrence, David Rintoul, Basienka Blake, Nadia Coote, John Conroy, Helen Grace, Simon Greiff, Jason Griffiths, Chris Holland, Richard Lloyd King, Olivier Lumley, Brian Saccente, Julia Sutton, Nigel Williams, David Erik, Shonagh Daly, Matthew Goodgame and Ian Banham.
Aldwych Theatre, Aldwych, WC2B 4DF.
Telephone: 0870 040 0046.
Editor’s note: Josef Brown, who normally plays Johnny, was on holiday at the time of this review (Saturday, October 27, 2007).