Dirty Dancing: Theatre Royal Plymouth, 24th January 2013

The classic story of the iconic film Dirty Dancing has been brought to the stage in its first ever UK national tour. The tale of a naive, sheltered girl who goes to a holiday camp with her family and makes a voyage of self-discovery; finding love with an older, more experienced guy from the 'wrong side of the tracks' along the way, set against a backdrop of political climate change in 1960's America.

Jill Winternitz as Baby and Paul-Michael Jones
as Johnny. Photo credit: Alastair Muir.

The set of this show is impressive: large video screens to the rear and sides of the stage effectively display appropriate scenery and backdrop- whether that of rolling countryside, woodland or even the infamous lake where Baby & Johnny practise that lift.

The cast as a whole carry along the story that most people know and love, in mostly the same vein as what is to be expected. Unfortunately throughout the whole show, except for during the very final number ((I've had) The Time of My Life), a great deal of passion, and any real signs of emotion are missing.

The dancing, whilst passable, and fairly enjoyable when the cast are en masse, is technically, pretty basic-looking, bar the odd well-choreographed lift. Body lines and frames are loose and sloppy with footwork and arm/leg movements that mainly lack conviction and definition.

Paul-Michael Jones as Johnny Castle certainly does have excellent dance ability, however onstage he generally seems to lack the suave charm and animal magnetism of Johnny as portrayed in the film by the late Patrick Swayze, and together with Jill Winternitz's Baby seeming extremely young and childlike, as opposed to a naive, young woman, there is sadly little onstage chemistry visible between them, or audience rapport with those characters. Nicky Griffiths is unfortunately similarly unengaging as Johnny's friend and lead dancer at Kellerman's, Penny. Her dancing appears dull and non-committal, even when partnering skilled Jones. Her character delivery is mostly flat, and as such one can not empathise with her character's plight or general storyline at any stage of the performance as a result.

Stand-out performances are from Emilia Williams as Baby's sometimes overlooked sister, Lisa Houseman, Wayne Smith as Johnny's sidekick Billy Kostecki and Colin Charles as complex owner Max Kellerman's right hand man and in-house entertainment lead, fine-voiced Tito Suarez. All three have excellent singing voices and are fully convincing in their character portrayal: a real joy to watch. Together, with a rousing, engaging and uplifting familiar soundtrack provided by a superb onstage band, they lift the whole show, and make it the enjoyable watch that it, despite a few misgivings, surely is.

Those expecting to see a carbon-copy of the well-known 1980's film, may be a little disappointed, as with numerous extra scenes and slightly dodgy character-accents, a lot of the original magic is lost. However this is over-all, a very enjoyable, entertaining show, with a pleasant narrative, good dancing, welcome classic songs (Hungry Eyes, Do You Love Me et al), and warm characters that have you rooting for their happiness. Dirty Dancing on stage is certainly worth a watch, and it is a fun, pleasing, great night out.

Writer: Eleanor Bergstein

Director: Sarah Tipple
Choreographer: Kate Champion
Set Design: Stephen Brimson Lewis


Please visit Theatre Royal Plymouth or Dirty Dancing on tour Official Website for more information






Review originally written for The Public Reviews