UK: London gives thumbs up to record-breaking stage adaptation of 'Dirty Dancing'

It's been a record-breaking success in Australia and now the stage adaptation of the 1987 dance-hit 'Dirty Dancing' has made its way onto the London stage. Dirty Dancing premiered at the West End's Aldwych Theatre on Tuesday (October 24) to thumbs-up of the audience. "Fantastic, brilliant, really good." "Brilliant, really really , really good. A good laugh." "Absolutely spectacular, everyone really enjoyed it." were only some of the reactions from the show's first audience. It's not entirely surprising to hear such excellent reactions. More than 240,000 tickets were sold in pre-show sales for the London stage version and so producers installed an extra 25 seats to allow an additional 1000 tickets to go on sale before the show's official premiere. The original film, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, followed a teenage girl who falls in love with a dance instructor during a family holiday. The soundtrack to the hit film sold 41 million copies. Screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein adapted her own script for the stage show. When asked why she thought Dirty Dancing was so successful, she said: "I think maybe it connects with the secret dancer inside people and the idea that dancing can transform their lives and gives them that connection. That's what I suspect." British actress Georgina Rich plays Frances "Baby" Houseman opposite Josef Brown, as Johnny Castle. Rich made her West End debut opposite Diana Rigg earlier this year but is virtually unknown. But casting virtually unknown performers does not seem to hinder the show's success, similar to the film which starred an almost unknown Patrick Swayze. The show is currently booked up already until beginning of next year.

ITN Source | October 26, 2006

Tags:. .west. .uk. .such. .inside. .version