~by Dena Burroughs
DIRTY DANCING - THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE - Musical Review
Romance, the victory of a forbidden love, and sweating bodies dancing much-too-close made the film Dirty Dancing a monumental hit when it came out 22 years ago. “Oh man, I thought Patrick Swayze was like a dance god in that movie,” reminisces Rodney Aquino, today a Latin dance instructor. Two decades ago, young men loved that the underdog could win the heart of the rich girl, and young girls that imagined themselves “Baby” fell in love with the bad-boy, leather-clad, waist gyrating Swayze. Ever since, every new generation has been introduced to the story and sentences like “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” became part of popular culture.
Eleanor Bergstein wrote the movie script greatly based in her own experiences – her father was a doctor, her family vacationed in the Catskills, she loved Mambo dancing and even worked as an instructor at an Arthur Murray studio. The continued success of her film led to her re-imagining the tale for a stage version that became Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage and that is currently presenting at The Pantages Theatre, in Hollywood.
The stage version is two-and-a-half hours long, delivered in two parts separated by a 15-minute intermission. The first half is mostly faithful to the film, sometimes verbatim. The second half, while keeping a similar ending, adds a few songs and dialogues that Bergstein intended to add in the original film but was not then able.
The Pantages’ stage for this production is outstanding, truly reflecting the technological advancements of the past two decades. The effects created by the use of screens that slide in and out of the stage are in themselves reason enough to see the show.
The cast is likewise impressive. Josef Brown reprises his role as Johnny Castle after doing so for the Australia and London productions. Amanda Leigh Cobb, playing “Baby,” has an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama and has previously performed in Broadway. Britta Lazenga, the dancer whose legs seem to have no end, first performed her part as Penny in the Toronto production of Dirty Dancing and is a prior member of the Joffrey Ballet. Along with them 13 other members make up the main cast, which in turn belong to a company of more than 60 dancers, designers, producers, and others who are involved with the production.
Musicians playing the conga, trumpet, trombone and saxophone are seen sporadically on stage throughout the play, and there is a live version of the song De Todo Un Poco performed in Spanish, albeit with a strong English accent. The musicians are part of a larger orchestra directed by Martyn Axe.
The intricate choreography and impressive staging prepared for its 55 different musical numbers makes Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage an experience that at least at one point – as Johnny Castle walks through the entire orchestra section on his way to get Baby out of the infamous corner – makes you feel inside the Dirty Dancing fantasy. If you’re anything like me, you’ll go home feeling like you just had “The Time of Your Life.”
http://www.BroadwayLA.org / 800/982-ARTS(2787) / Pantages Box Offices opens daily at 10 am and all Ticketmaster centers/ Runs through June 28, 2009
