I am a massive fan of Dirty Dancing so when I found out the stage show was touring, I just had to get myself a ticket. I was also quite intrigued as to how they would adapt the famous movie in to a successful and entertaining stage production.
So yesterday (Wednesday 8th April) me and my mum had a mother-daughter day and off we went to see the show in Liverpool and what a show it was!
This is not so much a musical but instead an exact recreation of the 1980s film; there’s plenty of dirty rock n roll dancing, those famous lines (Nobody puts Baby in a corner) and of course the hit-classic ‘The Time of My Life’. For Dirty Dancing fans, nothing gets much better than this.
For those of you who do not know the story (have you been living under a rock?!), Dirty Dancing is set in early 1960s America and revolves around Baby, a young and innocent woman who wants to change the world. She’s a daddy’s girl and could do nothing wrong in his eyes, that is of course until they go on a summer holiday and she meets the wild and edgy dance instructor, Johnny Castle, who shows her that life isn’t so perfect after all. This is very much a coming of age film and explores the loss of innocence along the way.
As soon as the curtain was raised, this was very much a feel good show; the music was blaring, everyone was dancing and the the atmosphere was uplifted. The whole cast had some incredible moves, particularly Claire Rogers who plays Penny. I developed complete dance envy watching the cast dance around as if it was the easiest thing to do ever.
But of course, the best part of the show was when Johnny comes storming on to the stage, throws his rucksack in the corner, marches up to Baby and says the lines that everyone has been waiting for; “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” I have never heard the audience in a theatre cheer so loud in my life. Then off they march to the talent contest stage and there they perform the all famous Dirty Dancing dance. And when they do the lift (you know the one) at the front centre stage the whole theatre came to life with screams, cheers and whistles. And the whole dance was flawless from start to finish.
Now in my eyes, nobody gets better than Patrick Swayze but Gareth Bailey had a pretty good go. The chemistry between him and Roseanna Frascona was brilliant and they really brought the character to life.
If you want a feel-good show for a girls night out, I highly recommend you book a ticket to Dirty Dancing while you still can. Dirty Dancing is touring at Liverpool Empire Theatre now until 25th April 2015.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Paradise Spice 