Dirty Dancing, Alhambra Theatre Bradford Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jenny Bray
Surely anyone that hasn’t heard of or watched Dirty Dancing must have been living under a rock for the last 30 years or so or ummm… be very young. I can’t believe the much loved film first came out in 1987!! The musical version has been around since 2004, when it opened in Australia. It opened in the UK in 2006, when it became the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history!
The story follows the same plot as the film, including various now famous dance moves. It’s all about ‘Baby’ Houseman (Kira Malou) and Johnny (Michael O’Reilly) and Baby’s coming of age during 1963 while away with her parents and older sister at Kellerman’s, a somewhat stuffy family holiday resort of the time for the well off. It has the romance as well as the darker abortion story line, meaning it is recommended for an audience of 12 and over.
This isn’t a true musical where most of the plot is sung. It has kept to the main parts often being spoken, with various songs sung by the supporting actors. it includes all the well known songs, including; Do You Love Me?, Hungry Eyes, Hey! Baby, Do You Love Me?, In the Still of the Night and (I’ve Had) The Time of my Life.
The choreography has to be mentioned as being amazing. The synchronization of dances and the recreation of the classic dancing, from that in the workers clubhouse to the main dances and lifts were effectively modified to fit the stage. The lake scenes were very artistically done and incorporated really well.
Michael O’Reilly emanated the Patrick Swayze look and mannerisms, with floppy dark hair and first appearing with sunglasses and a black leather jacket. The chemistry between him and Kira Malou as Baby was obvious on stage and added to the magic of the show. There were several wolf whistles and cheers during the scenes where he took his top off to reveal his toned upper body!
Georgia Aspinall was note worthy as Penny, oozing sexy dance moves. Her interactions with Baby, when first learning the moves for the dance she agrees to cover, were a really effective contrast of flowing, sexy confident moves versus really wooden moves from Baby who is just learning the dance.
There’s always a slight risk when converting such a well known film to a musical, but this musical keeps all the essentials of the film. The cast are all similar heights and builds to the original film actors and even have wigs to match the original actors if their hair didn’t match. This makes it even easier to follow as being really similar to the film.
For the final scene, the audience becomes the real audience for the Kellerman’s closing show, immersing us in the show in a way the film could never have done. Daisy Steere does a perfectly awful rendition of the Hula, both singing pitch and dance moves. However, as was to be expected, there was raucous cheering when Johnny appeared and then to the words, ‘nobody puts Baby in a corner’ and the amazing final dance.
The Alhambra is fairly central to Bradford and easy to find as it is well signposted. We parked for just £1 (all evening after 6pm) in the car park behind the National Science and Media Museum just down the road. There are currently roadworks all around the theatre area so allow a little more time for parking and reaching the theatre.
The stage setting had a full lake projection for the majority of scenes, although some other curtains came down for other settings like the night sky. There were various props wheeled on and off including tables and chairs for the dining room, the bridge outside by the lake, beds, fridges and other furniture to ensure we always knew where the scene was being held. The outfits were similar to those in the film with the resort guests wearing upmarket clothes including ballgowns and suits for evening events and the ‘underclass’ supporting resort workers wearing much raunchier wear.
If you’re a fan of the film you won’t be disappointed by the stage musical. It’s tried to keep as true to the film as possible. Despite the slightly dark story among the forbidden romance, it’s still a mainly light hearted and upbeat story that also encompasses class divide issues and moral issues around right and wrong and honesty. The cast were bursting with energy and really looked like they were all enjoying the dancing. Everyone left with big smiles on their faces, discussing it positively, swooning over Michael O’Reilly and/or singing some of the songs.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £24 to £64.50 (inclusive of booking fee)
Dirty Dancing is on at Bradford Alhambra between 10th and 14th October 2023.
For more information or to book tickets visit www.bradford-theatres.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01274 432000
Bradford Theatres, The Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street, Bradford, BD7 1AJ
For further tour dates please visit; https://dirtydancingonstage.co.uk/uk-and-ireland/tour-dates