Reviewed by Sasha Nye
The Theatre Royal in Brighton is probably one of my favourite theatres to go to. I love how traditional it is; the ambience, the decor. Even with its traditional appearance it fits in really well in the unique and Diverse Brighton. It really puts you in the right mood for whatever show you are going to see. The staff are always very polite, friendly, extremely well presented and on hand to help with any query that you may have. A bonus is that it’s minutes walk from car parks and local transport.
Dirty Dancing is one of the most iconic films and personally my favourite film to come out of the 1980’s. With its Grammy award winning soundtrack which generated two multi-platinum albums and some of the best loved singles of all time like ‘I’ve had the time of my life‘ this film is still as popular as it was when it was originally released 30+ years ago.
It is set in the summer of 1963 where 17-year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is vacationing in the Catskill mountains with her family. On this vacation Baby meets the mysterious and brooding Johnny Castle who makes her question everything she currently believes in, her future plans, family values, right from wrong and class divides.
What unfolds is an epic romance and love story. The lead roles were originally played by Jennifer Grey (Baby) and Patrick Swayze (Johnny Castle). I think it is safe to say that this film is undoubtedly one of Patrick Swayze’s most famous roles and many women across the world fell in love with Johnny Castle. When I asked some of my friends if they wanted to come with me to see the stage production they were either reluctant or declined because they couldn’t see anyone else playing the part of Johnny Castle other than Patrick Swayze. In their opinion whoever jumped in to those shoes had a lot to live up to and I have to say I agreed! However, considering this was Michael O’Reilly’s professional debut I think he did a tremendous job playing the part of Johnny Castle. He brought confidence, arrogance, broodiness and the well-known sex appeal that we all think about when Johnny Castle comes to mind. It was plain to see by his performance that he was invested and committed to the role and he was very confident in the more intimate and vulnerable scenes. Michael is also a phenomenal dancer. The chemistry between Michael and Kira Malou (Frances ‘Baby‘ Houseman) was believable and authentic and you were drawn in to their love story.
I enjoyed this show immensely. The set was really cleverly put together and the supporting cast were extremely talented. I also loved how they stayed true to the film with the amazing soundtrack and included some of the more iconic scenes and quotes from the film, like the lake and log scene to the famous bum flashing scene without taking itself too seriously. This brought an element of fun to the show! The stand out performances for me were of course Michael O’Reilly as Johnny Castle but also the vocal talents of Sian Gentle-Green (Elizabeth), Alex Wheeler (Billy Kostecki) and Colin Charles (Tito Suarez).
All in all a great production, fabulous set design, talented cast with great music. A brilliant tribute to an amazing film. A must see for any Dirty Dancing fan. Go and have the time of your life…
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £21.90 to £74.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Dirty Dancing is at the Theatre Royal in Brighton from 24-29 September 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/brighton or call the box office on 0844 871 7650.
Theatre Royal, New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1SD | 0844 871 7650
