Theatre

Dirty Dancing – Blackpool Opera House Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Catherine Joyce

Dirty Dancing was one of the most popular films in the late 1980’s and is one of those films that you can watch over and over again and never get tired of.  Packed full of hit songs it’s no surprise that it is now a popular stage show and following a season at London’s Dominion Theatre the show is now touring the country and we went to see it at the world famous Blackpool Opera House last night.

Dirty Dancing is a classic “coming of age“ tale and is about Frances “Baby” Houseman (Kira Malou) who is spending the summer of 1963 with her parents and sister at Kellerman’s, a resort in the Catskill mountains.  She quickly falls for the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Michael O’Reilly) and soon learns a lot more than just dancing!!  I loved the film and was really pleased that the stage show follows the original storyline very closely.  As well as having the fantastic soundtrack from the original film it recreates all the important scenes – even the infamous lift scene in the river!  The music and dancing are simply fantastic and as the story comes alive you can’t help but tap your feet and wish that you were up there on the stage dancing with Johnny!

Kira looked incredibly like Jennifer Grey (who played baby in the film) and all the ladies in the audience certainly appreciated the casting of Michael as Johnny, Patrick Swayze is a very hard act to follow but with plenty of wolf whistles and cheers whenever he took his shirt off, I think Michael pulled it off!  Another highlight of the show is the very talented Georgia Aspinall who plays Johnny’s dance partner Penny, she is a sensational dancer and truly amazing to watch.  All the dancing was incredibly well choreographed by Austin Wilks with all the dancers’ timing perfect throughout the whole show..

The music is brilliant, all the songs from the film are in the stage show including my favourites, (I’ve Had) The Time of my Life, and Hungry Eyes.  It was also nice to see the musicians on the stage playing a role in the production too rather than being hidden behind the scenes.

This production uses a simple set, a projected backdrop of a lake sets the scene of Kellerman’s and is also used for the most famous scene of the film where Johnny and Baby practice their lift.  Simple changes with the set mark the locations around the holiday park from the central ballroom to the Houseman’s chalet or Johnny’s room.

This is such a lively, energetic and feel-good show and before we knew it Johnny was saying the famous line “Nobody puts Baby in the corner!” and we were at the finale with the whole cast on the stage dancing to (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.

Dirty Dancing is at Blackpool Opera House until Saturday the 7th October and judging from the number of people at the theatre last night it is proving very popular so I would recommend that you book your tickets now.  This is an amazing show and well worth a trip to Blackpool to see it.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £20.75
For more information or to book tickets visit https://store.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/webshop/webticket/eventlist?production=167 or call the box office on 0844 770 0593                    https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/events/dirty-dancing

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