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Have the time of your life
Dirty Dancing
Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
***** SO IT'S the summer of 1963, and at an
affluent vacation resort in the USA, the Kellermans are beginning their
holidays. It’s a time of change with Martin Luther King and the civil
rights movement heralding a new dawn for the nation. At the resort the idealistic daughter Frances
Kellerman meets Johnny Castle a handsome dance tutor with a heart of
gold. She falls under his spell and the sexy new dance crazes. It’s all
a stark contrast to her austere straight laced life and after a crash
course and the entering of a dance competition, romance blossoms between
them. The Dirty Dancing phenomena has grown from a 1978
low budget movie of the same name , starring the then relatively unknown
Patrick Swayze. To date the film
has grossed over 240 million dollars and in 2004 it was first performed
on stage at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, Australia. Like the film, the stage production has again
become a global success with a variety of TV spin offs and now this
highly successful UK national tour. In contrast to the era, the stage is very
contemporary, utilising high tech projection and with a clean open set
that keeps evolving . Yet more large scale front projection is used that
interacts with on stage effects to create some spectacular effects.
Of course it’s all about the dancing and Gareth
Bailey as Johnny Castle is outstanding in the role. With Claire Rogers
as Penny Johnson, Castles dancing friend, he was equally matched,
Together the pair create some breath-taking dance numbers that gave them
ample opportunity to show off their considerable talent.
Roseanna Frascona plays Frances the girl seduced
by the rhythm of the dance and the magic of Johnny and it’s hard to make
an impression against the glitz of the ensemble dance routines. However
when she dances with Johnny in the iconic final routine ending with the
lift that has become the classic image associated with the story, you
too feel genuinely uplifted. There is a fantastic supporting cast and the
vocals of Wayne Smith as Billy Kostecki and Colin Charles asTito Suarez
were very memorable. Another high point was the band and the sound
reproduction. Far too many touring musical companies skimp on their
budget and disappoint in what is often the most important part of the
show. In this tour however, under the musical direction of Richard
Weedon and excellent sound design by Simon King, you can tell from
opening seconds that no expense or expertise has been spared on the
quality of the sound. It’s clear that with the film becoming a romantic
classic over the years that the audience was mainly that of women, but
with the energy, sound and visual spectacle of this quality production
then gentlemen this tour definitely has legs, in more ways than one. To
11-10-14. Jeff Grant
24-09-14 Classy moves in the Catskills ***** PHEW! You will never see raunchy moves
like this on TV’s Strictly Come Dancing, but it’s ok in the theatre. The stage version of the hit film is electric,
packed with brilliant dancing to Kate Champion’s remarkable
choreography, and of course there is a love story too. Things get steamy in New York’s Catskill
Mountains with doctor’s daughter Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and the holiday
resort’s handsome dance instructor Johnny Castle, who is a magnet for
all the girls. Roseanna Frascona is totally convincing as
innocent 17-year-old Baby whose family holiday moves up a gear when she
stumbles into the staff quarters and spots the young people locked in
sensual all-night dancing. She is even more impressed by gyrating Johnny,
and although they are worlds apart, they become dangerously close as he
teaches her some of the stunning steps. Gareth Bailey is superb as Johnny, and how the
ladies in the audience love it when he strolls through the stalls to
join Baby and lifts her high above his head. In the words of the song,
‘The Time of My Life’. The sets are brilliant, particularly one where
the pair practice their moves in what appears to be a real lake. Dirty Dancing, close to a sell-out, runs to
11.10.14 Paul Marston
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