Dirty Dancing!
Last night, we went to the National Theatre for the North American tour launch of the musical based on the beloved film Dirty Dancing, and as the closing song says, I've had the time of my life.
The iconic 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey is the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman, who at a Catskills resort with her family, falls in love with its dance instructor, Johnny Castle. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story, with a couple hours of great music from the ‘60s, fantastic dancing, terrific singing, and a heart-warming romance about learning to stand up for what matters. Here, Baby (Jillian Mueller) learns to dance, bookended by Johnny (Samuel Pergande) and Penny (Jenny Winton).
Here’s Johnny and Penny in one of the rollicking early dance numbers, when Baby first sees him and can’t take her eyes off him. (But then, neither could we: Wow.) After the audience whooped and roared in a thunderous standing ovation, the screenwriter of the film and book writer for the play, Eleanor Bergstein, came on stage and received flowers from Baby. The show runs through Sept 14. It’s great fun; everyone loved it.
