Hellooo! On Tuesday I went to see the Dirty Dancing UK Tour at Grimsby Auditorium! I like the film but didn't get to see the show on the last UK Tour so was very excited to see how the film would translate to the stage version! I was sat in seat D 22 in the stalls, which was £23 including a 50% Theatre Card Opening Night discount and had a perfect view! I also grabbed a VERY nice programme for £6 before seeing the show.
The stage production mostly stuck to the plot of the film, with a few extra scenes added in here and there. I really liked the way the dance montages featured in the film were presented in the stage adaptation and the choreography of the whole show matched the film. Oh and I loved that Dirty Dancing had its own personalised 'don't use your phones' introduction, rather than the standard one! I loved the lighting throughout the show and the sound was great throughout, though the drums in the final song were pretty loud. I'm not
sure I was sold on the projections during the show however, they were used at moments that were memorable from the film and I don't know how else they could have been replicated on stage. I loved the music throughout the show and I liked that the band were on stage during some scenes. I also really liked the effects used during the bonfire scene!
I LOVED Kira Malou's portrayal of Frances 'Baby' Houseman and her acting was spot on! She nailed the awkwardness of the character at the start of the show and I loved how she showed the development of Baby's dancing from start to finish. I also really liked Michael O'Reilly as Johnny Castle and the leading pair worked really well together and completed all the choreography (including the iconic lift) without a hitch! I loved Simone Covele's dancing in the role of Penny Johnson and I loved the dynamics between Lynden Edwards and Lori Haley Fox as Dr. Jake Houseman and Marjorie Houseman! Sian Gentle-Green played the role of Elizabeth and I LOVED her voice and her acting while singing the soundtrack. Colin Charles, Greg Fossard and Jack McKenzie were all perfectly suited to their roles of Tito Suarez, Neil Kellerman and Max Kellerman and I really liked all their performances, particularly Greg Fossard. I also really liked Alex
Wheeler's portrayal of Billy Kostecki and Lizzie Ottley's comedic performance as Lisa Houseman! Overall, the whole cast was great and performed the choreography perfectly throughout the show! I was also impressed with how the cast managed to stay focused no matter what the audience's reaction to the show was!
I loved seeing the UK Tour of Dirty Dancing and loved the cast! I was interested to see how the stage adaptation would compare to the film and it definitely didn't disappoint! All the iconic moments and lines from the film were in there and I loved the music throughout the show! I also loved how enthusiastic the audience were from start to finish!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
