[yasr_overall_rating]
It’s the summer of 1963, and 17 year- old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing.
From around the age of 9 to about 12, my friends and I were absolutely obsessed with “Dirty Dancing,” which was probably brought on by the non-stop playing of it on basic cable channels every summer all summer long. All we wanted to wear were white Keds and blue jean capris. None of us caught on to any of the underlining dramas of abortion or class distinction but naturally clung to the good girl falls for bad boy storyline. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey were perfection in fulfilling these simple roles and it seems near impossible to shake their performances out of your head, performances that have been so heavily ingrained into your very being for years. Needless to say I was curious how a stage play of “Dirty Dancing” would work.
The play is nearly a word for word recreation of the original film. I don’t know why this surprised me but it did. I suppose I expected it to deviate from the film a bit so it could come into its own. This not necessarily a bad thing as the film is a classic with a strong fan base, there’s no need to fix what has made it the charming classic it has become. The only difference is that the play highlights the underlining civil rights issues more with an inclusion of a mashup/rendition of “We Shall Overcome & This Land is Your Land.”
The acting is a bit hit and miss while the dancing is always superb. Gillian Abbott as Frances “Baby” Houseman says all the right things but with such an affected tone that it comes off irritatingly kitschy while Samuel Pergande as Johnny Castle comes off as a huffy dance teacher, angry and sour, and unsatisfied. The chemistry between them is lacking, and they just go through the motions. The rest of the cast/ensemble is fantastic and fits perfectly into place. Jennlee Shallow in particular floored me with the song “You Don’t Own Me” and her pairing with Doug Carpenter on “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life.”
I had only one severe issue, to me one of the most important and iconic lines of the production fell flat. The line was hushed and rushed and I was ready to riot. But I quickly forgave the near unforgivable sin because the end was truly fantastic. It was full of energy and success; you could feel a cloud of nostalgic giddiness wash over the audience. Eleanor Bergstein’s “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” is pure fun and great for fans and newcomers alike.
Now playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park thru Sunday, July 5th
