By Mary Brassard
Dirty Dancing was a movie from 1987 that become an instant cult classic. If you haven’t seen it, I’m shocked and saddened for you. It’s a fun, sexy coming-of-age story, framed by spectacular ballroom dance scenes. Baby, played by Jennifer Gray, is a young, socially-idealistic, innocent girl who finds love, a newfound interest and skill for dancing, and more on a family summer vacation to Kellermans, a sweet 1960s Catskills resort. Patrick Swayze in his prime plays Baby’s love interest and dance instructor, Johnny. Dirty Dancing, the musical version, is brought to Salt Lake as part Broadway at the Eccles Theater and it is fantastic. The onstage musical version does not veer too far from the movie and in fact, the book for the musical was written by the writer of the film Eleanor Bergstein. From music to choreography, costumes and dialogue, the onstage production of Dirty Dancing is very true to the movie. Which I love.
There is no overture. The lights in the Eccles Theater dim, there’s a twinkle light ceiling above you, and then—bam! The percussion of the music starts at a perfectly loud and exciting. And on the stage, a giant shadow silhouette of two people slowly and sensually dancing to the music. You could feel the excitement rumble through the crowd. I was basically already won over at this point. The young ingenue, Baby, enters the stage, admiring the dancers, and begins to tell her story. “It’s the summer of 1961, before Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, and when I never thought I’d find a guy greater than my dad.” From there, the story takes off.
The film wasn’t a musical, and I love the way they’ve 
adapted Dirty Dancing the musical into one. The lead characters never sing. The songs are either recorded versions of the original songs (example, “Cry to Me”, “Solomon Burke”) or they are sung by one of two singers, who are also minor characters. Virtually all the singing is left two these two, Chante Carmel and Jordan Edwin Andre, billed as their character names, Elizabeth/singer and Billy Kosteci/singer. I love this format. It is the perfect show to use this unconventional style (by Broadway standards anyway), for the following reasons. First, this is a very dance heavy show, and I feel like this benefited casting, as they were able to cast true, trained dancers, without having to worry about voice. And second, it kept the characters very true to their movie versions, and gave a chance for the singers to really shine.
The female singer, Chante Carmel, was superb. I would have to say the stand out of the two. Every time she sang, it was powerful and stunning. A rich, soulful voice. Jordan Edwin Andre was good as well. He especially shined in “In the Still of the Night.” He hit a powerful note at the end of the number that really had the audience cheering.
I can’t say enough about Dirty Dancing’s amazing casting. I feel like they really nailed the characters. Bronwyn Reed as Baby was everything I hoped she’d be. She appeared to be young, had a fresh, innocent speaking voice. My favorite thing about her, and I imagine this would be difficult for a trained dancer, was her transition from bad dancing to good. Her “bad dancing” was both funny and convincing. I think a real triumph, as it would be easy to overdo the “bad dancing” for laughs, and make it unbelievable. Christopher Tierney as Johnny was also everything I’d hoped for, as well. He was handsome, of course, and a spectacular dancer, but where he really excelled for me was his speaking voice. Johnny is a quintessential man, who shows Baby things about the world she never knew—an Awakening if you will. Tiernry has a perfectly deep, commanding, clear, sexy speaking voice. It was seriously so perfect, I was wondering if they had manufactured it in a studio with clips of Patrick Swayze’s voice, and a few differences to pull the wool over our eyes, and then had Tierney mouth the words. Ok, I didn’t really consider this as a possibility, but the point is, his deep velvety voice hit just the right tones, and all the right inflections, and it was spot on. It was similar, yet unique enough to the movie that I felt nostalgic but also like I was hearing the lines for the first time. Jennifer Mealani Jones as Penny, Johnny’s dance partner, is amazing. I didn’t know legs could be so long and graceful; she was perfectly cast. The character of Penny goes through a very intense emotional journey and Jones played those moments with sincerity and precision. Jon Edward Powell and Hannah Jane McMurray as Baby’s parents were also fantastic. They showed a maturity and softness in their performances, the script really expands these two characters very well. The mother character is much more developed. I really believed their intricate relationship as husband and wife. They have a great moment at the end of the show that is not in the movie and I don’t want to spoil it, but it made me want to stand up and cheer.
Matthew Amira as Robby, the egotistical waiter and villain of the piece, was appropriately disgusting. Matt Surges portrayed Neil, soon-to-be-manager of the resort, and pursuer of Baby’s affections. Surges gave us a slimy manager who was also a real person. Gary Lynch as Max Kellerman, the resort owner, was charming and also commanding when giving orders to employees. He also had fun moments original to the musical that really endeared me to the character. Leaving the show, I was just filled with appreciation for each cast member. No one fell short of what I was hoping for.
The choreography by Michele Lynch was visually stunning. Many of the dances were nearly identical to the movie, the final show-stopping number for example. Some were perfect blends of movie and new. For example, the dance training montage (yes, this is a Broadway show with a montage) featured moments from the movie and fun new stuff. I loved Baby’s moves on the bridge as she learned to contort her body more and more alluringly. And some was brand new, and added visual interest in smaller scenes. One I really liked was a chorus of resort guests in white chiffon dresses learning the mambo, behind a quick mash up of scenes setting up one of the major conflicts. I would go to this show again, just to see the dance numbers again!
The tech in this show has to be mentioned. I have seen small community shows all the way up to Broadway hits in New York, and one thing is certain. Great tech is hard to do perfectly. Dirty Dancing is a music heavy show, and they hit all the levels perfectly. I was never straining to hear dialogue over the music. Not once. And the music was loud, and got your heart pumping, without crossing the line into ear throbbing. The bass was strong, and it made me want to dance along. The costumes were perfect 60s and a great blend of movie costumes and originals.
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It should be said that this is a sexy show, maybe not right for a lot of kids. There are sexual themes and one brief moment of simulated sex. So, consider carefully about if this is the right show to bring your kids to. But aside from that, I would recommend this show to anyone.
I am a lover of the movie, and for me, this production was the perfect expanded version with everything you love from the movie, plus more, and excellent expansion of the characters. I brought my mom with me, and while she claims to have seen the movie, she seriously asked me if “nobody puts Baby in the corner” was a line from the movie, or a new line. So, I think we can classify her as someone who is not very familiar with the movie, and she loved the show. The Eccles Theater is a beautiful new venue, bringing us quality entertainment. The tickets aren’t cheap, but worth it. Call the box office NOW and get your tickets before this short run is over.
Broadway at the Eccles presents Dirty Dancing
Delta Hall at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main Street, SLC, UT 84111
June 20- 25, times vary depending on the day
Contact: 385-468-1030, events@artsaltlake.org
Tickets: $35-$105.00
Broadway at the Eccles Facebook Page
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