Dirty Dancing by Eleanor Bergstein. Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, London to 29 April 2023 and then back on tour. 2**. William Russell.
This show was at the Dominion last year with the same leads as Baby Houseman (Kira Malou) and Johnny Castle (Michael O'Reilly). Audiences loved it then as audiences have done ever since it first hit the stage - they wait for the great moment when Johnny, the resident dance instructor at Kellerman's summer resort, lifts Baby up in the air while while dancing and for the Oscar winning tune The Time of My Life from the film on which the show is loosely based to thunder out at the end. Boy do they leap to their feet and cheer.. They also cheer when the well endowed Mr O'Reilly takes his shirt off although unlike last year they were denied a quick flash of his bare bottom after he gets out of bed with Baby. This time round they both wear their underwear and we get a lingering full frontal from Johnny instead. Otherwise the show is much the same. Cheap sets, energetic dancers, a story line that isn't worth bothering about and everything showing signs of wear and tear. At the end of this run they are back on the road. Maybe way when it was first staged in 2006 it deserved to run but the years have not been kind to and it always was a cut price version of the 1987 Patrick Swayze movie. The leads are not the only members of the cast still going through the motions. If this sort of show is your bag then you may very well have the time of your life and, to be fair, the ensemble dancers do dirty dancing very well, the scene changes are smooth, the band thumps out the songs effectively, Kira Malou makes a sweet Baby and Michael O'Reilly gyrates like crazy when dancing - he has a terrific pelvis . It is what it is.
Baby: Kira Malou.
Johnny: Michael O'reilly.
Dr Jake Houseman: Lynton Edwards.
Marjorie Houseman: Jackie Morrison.
Lisa Houseman: Georgina Castle.
Tito Suarez: Colin Charles.
Biully Kostecki: Billy Kostecki.
Max Kellerman: Michael Remick.
Neil Kellerman: Alastair Crosswell.
Director & Set Design: Federico Bellone.
Choreographer: Austinn Wilks.
Sound Designer: Chris Whybrow.
Lighting Designer: Valerio Tiberi.
Musical Director: Richard John.
Costume Design: Jennifer Irwin.
Production Photographs: Mark Senior.
