Dirty Dancing living up to its name at London's Aldwych Theatre

Photo David Scheinmann

Dirty Dancing

When: 29 Sep 2006 - 17 Oct 2009; not Sun

Where: Aldwych Theatre

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7.30pm; Mats Fri & Sat 3pm

Web site: Dirty Dancing Website

With its sixth booking period now open - running through to what will be the show's third birthday in the West End - Eleanor Bergstein's stage adaptation of the film Dirty Dancing continues its record-breaking run at the Aldwych Theatre.

The film was a smash hit in 1987 and its scriptwriter Eleanor Bergstein had long harboured the idea that it could work on stage. She found partners in Jacobsen Entertainment Australia Company and the show opened in Melbourne and then Sydney in 2005, with its record breaking run soon emulated on tour in New Zealand.

Now Europe gets the Dirty Dancing treatment - with the première in London as well as a tour of Germany and there can be little doubt that the show is Broadway bound, especially as the bookings for the Aldwych Theatre have broken West End records - selling out every seat through to May 2007 and netting £18 million at the box office.

Charting an earth-shattering (well, at least toe-tapping) holiday romance, Dirty Dancing - its official subtitle is "The Classic Story on Stage" - sees doctor's daughter Frances "Baby" Houseman break away from her family at Kellerman's, a popular resort in the Catskill Mountains. She meets dancing instructor Johnny, a man from the wrong side of the tracks. Oh! But what moves he shows her! And the musical follows the ups and downs of that summer in 1963.

Bergstein sought out hits of the era for the film's soundtrack and the score to the show includes a number of additional songs for which the film's producers weren't able to clear the rights. Thus, for the first time, Save the Last Dance for Me and Stubborn Kinda Fella joins the likes of Do you Love me, (I'll remember) In the Still of the Night, Hungry Eyes and the Academy Award-winning Time of my Life.

The director for London is James Powell with choreography by Kate Champion and the current cast includes David Rintoul (Jake Houseman), Basienka Blake (Vivian), John Conroy (Mr Schumacher), Olivia Lumley (Lisa Houseman), Nadia Coote (Penny), Simon Greiff (Neil Kellerman), Jason Griffiths (Moe Pressman), Richard Lloyd King (Tito Suarez), Chris Holland (Billy), Richard Lawrence (Robbie), Helen Grace(Marjorie Houseman), Brian Saccente (Stan), Julia Sutton (Mrs Schumacher), and Nigel Williams (Max Kellerman).

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