Review: DIRTY DANCING at The National Theatre

I wouldn't say that I had the time of my life attending the national tour of Dirty Dancing, but I certainly enjoyed myself, and I expect most people will as well. The show is an adaptation of the...classic?...iconic?...these terms are so frequently misused...let's go with much-loved 1987 film starring  the late Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein penned this script as well. While the film is remembered for its kinetic dance sequences and Swayze saying "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" (and yes, that line is in the show-there was much cheering and applause when it was spoken) it also contains serious social themes, which are present in this production as well.

In August of 1963, sheltered Jewish teenager Frances "Baby" Houseman (Annalese Starzec) arrives at the Catskills resort Kellerman's with her father Jake (Bryan Fenkart), a successful doctor, mother Marjorie (Gina Lamparella) and her more worldly older sister Lisa (Lily Kren). Kellerman's, owned by Jake's friend Max (Loren Lester) is a fictional amalgam of the various Borscht Belt establishments of this era which catered to affluent Jewish families, who would visit to swim, take golf and tennis lessons, dance, and seek out suitable romantic prospects for their daughters. On that last note, Kellerman has exclusively hired Jewish male students at top-tier schools as the resort's waiters and encouraged them to spend time with guests' daughters.

Baby is a recent high school graduate who plans to begin class at Mt. Holyoke that fall and  hopes to enter the Peace Corps. Her benevolent but naive worldview is disrupted when she partakes of the fruit of forbidden knowledge, specifically the watermelons which she helps Billy Kostecki (Ethan Peterson) carry to the staff quarters one night where she witnesses Billy's cousin Johnny Castle (Blake Zeleskinar in the role originated by Swayze) and other staff engaging in the titular activity. Eschewing the rumba, foxtrot, and other dance styles in which Johnny instructs guests by day, at night, they bump and grind sensously to "Do You Love Me?" and other tracks.

Baby becomes acquainted with Johnny and his partner Penny Johnson (Olivia Cece) and soon learns that the latter is pregnant by Robbie Gould, one of Kellerman's Ivy League waiters, who refuses to accept responsibility. (and who has designs on Lisa) Eager to help, Baby borrows $250 from Jake to pay for an abortion and, so that Johnny and Penny do not miss a vital paycheck, agrees to be quickly instructed by Johnny so that she may fill in for Penny at a mamba perfomance at a neighboring resort.  She and Johnny grow close-physically and emotionally-during the rehearsal process. When the illicit abortion causes complications for Penny, Baby is forced to confess to Jake, leading to a falling out between them.

Because of a decision made four years ago in a building about two and a half miles away from The National Theatre, the theme of reproductive autonomy and access to medical care is, once again, sadly relevant in the America The sexual awakening of Baby (the nickname really is just a bit too on-the-nose, isn't it) is mirrored by the social upheaval in the country at the time. Several of the Kellerman's staff plan to leave for Mississippi to join the Freedom Riders, activists who challenged the non-enforcement of federally-mandated intigration. At one point, characters gather around a radio to listen to coverage of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. An excerpt from Martin Luther King's speech is heard (I bet you can guess which one.) Discussions are held of voting rights (another sadly once again exigent issue) Class consciousness is another theme of the piece. Though liberal-minded, kind, and intelligent, Jake immediately suspects and accuses Johnny of being the malfactor in Penny's travails, and of being responsible for thefts at the resort, never suspecting that any of his upper-crust peers or the collegiate staff could be responsible.

Starzec imbues Baby with kindness, excitement and curiosity, even as the production does hold her, and the other characters at a bit of distance. On the whole, no one in the cast is bad, and they perform creditably but none of the characters truly resonate with the audience. Some plot points and subplots seem a bit too rushed and extraneous. The emphasis on this production was clearly on spectacle-perhaps to be expected in a show with "Dancing" in the title.  But it is quite a spectacle indeed. Dance captain Emma Jade Branson (Starzec's understudy) and fight captain Fisher Lane Stewart (also a member of the ensemble cast) have created energetic and absorbing set pieces. Director Lonny Price keeps everything moving at a lively pace-even if we do occasionally wish we could slow down and get to know the characters better.

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