Dirty Dancing

[MusicalDork]

Like many folks on here, I would like to see some new original musicals hit Broadway (not based on a movie, etc.).

But with that said, I did love the movie Dirty Dancing, and was wondering did Dirty Dancing The Musical ever make it to Broadway? The London original run seemed to be a huge hit, and it's back for a limited engagement on the West End. Everything I can find online showed it did three cities in the US, preparing for a Broadway run (one article stated it was headed for the Neil Simon) but I've never found anything about a true run.

[AEA AGMA SM]

It had a tour here in the U.S. that ended up closing early, leaving a number of cities looking for last minute replacements to fill a sudden unexpected hole in their season line up. The odds of something that couldn't stay open on the road actually making it to Broadway are pretty slim to nonexistent.

[dramamama611]

A great source for easy questions like this: ibdb.com (Internet Broadway DataBase).

[Skywalker3]

It's not a musical! It's a boring piece of mess.. Just watch the movie, its exactly the same!

[david_fick]

It's less a musical than it is a play with a live soundtrack. Someone once said to me that the stage show has the depth of a teaspoon. That about sums it up.


BWW Reviews: DIRTY DANCING Not Quite the Time of Your Life

[ajh]

I saw this in the West End and it bored the living sh*t out of me. I think the film's great but there's no honest theatricality or any moment during the live show where you went "So THAT's why they turned this into a stage musical". I doubt it would last 5 minutes on Broadway.

[bwayphreak234]

I caught this tonight. It was a mess to say the least. I can't see this going near Broadway anytime soon.

There is pretty much no physical set to speak of. Projections and LED screens use images that look like the came directly from The Sims 3, desktop wallpapers, and clipart. There is a rotating platform that is overused, and two sliding LED screens that make up the various locales. The projections for the scene in the water and the car ride are laughable.

The acting left a lot to be desired, and there was pretty much zero chemistry between the two leads. As one can possibly imagine, this is a problem with this storyline. The three singers that did all of the singing were absolutely great. They all had deep and rich voices that were a pleasure to listen to. As stated earlier in this thread, this is like a play with a live soundtrack, and the lead singers are definitely up for the challenge.

There really isn't much else to say about this. It was a cheesy adaptation of the film. It was better than current national tour of Flashdance, but not by much.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

So glad I found this thread, because I also found the show to be a big lumbering bore...
Review Right Here!

[RippedMan]

Where did it cancel? It looks like it's going out next season so....

[JohnyBroadway]

I saw the show this past January and while the cast and choreography are fantastic! The show didn't really take off until the finale. I'd love to see what a seasoned musical theatre writing team could do with it.

[Mr. Nowack]

It's coming through Pittsburgh randomly in April. I have no intentions of seeing it though (not even very fond of the film).

[ajh]

Saw it in London's West End and it was tedious and mediocre...the laziest and most unimaginative screen-to-stage adaptation I've seen, it had no theatrical life of its own. The audience dozed through most of it then went nuts at the finale. It depressed me.

[Call_me_jorge]

Patrick swayze musicals don't work because patrick swayze isn't in them and he can't be in them, because patrick swayze is dead. Although ghost was decent, but when I saw this in chicago I hated it, but my mom loved it for some a apparent reason. I wouldn't even qualify it as a musical or play. Its a dance show, kind of like contact, but terrible.

[JoseLee_]

Man, this sounds so bad. I have to see it cause it's part of my season next year. Hopefully It'll entertain me. People hated Ghost and I loved it, so who knows.

[bwayphreak234]

Ghost is far superior to Dirty Dancing. Dirty Dancing is entertaining at some points, but there are definitely way too many boring moments.

[JoseLee_]

I always try to see the movie but I've never seen it completely because I find it so boring. And I don't find the leads attractive. And when I saw the last part (the part everyone talks about) I was like.. "That's it?"

[RaisedOnMusicals]

I saw the "musical" in Chicago. It was, in a word, terrible. It was also horribly miscast, especially in the Patrick Swayze role.

[ArtMan]

Just horrible. The only savings grace were the singers, who were more showcased in Act 2. Just cheap, poor acting. The dancing was okay. If you get a really cheap ticket or free, then go. If you love the movie, then go. Other than that, skip it.

[ACL2006]

I really don't know why they continue to send this and Flashdance back out on the road. They're both terrible and are likely losing a ton of money.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Dirty Dancing makes Flashdance look like West Side Story.

[Famebroadway2]

Did anyone see this in Philadelphia this past week?

[hi127]

" I really don't know why they continue to send this and Flashdance back out on the road. They're both terrible and are likely losing a ton of money. "

If they are still on the road and will be next year as well, they are definitely not loosing money

[rcwr]

I have tix to see this in May in Boston and am glad for this thread so I know what to expect! I'll look forward to the dancing and good singing, and not to the acting or overall quality as a musical.

I'm curious, do they keep the whole abortion plotline the way it is in the film?

[ArtMan]

I don't remember how explicit the abortion scenes were in the film, but the plotline is in the musical.

[rcwr]

Thanks, ArtMan. I'm glad to hear they keep that plotline. I'll be curious to see if they keep the same political angle that the movie has.