BWW Reviews: DIRTY DANCING, Wolverhampton Grand, September 24 2014

Dirty Dancing is iconic. An immeasurable amount of people have seen the 1987 film and adapting it for a stage show was a very clever move by the producers. The last time I saw this production was at Birmingham Hippodrome in 2012 so I was interested to see it again in a different venue. This is its second UK and Ireland tour and last night's sell out performance at the Wolverhampton Grand shows that the allure is still there.

The show originally opened at the Theatre Royal in Sydney in 2004 before enjoying success in Germany and then finally coming to London's West End in 2006 where it broke many box office records.

The book is almost wholly taken directly from the film script which is what the audience members expect and is where it greatly succeeds. Some additional text is added which makes sense for the story but loses the audience focus a little. Stephen Brimson Lewis' set design is excellent and all the stage space is used to its full potential. The 6 metre revolve allows smooth transitions between scenes along with the automated fly pieces. There are some lovely creative moments such as the log and lake scenes which are pleasingly assisted by projection. The LED screens upstage and lining the wings are also very valuable with aiding location and the design by Jon Driscoll is excellent. Tim Mitchell's lighting is as effective as I remember it being so all three elements work well together.

The quality and delivery of choreography by Kate Champion and Craig Wilson is first class and there are high energy levels throughout. These routines along with the live band on a platform upstage are a treat to watch. The band are amplified quite high but Bobby Aitken's sound design along with the live mixing is spot on.

Roseanna Frascona as Baby Houseman is exceptional. She has the character down to a tee and possesses all the quirks of Jennifer Grey's interpretation. The famous Johnny Castle is played by Gareth Bailey and it is very much his show. He certainly got many a woman's heart racing in the audience! His acting can be a little stilted on occasion but he can certainly dance and has real charisma. The ensemble provide wonderful support to the leads and must be commended on this.

Dirty Dancing plays at Wolverhampton Grand until 11 October 2014 and continues touring until August 2015.