Theatre News Wire

Broadway In Chicago announced that Christopher Tierney and Gillian Abbott will star as Johnny Castle and Frances "Baby" Houseman in the Chicago return of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will play the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement, August 18-30, 2015.

Tierney and Abbott lead a company of 25 that also includes Doug Carpenter (Billy Kostecki, Singer), Jerome Harmann-Hardeman (Tito Suarez), Ryan Jesse (Neil Kellerman), Gary Lynch (Max Kellerman), Scott McCreary (Robbie Gould), Herman Petras (Mr. Schumacher), Alex Scolari (Lisa Houseman), Mark Elliot Wilson (Dr. Jake Houseman), Margot White (Marjorie Houseman) and Jenny Winton (Penny Johnson). The ensemble comprises John Antony, Rachel Marie Bell, Rachel Boone, Josh Drake, Rashaan James II, Joshua Keith, Alexandra Matteo, Katelyn Prominski, Amy Quanbeck, Adam Roberts, Jennlee Shallow, Paul Victor and Devan Watring.

Christopher Tierney has previously been seen performing with Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago, and Jenny Winton danced with the Joffrey Ballet.

"The company that we have assembled for our North American tour is beautiful and truthful," says Eleanor Bergstein, screenwriter of the film Dirty Dancing and book writer for the musical. "I originally wrote the movie because I love to dance. And since the movie first appeared, the open-hearted audience response has made me believe that everyone has a secret dancer inside them, one they feel could connect them to the physical world in the way they dream. This remarkable cast brings those dreams to life through their extraordinary talent and exceptional skill. It's been a deep pleasure for us to watch audiences around the country respond as this lovely group of people brings Dirty Dancing home to North America."

The production's book is written by Eleanor Bergstein and the North American tour will be directed by James Powell with choreography by Michele Lynch based on the original choreography by Kate Champion. The creative team also includes Stephen Brimson Lewis (set design), Tim Mitchell (lighting design), Jennifer Irwin (costume design), Bobby Aitken (sound design), Jon Driscoll (video and projection design), Bernie Ardia (hair design), Conrad Helfrich (music supervisor and orchestrations) and Alan Plado (music director).

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this timeless love story features the hit songs "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby," "Do You Love Me?" and the heart-stopping "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life." London's Sunday Express says "This crowd-pleasing stage adaptation hits the jackpot!"

It's the summer of 1963, and 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is on vacation in New York's Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents. Mesmerized by the racy dance moves and pounding rhythms she discovers in the resort's staff quarters, Baby can't wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle, the resort's sexy dance instructor. Passions ignite and Baby's life changes forever when she is thrown in to the deep end as Johnny's leading lady, both on-stage and off.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage began as an eight-week staged workshop in Manhattan in the fall of 2001. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia in November 2004 before embarking upon a hugely successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. A new production opened at the Theater Neue Flora in Hamburg, Germany in March 2006 where it broke records for achieving the highest advance in European history.

The production began performances on London's West End in October 2006 with an £11 million advance and went on to become the longest running show in the history of the Aldwych Theatre. It closed in July 2011 in advance of a two-year UK national tour and then returned to London for a strictly limited season at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage has gone on to perform across the world in markets as diverse as Utrecht, Holland, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. Most recently, it has been represented by a new UK tour (which launched March 2014 in Bristol), a German tour (which launched April 2014 in Berlin) and a French tour (which is currently playing Paris). The show returned to Australia with a new tour that premiered in late 2014 in honor of the stage production's 10th anniversary. The current North American tour launched in Washington, DC in August 2014 and is currently booked through the 2015-2016 season.