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Nobody puts Baby in a corner, but come September 28 they'll certainly put her on stage, along with 39 other actors and actresses who make up the cast of the U.S. Premiere of Dirty Dancing, opening at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago. Already rehearsals are underway for what could prove to be the biggest theatrical event in Chicago this year, and the word is out: those advertisements on buses and kiosks with the title (and little else) splashed in white across a hot pink background are difficult to miss.
Not that the show needs much of an introduction. Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage is of course based on the smash hit 1987 film of the same name, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. For the roughly six people in the United States not familiar with the film, Dirty Dancing tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman, a teenager in the early 1960s who joins her family on a summer trip to a Catskills mountain resort. Thinking she's in for a boring time, she instead meets Johnny Castle, a rebel from the wrong side of the tracks who is employed at the resort as a dance instructor. When his dance partner for the big end-of-summer faculty show gets injured, Baby becomes her replacement. As Johnny teaches Baby the moves, they fall in love, much to the chagrin of her stern, traditionalist parents. The film featured a mix of period oldies and new (for 1987) pop hits like "Hungry Eyes" and "She's Like The Wind." The stage version features 35 songs, including the show-stopping closer, "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life."
The stage version of Dirty Dancing comes to Chicago as a pre-Broadway tryout, meaning that this is one of those rare occasions where Chicago audiences get to see a major new musical work before New York audiences do. Even so, Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage has already been around. It received its world premiere in Sydney, Australia four years ago, and has played in New Zealand, Germany, London's West End, Toronto, and The Netherlands before landing stateside at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
But even if you saw one or more of those productions, you haven't necessarily seen this one. "Many aspects of this [U.S. Premiere] show have never been tried or tested before," says director James Powell. "It's forever evolving and improving." Powell is a member of the creative team behind the hit London and Toronto productions, almost all of whom are involved in the U.S. Premiere. Actor Josef Brown, who plays Johnny Castle, also performed in the London and Sydney productions. Britta Lazenga, who plays Penny Johnson, performed in Toronto, and Ben Mingay has played the role of Billy in Sydney, London, and Toronto. Amanda Leigh Cobb plays Baby and, for the run of this show anyway, the envy of every girl in Chicago. Cobb herself knows it. "I'm so excited. Every girl dreams of being able to play this role."
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage runs September 28 through December 7, 2008 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago. Tickets range from $35 - $95 and are currently on sale at Broadway In Chicago box offices (18 W. Monroe, 24 W. Randolph, and 151 W. Randolph), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line (312-902-1400), all Ticketmaster ticket centers, and online at ticketmaster.com.
Luke Vander Heiden
Contributing Writer