Theatre News Wire

Broadway In Chicago announced that individual tickets for Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will go on sale Monday, March 26, 2018. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, directed by Sarna Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George - Broadway; War Horse - North American tour), will return to Chicago for a limited engagement at Broadway In Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) May 29 through June 3, 2018.

Leading a company of 24 are Aaron Patrick Craven as Johnny Castle and Kaleigh Courts as Francis "Baby" Houseman. They are joined by Anaïs Blake as Penny Johnson, Erica Lee Cianciulli as Marjorie Houseman, Nickolaus Colõn as Billy Kostecki/Singer, Ryan Cupello as Robbie Gould, Buddy Daniels Friedman as Mr. Schumacher, Rick Grossman as Max Kellerman, Demitra Pace as Lisa Houseman, Owen Russell as Neil Kellerman, Christopher Robert Smith as Dr. Jake Houseman and Torrey Linder as Tito Suarez. The ensemble is comprised of Alex Caldwell, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Lane Halperin, Benjamin T. Henley, J'royce Jata, Hunter Mikles, Honza Pelichovksy, Erica Philpot, Joshua Clifton Powell, Hannah Straney, , Kelsey Walsh and Aidan Ziegler-Hansen.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage features an eight piece band that performs the timeless hits on stage, led by Conductor Jonathan Marro (Keyboard) and Associate Conductor Michael Hopewell (Keyboard). The band also includes Ethan Hack-Chabot (Guitar), Michael Bliss (Reeds), Adam Hradisky (Drums), Ryan McCausland (Percussion), Jared Pasimio (Bass) and Patrick Stouffer (Trumpet).

The production's book is written by Eleanor Bergstein, author of the original script of the film, and the North American tour is choreographed by Michele Lynch based on the original choreography by Kate Champion. The creative team also includes Mikiko Suzuki (Scenic Design), Ken Billington (Lighting Design), Jennifer Irwin (Costume Design), Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Bernie Ardia (Hair Design), Conrad Helfrich (Music Supervisor and Orchestrations) and Alan J. Plado (Music Director). Stewart/Whitley is the casting director for this tour.

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 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, having begun performances on London's West End in October 2006 with a record breaking £15 million advance and a complete sell-out for the first six months, 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 continued its success with its commercial premiere in the Western Hemisphere in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on November 15, 2007. The engagement ended on March 29, 2009, having performed to over 800,000 people. Shortly before the show closed in Toronto, the production's first North American tour began, making its debut in Chicago on September 2, 2008 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre and continuing on to Boston and Los Angeles. The show returned to Australia with a new smash hit tour that premiered in late 2014 in honor of the stage production's 10th anniversary.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage has also been performed across the world in markets as diverse as Hong Kong, Sweden, Utrecht, Holland, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. The show has been represented in other major markets, including a UK tour (launched March 2014 in Bristol), a German tour (launched April 2014 in Berlin) and an Italian production (launched October 2014 in Milan). Following the Italian tour's premier in Milan, the production sold out the 15,000 seat Roman Arena in Verona and went on to receive critical acclaim for its engagement in the capital city of Rome. With additional sold out engagements in Paris and Vienna, the show continues to tour in France and German speaking territories. The French tour alone has played to over 500,000 people since its launch in January 2015.