If you’ve been seeing pink around town lately, most likely all the Dirty Dancing banners have been catching your eye. The ‘60s summer of love is finally on like Donkey Kong for the next few weeks in Melbourne. It’s the story we’ve all grown up with, of ‘Baby’ (Kirby Burgess) and Johnny (Kurt Phelan) crossing and dancing paths over one fateful summer. It’s not long before she stumbles into a late night dance party where she meets vague, alluring heartthrob Johnny Castle. This adaptation for the stage is just as playful, raunchy and heart-wrenching as the film that got us singing to classic ballad Time Of My Life with that epic dance lift. There’s a minimal set, but they make good use of projections on a gigantic screen throughout.
All of those dance scenes from the film translate to the stage well, with the erratic, lively movements of all the dancers leaving you wondering where to look next. There’s something about dance parties and raunch that is just better seen in real life. The costuming is pretty on point too, capturing all the ditz, attitude and grunge of ‘Baby’ and Johnny’s opposite worlds. You Don’t Own Me was a favourite among the opening night crowd and the soundtrack also adds in a few faves of ours like Solomon Burke. Swoon.
