Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing….from the movie of the same name. And what do we remember apart from the “license to print money” that comes with the title? We remember, more than anything, the charismatic and brilliant Patrick Swayze oozing sex and teaching a younger plain girl to dance …dirty. The threat of sex was omnipresent….and it was naughty because …well…he’s mature and more dangerous and she’s so naïve. And we remember Swayze singing “She’s Like The Wind”. It’s a background instrumental in the show…more’s the pity. We also remember the great number “The Time of My Life” which is also the finale of the show, and a fabulous finale it is. What is gone from our memory (we’ve blocked it out…like childbirth) is how excruciatingly bad the script (not so much the story) was. There is a reason “Nobody puts Baby in the Corner” is one of the most quoted lines in Moviedom….it’s so dreadful it’s kitsch…an absolute hoot, and yes, it had to be included, but, with the confines of a stage, it just seems more naff than ever…especially since there’s no corner for Baby to be in.  So Eleanor Bergstein is entirely to blame for the superficial mess that is the book of this “Musical” – which is more of a play with music.

What, then, is good about the show? The Australian Cast. They are fabulous and prove once again that we have some of the best triple threats in the world, despite the fact that most of them don’t get a chance to sing. Kirby Burgess is an absolute delight from the first moment: warm, endearing, a great dancer (though way too attractive), good actress - the one regret in her performance is that she doesn’t sing…because she’s equally good vocally. Kurt Whelan….WOW. He’s a lovely dancer and a perfectly fine actor, but he isn’t dangerous in any form. He and Kirby look made for each other, despite the lack of any sexual chemistry…and it was the disparity between Swayze and Grey which gave the film some semblance of edge.

Adam Murphy is a great musical theatre performer and totally wasted as Baby’s father. He does sing ‘If You Were The Only Girl In The World’ with the lovely Penny Martin….but it’s a “huh?” moment.  The song was written in 1916 and popular up until the 1930s…..these parents would have been kids. Maddy Peat is a fabulous dancer and works well as Penny, the terrific Teagan Wouters is wasted as Baby’s sister (oh to hear that belting voice….she was fabulous in Calvin Berger last year.)

The find of the show is Mark Vincent. He’s a natural performer and shows no sign of his inexperience on stage. The voice is just spectacular and the engagement of the audience increased three fold when he sang ‘In The Still Of The Night’ and then ‘The Time Of My Life’ (with the big voiced Anna Freeland – I hope I’ve identified her correctly) but how much better it would have been if the two leads had sung….even half a chorus. I’m really looking forward to whatever Vincent does next.

Technical aspects are all good…with some cheesy but effective video sets (the water is a hoot). So what you have basically is a mediocre show with a GREAT CAST. Music theatre aficionados won’t like it, but if you work in an office make up a party and drink lots of champagne….and DON’T watch the movie before you go.

Coral Drouyn

Image: Kirby Burgess (Baby) and Kurt Phelan (Johnny). Photographer: Jeff Busby

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