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| Jill Winternitz and Paul-Michael Jones |
Venue: Regent Theatre, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
Date: March 13, 2013
An unforgettable night of romance, laughter and excitement; Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage, did not disappoint.
Stoke-on-Trent's Regent Theatre was happily subject to a lustful film-scripted adaptation of the iconic film 26 years on.
With a stellar cast of 21 and a spectacular set design, there is no confusion as to why this stage adaptation has broken records.
Writer Eleanor Bergstein tells the steamy tale of how young Frances 'Baby' Houseman falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle whilst at a holiday camp.
The chemistry between the two, played brilliantly by Jill Winternitz and Paul-Michael Jones, was unmistakable and did Swayze and Grey great justice.
Nicky Griffiths gave a resounding performance as the troubled Penny Johnson and Stefan Menaul's professional acting debut as the comical Neil Kellerman was superb.
Menaul truly made the role his own with exaggerated dance moves and a great use of physicality for comic effect.
An amusing version of Hula Hana from Emilia Williams as Lisa Houseman and Tony Stansfield's portrayal as the farcical Mr Schumacher were comedy highlights.
The brilliant montage of Baby learning the dance routine was given great justice as her naivety and comic input was delivered extremely well alongside Johnny's commanding nature.
When dancing on the rotating bridge, Winternitz let loose magnificently to release Baby's newfound passion.
It was a brave decision to have certain songs performed live from one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Fortunately, upstage centre was a fitting place for the raised band to deliver the live songs to perfection.
The two outstanding vocalists, who duetted and soloed remarkably throughout, gave an inspired rendition of trademark song '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' for the closing dance.
Although classics including 'Do You Love Me' and 'Be My Baby' were covered expertly, the original use of 'Hungry Eyes' and others felt appropriate.
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| Paul-Michael Jones, Jill Winternitz and Nicky Griffiths |
A fairly simplistic stage made great use of a revolve, an ever-changing projected backdrop and moving scenery from the fly tower.
The gauze was exceptional in portraying the stormy weather, and the transformation between the rain, the forest and the field was splendid to watch, although when practicing the lift in the water, the effect lost some of its beauty.
On a few occasions, tension and moments for pauses between Baby and Johnny were lacking and could have been portrayed with more emphasis.
Nevertheless, the sexual tension between them was always evident and it climaxed sensationally when the topless lovers seduced one another - to an array of wolf-whistles - for their first night of passion.
The transition into the scene between Baby and her father on the porch was extremely effective, and was delivered by Jill wonderfully.
However, the heartfelt reaction from Mr Houseman felt incomplete, perhaps due to the distance between the audience and the stage.
Welcomingly cheesy and expected, Johnny ran down from a stalls door to burst onto the stage and interrupt the last song.
Screams were resonant and joyous tears were shed for the iconic final dance and the spine-tingling lift that everyone had been longing for.
This marvellous production truly had exhilarating moments of its own and was exceptionally well-received by an overwhelmed audience, and rightly so.
To book tickets for Dirty Dancing you can visit The Regent Theatre Box Office by calling 0844 871 7649 or visit www.atgtickets.com/stoke.
Photography courtesy of Jovi Mullen
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