Stage adaptation of Dirty Dancing not quite the time of your life

With every passing year, Dirty Dancing grows beyond a mere nostalgic footnote of the 1980s as it continues to capture the heart of younger and younger generations with constant reruns on television, a special anniversary DVD releases and soundtrack songs still on the radio. And as the famous flick makes its American stage debut at the Cadillac Palace Theatre during Broadway In Chicago’s fall series, it very well could be 1987 all over again.

As on screen, Frances “Baby” Houseman (Amanda Leigh Cobb in the role that made Jennifer Grey famous) is swept off her feet by bad boy Johnny Castle (Josef Brown, matching if not surpassing the hunkiness of Patrick Swayze) while on a family vacation in the Catskills. On stage, though, the music and dancing, as opposed to the plot, seem to be the driving force, fueled by the iconic sing-alongs “This Magic Moment,” “Do You Love Me?” and “In The Still Of The Night (I’ll Remember).” And of course, the most famous lines (“I carried a watermelon!”, “Nobody puts baby in a corner!”) appear in all their glory, amplified by the crowd’s recitation in unison.

The theatrical translation scores points for including several selections originally intended for the film, such as The Drifters’ “Save The Last Dance For Me” and Marvin Gaye’s “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow.” Ironically, those golden oldies held up better than newer-in-comparison soundtrack originals, with Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” serving as the most cheesy culprit and Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind” following as a close second. But there was no denying the connectivity of the show’s grand finale “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” complete with the sparkling choreography of the famous lift-up scene.

Despite that triumph, there were a few blunders along the way. Baby and Johnny practice their famous routine in a river, simulated on a screen, without getting wet. There were also several instances when doors or staircases appeared out of the floor and then disappeared a second later; omitting those props or using black outs would have caused less jarring transitions.

Even so, for those looking to relive the Dirty Dancing saga (albeit with a modern day face-lift, with most of the choreography kicked up a juicy notch), it’s likely to satisfy. Even less-than-die-hard fans are sure to score an evening of lighthearted entertainment that may teach them a few naughty steps.

Dirty Dancing appears at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through Jan. 17, 2009.

Related links:
DirtyDancingOnStage.com
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