Like most 80’s girls, I wanted to dance with and fall in
love with "a Patrick Swayze" after
watching the romance that he had with Jennifer
Grey in the 1987 iconic movie, Dirty Dancing. Of course this movie contained a lot
of dancing but it was the passion between the rich girl and the boy from the
other side of the tracks, the idea of being daring, and the transformation of
both characters through the power of dance and love, that turned this low budget
film into hit (not to mention Swayze's dancing and physique). I wondered if the musical stage production of Dirty Dancing at Heinz Hall could reproduce that passion.
Reflection
Dirty Dancing is not
a musical but really a dance show. There is an orchestra and two singers
in the show, Elizabeth (Chante Carmel)
and Billy Kostecki (Gary Lynch), who sang a few tunes and the finale, “(I’ve
Had) The Time of My Life”. The first act was packed with 27 familiar songs, (“Magic Moment”, “ Do You Love
Me?”, “ Hungry Eyes”, "Hey Baby!" ) that were paired mostly with choreography and
the second act had 20. So you get the
picture-the show is non- stop dancing.
The story is simple. In the summer of 1963, “Baby”
Frances Houseman (Rachel Boone) is on vacation with her parents, Dr. Houseman
(Jon Edward Powell) and Marjorie (Hannah Jane McMurray) and older sister, Lisa
(Alyssa Brizzi). They are enjoying the summer at a family resort for
the wealthy in the Catskill mountains. Baby meets Johnny Castle (Christopher
Tierney) the resort’s dance instructor, at a secret after hours party and is intrigued by the “dirty dancing” which is quite
different from the ballroom dancing taught at the club. When Johnney’s dance partner Penny Jonson (Jennifer Mealani Jones) becomes pregnant by a Harvard bound womanizing club
waiter, Baby agrees to learn Penny’s club
routine. Baby has two left feet but after a week of practice she gets it and
preforms at the club with Johnny. It is during these practice sessions that their passion and sparks ignite.
 |
| Penny (Jennifer Mealani Jones), Baby (Rachel Boone), Johnny (Christopher Tierney) |
Christopher Tierney as Johnny sure had the sex appeal and all the moves that I remembered from the
movie. In the stage production the passion through the dance sizzles with intensity. Jennifer Mealani Jones as Penny, with legs up to the ceiling, lit up the stage with
sensational dancing. Rachel Boone was perfect as an awkward book smart girl
who by way of Johnny’s guidance is transformed in
more ways than one. Everyone roots for Baby to succeed. Just like my blog theme,
the character overcame her fears and through the process of change she gained a lot more than she expected!
What she got was self-confidence and the gorgeous
guy. We experience the building of their romance through the closeness of the dance that
connects to the heart. I heard a resonating gasp from the audience at
the end of the show’s first half when a shirtless Christopher Tierney and
Rachel Boone had some sizzling dance moves. All I can say
is Ooh la la!
The stage production followed the movie fairly closely. The production
used video from floor to ceiling that changed the scenes from a golf course, to the camp, to the mountains and some how with this effect, the show recreated the iconic move scene where Johnny and Baby practice
the overhead dance lift in the water. I had forgotten how the story also addressed race
issues, prejudice between the classes, and back alley abortions. There was a transformation of ideas and beliefs along with the passion in the dance.
Enjoy the show Dirty Dancing and remember your summer romance. Who knows as we approach summer, maybe there is new romance in our future or rekindling the one with that special some!
(Dirty Dancing runs from May 23-28 at Heinz Hall as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust PNC Broadway Pittsburgh series or you can catch it on tour at http://us.dirtydancingontour.com./ )
Spiritual Reflection
(wedding day) "Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How fragrant your cologne, and how pleasing your name! No wonder all the young women love you! Take me with you. come, let's run! "
(Song of Songs 1:1-4)
(Song of Songs 1:1-4)
Other Sources
Movie watch https://gomovies.to/film/dirty-dancing-5191/watching.html?ep=28734
Cultural Trust https://trustarts.org/production/49441
Movie watch https://gomovies.to/film/dirty-dancing-5191/watching.html?ep=28734
Cultural Trust https://trustarts.org/production/49441
