Baby is making her way across the United States.
“Dirty Dancing: The Musical,” a stage adaptation of the beloved 1987 romantic drama, is embarking on a North American tour. It will launch this August in Saint Paul, Minn. at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Additional tour cities and casting will be announced at a later date.
The movie, which introduced the line “nobody puts Baby in a corner” in the cultural lexicon, follows Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey), a young woman who falls in love with dance instructor Jonny Castle (Patrick Swayze) at a resort in New York’s Catskills during summer 1963. “Dirty Dancing” was a huge box office hit, grossing $214 million at the box office, while its 11th act musical number “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” won the Oscar for best original song.
Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote the film’s screenplay, developed the show and wrote the musical’s book. Lonny Price, who appeared in the original movie and has helmed stage shows include “Sunset Boulevard” and “Sweeney Todd,” will direct the touring production. Darrell Grand Moultrie will handle choreography. Back in 2024, when “Dirty Dancing: The Musical” was announced, producers set ambitions for Broadway, but that’s yet to come to fruition.
“Dirty Dancing: The Musical” is the latest movie that Lionsgate is expanding beyond the screen, with stage versions of “La La Land” and “Wonder” being developed for Broadway and “The Hunger Games” on London’s West End.
“’Dirty Dancing’ is a very special and beloved property,” said Lionsgate’s president of global products and experiences Jenefer Brown. “The themes of empowerment, courage, and coming-of-age that captivated a global fanbase 40 years ago resonate just as strongly today as ‘Dirty Dancing’ continues to grow and expand its audience around the world. This new live production honors that emotional legacy and the movie’s nostalgia while inviting audiences to experience the story with a renewed immediacy and excitement.”
This follows Lionsgate’s announcement that the “Dirty Dancing” sequel will begin production later this year. Grey is returning as Baby while “Hunger Games” alum Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson on board as producers. Plot details for the follow-up film haven’t been revealed.
As she works on the stage version, Bergstein said it’s been touching to see the themes of her screenplay resonating all these years later.
“In the years after I wrote and co-produced the original film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ I was grateful and astonished by the generations of audiences who responded with open hearts to the themes of honor and courage beneath the surface,” Bergstein said. “Years later, sensing our audiences wanted to ‘be there’ while the story was happening, I wrote and co-produced a stage show. Its reception all over the world exceeded my sweetest dreams.”
Leave a Reply