Washington, DC – National Theater, 9/2/14. Is Jillian Mueller trying to corner the market on Broadway shows based on ’80s musical films? She was on tour earlier this year playing the lead in the musical touring production of Flashdance. Now she returns to Washington, DC to kick off the national tour of another show based on an ’80s movie classic: Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage. The production includes set designs by Stephen Brimson Lewis, lighting by Tim Mitchell, costumes by Jennifer Irwin, sound by Bobby Aitken and video production by Jon Driscoll, based on a book by Eleanor Bergstein.
The show is a basic by-the-numbers Romeo and Juliet story about a rich sheltered girl name Baby (Mueller) who falls for bad-boy dancer Johnny (Samuel Pergande). Set in 1963, the show blends classic songs of the ’60s from the likes of the Righteous Brothers and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with original songs from the film: “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me,” and the crowd-pleasing hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
Dirty Dancing hit movie theaters in 1997 and turned Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey into stars. Many of my friends raved about it and saw it multiple times, but somehow its appeal has always been lost on me. The new musical is another chance for me to finally get it and get swept up in the frenzy.
The DC crowd was pretty hot most of the night, laughing at iconic moments and singing along to the classics. The tone of the show is very much in keeping with the film, but one patron asked me if the comedic moments were intentional or if the show was just cheesy. It’s hard to say, but I’ll go out on a limb and assume that the comedy was intentional. There was a moment when Johnny and Baby are riding in an imaginary car (the production design was a little too cheap and didn’t provide a real car set) and the audience just laughed.
Samuel Pergande (Johnny), Jillian Mueller (Baby) and Jenny Winton (Penny) in the North American
tour of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage at National Theatre through Sept 14. (Photo by
Matthew Murphy)
Watching Mueller being forced to restrain herself as Baby learns how to dance was a little frustrating. I know the woman has the chops, so I was waiting for her to cut loose, and when she did during the play’s signature moment the wait was almost worth it. She does a fabulous job with “Time of Your Life,” and her tango with Pergande is on point. The two have solid chemistry.
The staging feels a bit all over the place, and the aforementioned car moment feels weirdly cheap, but the montage of Johnny teaching Baby to dance is truly breathtaking as the curtains display beautiful scenery changes that give off a strangely gorgeous 3D effect.
Samuel Pergande (Johnny) and Jenny Winton (Penny) in the North American tour of Dirty Dancing –
The Classic Story On Stage at National Theatre through Sept 14. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
Set design aside, the actual musical numbers are either done through old records or sung by the same two people, whose characters aren’t even named. They are extras who just break out into the key songs at odd moments and half the time they are hidden in the background while others dance around in front of them. It’s especially annoying during the big moment at the end, with Baby and Johnny recreating “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” at center stage while these two other people are singing on the far left and right of them. It’s just odd and distracting.
This is supposed to be a stage musical version of a movie musical, so you’d think the production would have focused more on the musical numbers and done a better job with the arrangements. I’m not saying the two people singing aren’t good; they are amazing and deserve more recognition than they or their characters receive.
Fans of the movie will love this production.
Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage is playing at National Theater until September 14. Check out the official website for more information.