Did I Miss This? "Dirty Dancing" Musical?

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 8:13pm

I was looking at the ad banner at the top of BWW promoting tickets to shows and...there was "Dirty Dancing" the musical in London. When did this happen? I thought people would be talking about it. Haven't heard anything about it. Where's the buzz?

Is this the same show they were work shopping in NYC a few years ago? If so...stay away.

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 8:23pm

Yes, it was and yes you are correct. Stay away!

LOL....seriously, it was a pretty bad workshop but then it opened in Australia some time later to raves and then recently in London. The problem was too much involvement regarding the source party, though I won't elaborate. Perhaps they have fixed the bugs since then and it's now a better stage show.

I was in this workshop and it spawned some big Broadway names; Aaron Lazar, Matthew Morrison, Christian Borle, just to name a few. :)

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 8:33pm

What? Kristin wasn't Baby? She was born to play that role.

Updated On: 6/28/06 at 08:33 PM

[Parks]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 8:37pm

Yeah, I was wondering this same thing too. The ad always catches my eye.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/28/06 at 10:06pm

It sounds cheesy enough to make it to Broadway.

Maybe Disney can buy it.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 12:20am

It was in Melbourne (Australia) first. I remember passing by the ads when I was there in January 2005.

[alterego]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 12:47am

Actually it opened in Sydney first, October 2004.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 5:03am

Dirty Dancing doesn't open in London until October and already has an advance to rival that of Wicked (which opens the month before).

[Quasi]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 5:40am

It also plays in Hamburg, Germany. It isn't a musical at all, its the movie on stage with a lot of background music. Johnny and Baby do not sing one song.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 5:54am

hi there

im in footloose at the moment and am about to leave to join the ensemble of the dirty dancing musical at the aldwych in london in october.

The show was actually very succesfull in australia and did massive buisness and the advance in london is huge so it looks like it will be a hit.
Its basically the film put on stage with music(mainly session singers)so issnt a musical as such.
Kim Valentine(from the tv show neighbours)played baby in australia and got very good reviews.
lol

[RockyRoad]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 11:12am

I fail to understand where a huge avance means it's a hit show?

Know how many crap shows have had huge advances?

Tarzan anyone?

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 11:17am

A huge advance will keep it running longer and increase the chances of recouping - thereby producing a hit.

I don't think anyone is expecting Dirty Dancing (or Tarzan) to be an artistic triumph...

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 7:23pm

Just because one has a large advance doesn not lead to the conclusion that the show will or can make a profit.

Just look at shows that have run for years and never made a profit.

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 9:30pm

Yup. Baby and Johnny didn't sing one song when I was in it, either. We used the entire movie soundtrack.

The only live music was myself and the rest of the onstage band that did all the Latin stuff (Johnny's Mambo) live and two other tunes early in the show.

Let's see....Laura Breckenridge was Baby. Noah Racey, from TMM, was the assist choreographer in our workshop. Noah Weisberg was in it, David Parsons choreographed most of it...um Enrique Brown from Fiddler was in the ensemble...Christy Candler from Wicked was there too...Kim Morgan Green, from FOSSE was in it...Shannon Lewis was Penny...Michael Kubala had a small role...Michael Rupert played the father...William Ullrich, child actor who's been in tons of shows, was ensemble...few others. Wasn't a bad cast. Just a bad show.

I will never forget the first time we did it for audience members. I think we had 29 scene changes in Act I and 26 in Act II. Yikes!!

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 9:33pm

from reading the script it still seems like they will be a lot of scene changes

DD will be a hit its budget issnt huge and its all ready made a fortune in advance and london loves shows like this(fame,footloose,sat night fever)

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 10:12pm

"...london loves shows like this(fame,footloose,sat night fever)."

Remind me never to visit London.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/29/06 at 10:23pm

Don't be such a snob, Mr. Turtle. London gave us Starlight Express and Chess and ASpects....

oh, right.


But seriously, there is some wonderful theatre in London on any given day and the productions of musicals are very impressive. Certainly up to and often exceeding Broadway standards.

And as for a show running in London with a big advance, remember that London shows have the added advantage of huge advance blocks of seats taken by American Exrpess and British Airways for their clients.

A "mass appeal" show like Dirty Dancing will be a tourist magnet.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:23am

Please read the original post where our London friend says that London loves shows like Footloose, Fame, Saturday Night Fever. Anyone see a problem with this list?

If anyone considers that a sign of theatrical intelligence, I feel sorry for them. Not every musical has to be "Carousel", but every musical should have a plot, characters and something to say. They should have an ounce of creativity and originality. The above musicals are not even "fun" crappy musicals. They're just trash thrown on stage which producers want misguided theatergoers to cough up $90 bucks to see.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 12:12pm

excuse me mr tuttle but in actully in footloose the musical in london(and its a very dif show than the crap what played on broadway)and i spent 2 years with fame the musical and after seeing how much this show inspired kids i dont have a bad word to say about it.
Snobbish attitudes bore me im just a performer who likes all types of musicals footloose,Rent,Cabaret,DRS,Dreamgirls,Hairspray,billy elliot,miss saigon,Tick Tick Boom,carrie,follies,Witches of Eastwick,Fame,Sweeney todd,mack and mabel etc etc

i like what i like and dont jump on the all the other shows what so many people on here do and i wont appologise for what i like.
As for my thatrical intelligence well ive worked on stage for 10 years so happen to know a thing or two(and HELLO carousel doessnt have a plot)Footloose and fame are made for people who want to have a fun night out at the theatre and dont claim to be anything other than light entertainment THEY DO JUST WHAT THEY SAY ON THE POSTERS.
And dont call theatregoers misguided who go to see them shows ,there not misguided there going to have fun and they do.Ive been in all kinds of musicals yet this is the only show ive done where we get a standing ovation everynight so maybee you should see londons productions of footloose and fame before your judge(and yes i saw broadways production of footloose and fame on 42nd street so i can judge).
London does love shows like fame ,footloose and sat night fever COZ THEY KNOW HOW TO PARTY but they also love a lot of the classics and the smart new shows.
Mary Poppins and Billy Elliot are well loved here in the uk and both are moving to new york so london must be getting something right and im sure they will both be hits(unless they are given a broadway makeover like taboo etc then there screwed)

London is a place which is all about diversity and means it(doesnt just say it is )and that is reflected in its theatre where a revival of anything goes can be playing accross the road from jerry springer or footloose can be playing next to the sound of music etc and it gives people a choice.
As long as shows like footloose and fame are finding an audience they will continue to make a lot of money and good for them.Fame introduced so many kids to theatre it was unreal and that can only be a good thing and it also offers a platform for young actors and dancers to get on to the west end stage and give them a shot.
As i said snobbish attitudes bore me and thank god the west end doesnt have it

lol

and before i get slagged of spelling ,grammer etc im dyslexic and crap with grammer(god blessed me with a singing voice dance ability and and to be a working singer/actor/dancer so io cant complain)

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 12:45pm

Oh goody. More excuses.

Fame is crap. Footloose is crap. Saturday Night Fever is crap.

Just because they employed you doesn't mean they're great shows. And just because they supposedly "inspired" kids doesn't make them less than crap.

Nobody is being snobbish. It's my opinion and that's that. You are the one with the snobbish, snotty attitude who think anything they have performed in is gold.

My opinion. Deal or not.

[Chitty]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 12:52pm

West End, get a clue. You are acting like such a snot. Those shows are musical crap for MOST of the theatrical community. Get off your high horse. If you like them... great. Not everyone does.

[west end artist1]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 1:11pm

excuse me but i only said i liked theese shows i diddnt expect everyone else to its you guys who started bitching.Its my opinion and thats that knowone is asking you to like them.
I just said that that Dirty Dancing will do well here due to the fact fame footloose etc do well here
You were the one who slagged of london for because they liked theese shows i simply said why london liked theese shows and that we tend to be more diverse

so please dont start a war with me over nothing

[RockyRoad]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:34pm

Excuse me but you said London LOVES these shows..not "likes". There's a big difference between Loves and Likes.

And you are the one causing the trouble here. Didn't you get the previous comments that somone stated and opinion and then YOU jumped all over them.

You're the wrong person here so stop playing innocent.

[algy]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 2:45pm

SNF, Footloose and Fame regularly appear on the TKTS boards. Draw your own conclusions.

There is some good stuff in London - Avenue Q (I loved it), Guys and Dolls (my sister loved it) and the SITPWG revival (which I've heard good things about) - but there is also some rubbish - Whistle Down the Wind (which I saw last night...). I'm sure it's the same on Broadway.

The Dirty Dancing musical did great Box Office in Aus and has got a great advance in London. Whether this is due to the production or the fame and success of the Movie is a different matter.

[Chitty]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 5:07pm

I agree there is good an bad in London and broadway. But the westend guy was saying that London loved those shows which showed they wern't crap (which anyone knows they are).

And..a side note..dyslexyia has nothing to do with knowing how to use proper grammer. Dyslexia is not the reason you use the word "cuz" or don't know the proper use of "no one" (which westend spelled "knowone"). That's lack knoweldge, not a disability.

I also find it ironic that you plead not "to start a war over this" yet you were the one who started that whole crap thread about getting bashed..yet you are the one who started the whole thing.

Advice...grow up. And go to school.
Updated On: 6/30/06 at 05:07 PM