Rush tickets now available for Dirty Dancing in L.A.

Productions tend to be more profitable on tour than on Broadway...so not really an economic mistake on the producers' end.

I didn't realize that there had already been several productions of this! Thanks for all the background info =)

Laugh if you will but, aside from the movie being such a cult classic, a part of me wants to see this as a small gesture of support for Patrick Swayze.

Popular, the tour is not the first production of this show. Yes, it is the first production of the show in America but not in the world. It started in either Sydney or Melbourne and then went to Germany and then England. Becoming box office smashes everywhere it went.

I am not saying that everyone thinks that it is a good show. Hell, I will admit that when I walked in the first time I was convinced that this was going to be bad and that I saw it for the car crash effect. However, I was proven wrong.

But, like I said earlier I am very surprised that they haven't tried for Broadway yet. I know and I understand that this was supposed to be the pre Broadway tour but their plans for Broadway fell through when they were on the road still. But, I do think tha if the producers are smart and look at the fact that people have been going gaga for it during every tour stop then they should realize that it has an American audience appeal and they should open it on Broadway.

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A successful tour, or European production, is not a guarantee of success on Broadway. Look at Jekyll & Hyde. It's pre-Broadway tour did fairly well, if I remember correctly (I know I certainly thought it was a better show before it hit Broadway), but then it failed to ever turn a profit after an almost four year run. Or Dance of the Vampires, which was hugely successful in Europe, and we all know what happened with that. And to turn the tables, you also have shows like Legally Blonde which end up doing far better on the road than they do on Broadway.

I'm sure the reviews the show has received while on the road certainly haven't helped to sway the producers to bring it to NY. Yes, there are certainly shows that can defy the critics and be successful without their praise, but it's still not something a producer will necessarily want to risk without some very careful consideration. While I'm sure it's fun for a producer to be able to thumb their nose at the critics and say "see, it didn't matter what you said," it's got to be a lot less fun for a producer to hear a critic be able to say "we told you so."

That's always good to hear. Being in the industry myself a show has to be truly horrendous for me to wish it bad business.

Just to inform people, this is not a musical play - at least not in any traditional sense. It is a re-staging (almost slavish) of the movie complete with a soundtrack. Yes, soundtrack. There is an "orchestra" (9 pieces - keyboard, some brass, clarinet, bass, guitar, percussion and drums), but they do not play everything. Much of the music is recorded, original versions of the 55(!) songs listed in the Playbill. There are no book songs and the characters do not sing (except where they do in the movie: think bad hula song). The music plays the same role on stage as it does in the film - it is a soundtrack.

The title of the production is: DIRTY DANCING - THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE. That is honest. They put the film on stage.

This note appears beneath the listing of musical numbers in the Playbill: A number of songs Eleanor Bergstein tried very hard and unsuccessfully to obtain for the movie we have been able to obtain for our production, and put in the places originally intended, including "Save The Last Dance For Me" (The Drifters) and "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" (Marvin Gaye).

That's very telling. The "original places" still exist in this classic story on stage. Scene by scene. Exactly. The couple behind me were anticipating lines (out loud) throughout the play. I would venture to guess it was their first time seeing the production.

Another warning: if you are growing weary of sets that become too much the focus of a production (my experience of 9 TO 5), this set will drive you crazy. The damn thing never stops moving. Never.

And LOTS of projections, including live shots of what is happening on the stage (think JERSEY BOYS, but without a legitimate reason).

Rush tickets are $25. They are not in a particular location; they are simply sold as best available tickets for the two hours prior to each performance. I asked at the window the difference between approaching the box office and asking for the best available ticket and approaching the box office and asking for a Rush ticket. Answer: other than the cost ($98 vs. $25), nothing, except they will not tell you where your rush seat will be until you have (literally) handed over the cash.

My personal recommendation: don't.