Will Dirty Dancing or Flashdance ever be on Broadway?

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 4:17pm

haven't both of these musicals been on the West End now? has anyone seen them? are they Broadway worthy?

I'm a huge fan of the movies and I've seen clips from both shows that look like a good ole' time. I know there have been rumors about both and I just realized it's been pretty dead hasn't it? are they touring somewhere?

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 7:07pm

Dirty Dancing is done. I don't think its coming anywhere soon. It was suppose to tour the US before it made its way to Broadway (The Neil Simon was the rumoured theatre). It played in Chicago, Boston and LA, and the tour folded. It did get a sit-down production in Toronto where it played for a little over a year. And, its now kinda faded into no where.

Flashdance didn't do so well in London, but it is moving to North America with Sergio Trujillo, directing and choreographing (he didn't work on the London production). Its going on tour, and will launch in Pittsburgh in January 2013, and is rumoured to hit 25 different cities. The show will "preview" for a month in the summer in Toronto. So, Flashdance could happen.

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 7:52pm

hmm interesting, thanks! I'll keep my eye out for news about the Flashdance tour.

Updated On: 4/19/12 at 07:52 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 7:55pm

Flashdance is supposed to be on Broadway in October... A national tour is set to launch in 2013. The theatre I work at is getting the tour, and the director explained how the show will open on Broadway in the fall, and will tour beginning on January 1, 2013. Janet Dacal actually sang some songs from it at our season preview event. Not sure if that indicates her involvement or not... Anyways, that's what I have been told about Flashdance.

[canmark]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 8:08pm

The pre-Broadway run of Flashdance plays in Toronto July 31 - August 19:

http://www.mirvish.com/shows/flashdance

[JoanBennett]

Posted: 4/19/12 at 10:51pm

Word on the Flashdance workshop was that it was pretty great - particularly the lead, who blew everyone away. There were substantial changes from the London version.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 12:59am

Emily Padgett played the lead in the workshop. She also did recent promotional appearances for the show alongside Janet Dacal and a few others.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 5:25am

It was kind of controversial in London (not in the least because it had such a short run), but it toured the UK first and was very successful. However, when it came to it coming into town, changes were made (I can't specify what they were as I never saw the show) and the cast had a generally unhappy time as the show was "not the same" as the tour. Of course, the West End production then turned out to be a huge flop.

It's also interesting to note that the best reviews of the whole production went to Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (recently in the UK's new revival of Gypsy) in the lead role.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 11:22am

I saw Dirty Dancing on tour and it was fun, but I could not imagine the show on Broadway. The critics would rip it to shreds and I don't think the word of mouth would be so sensational as to get people to flock to see a recreation of the film on stage, especially with the amount of solid hits it would have to compete with on Broadway currently.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 11:24am

I saw Flashdance on the UK tour and thought it was pretty poor, and also boring.

Dirty Dancing, set design wise I thought was pretty good, but otherwise there is nothing original or special about it. The current UK tour is getting VERY mixed reviews, especially the casting.

Both shows suffer from a lack of dancing really.

[MuiscalLoverGuy]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 11:53am

Dirty Dancing is currently dead. Flashdance is from the same producing team as Leap of Faith, and is so so. Just my opinion as I attended the workshop, and in full disclosure, I left at the interval feeling completely unmoved. Approximately three elevators full of people left at the interval.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 1:25pm

Hopefully both of these will go the way of WE WILL ROCK YOU and not make it here.

[tazber]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 1:40pm

^^^^
Amen!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 3:59pm

And unlike We Will Rock You, these weren't even hits in the West End.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 6:10pm

Dirty Dancing opened at the Aldwych with the highest advance in London history, £6 million ($US12 million)...it then ran for five years followed by a two year national tour. Doesn't sound like a flop to me.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 7:09pm

I stand corrected! I guess I was thinking of its Canadian run which was cut short. I know it's been said it wasn't really a musical in the traditional sense...

Flashdance did run short in London though, right? After a successful tour?

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 7:18pm

You're right, quite a successful tour but ran for only 16 weeks in London.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/20/12 at 9:13pm

'I attended the workshop, and in full disclosure, I left at the interval feeling completely unmoved. Approximately three elevators full of people left at the interval.'

That's not what i heard at all.

Flashdance did huge on tour in the UK, i enjoyed it, not brilliant but enjoyable. I preferred the London version to the tour, apart from a few odd choices i thought they got it in to shape. Whilst not the best book in the world it was much improved from the film. The show just did not catch on in London, the reviews were mixed but i guess it was just not destined to be there. Oh and it stood head and shoulders above We Will Rock You or Dirty Dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVM7SPgSrY

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/21/12 at 1:08am

From my experience of seeing Dirty Dancing in Toronto, was that the script was basically a carbon copy of the movie's script.

Also, all the songs were played from the soundtrack, although, there were a few of them that were sung live by 2 members of the ensemble.