Dirty Dancing – Dominion Theatre

Picture: Roy Tan

Dirty Dancing continues at the Dominion Theatre, London until 29 April 2023 and then tours until 18 November.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Sexy, sunny and superb. It’s the summer of 1963, as the narrators, costumes and iconic soundtrack remind us relentlessly, and London is in for a treat. The classic story of Baby (reprised by Kira Malou) and Johnny (Michael O’Reilly) is revived anew by director Federico Bellone for what is sure to be another sell-out West End run. This musical captures all of the passionate joy of the original story through its fantastic display of technically outstanding and wonderfully dirty dancing, while also including interesting new historical elements that broaden the scope of the 1960s story.

Austin Wilks’ choreography is the real standout element of the entire show. Every single dance communicates its own story perfectly, from the cheerfully poised ‘There Will Never Be Another You’, to Colin Charles’ hilariously bold renditions of ‘Love Man’, all the way to an outstanding version ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ (the entire audience, of course, sings along to the most iconic numbers). The entire ensemble dances beautifully, imbuing the performance with the sultry physicality that lies at the very centre of Dirty Dancing.

Charlotte Gooch plays a particularly convincing Penny Johnson, at once sympathetic and aloof. Her meticulous cha-cha twirls and impressively agile lifts inspired nothing short of awe from those watching: Gooch repeatedly drew ‘Ooooh!’s from the rapt audience.

The set and lighting – designed by Bellone and Valerio Tiberi respectively – are perhaps simple, but very much effective as part of the storytelling. The actors, dancers, singers, director, designers and all those involved in the creation of the production deliver a show of an undeniably high standard and an utter joy to watch.

However, Dirty Dancing’s fatal flaw, tragically, is built into the very fabric of the show: the script is terrible. Conversation doesn’t quite gel. Characters come out with awkward lines in the middle of a scene that doesn’t involve them at all. Entire scenes come off as unnatural and out of place. Most troublingly, many of the key points of the story are badly communicated. Penny’s pregnancy, a key narrative point, is a throw-away line: only through subtext and previous knowledge is one expected to realise what exactly she is struggling with.

The same is true of Baby and Johnny’s relationship: though Malou and O’Reilly have fantastic chemistry and absolutely sell the passion between the two characters, their dialogue is sparse, strange and barely suggests that the two are together at all. Only through skilful direction, outstanding choreography and excellent performances is this script salvaged. In fact the cast and crew do far more than salvage the show, they produce something outstanding.

Saskia Wraith