Dirty Dancing – Piccadilly Theatre

Jill Winternitz and Paul-Michael Jones in Dirty Dancing at the Piccadilly Theatre. Picture: Roy Tan

Dirty Dancing is booking at the Piccadilly Theatre, London until 22 February, 2014.

There have been plenty of opportunities already to see the musical Dirty Dancing, which first opened in the West End in 2006 and has since been on a UK tour.

But it must be proving so popular, its producers are optimistic it can sustain another West End run and indeed, given the charm and confidence of this slick and faithful production, there seems to be no reason why it can’t continue to triumph.

Of course, it is aimed unashamedly at a certain market – call it ‘girls’ night out’ or even ‘hen do’, but the message is clear; it’s all about romance, nostalgia, fun and some incredibly sexy dancing.

The show does well to successfully condense all the film’s characters into a manageable cast, so there is plenty of doubling up. The powers-that-be particularly get their money’s worth out of Wayne Smith, who plays Johnny’s cousin Billy and also sings many of the major numbers, including the finale duet ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’.

Never deviating from the essential elements of the original couple, brought to life so memorably by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in the 1987 film, Jill Winternitz and Paul-Michael Jones make a practically perfect Baby and Johnny, although it helps that Winternitz’s American accent is natural.

Not quite as demanding an acting role, Jones simply has to be able to smoulder, brood and dance up a storm and he hits the target on all counts. His torso and arms are so perfectly crafted, the vision will make you weep, although the West End audience members on press night were shockingly reserved. Having seen the show on tour in Liverpool, where the dance/seduction scene was played out to an endless chorus of whoops and wolf whistles, the response from the crowd was disappointing – Jones’ topless state certainly deserved more of a reaction.

Charlotte Gooch as Penny is highly impressive – a wonderful dancer with an incredible figure. The re-creation of the trio rehearsing the routine to the track ‘Hungry Eyes’ is just as mesmerising as the film version, and this is largely down to Gooch’s eye-popping dance moves.

Perhaps the area where the stage version suffers is the subtle dynamics of the Houseman family. All the knowing glances and raised eyebrows shared in the movie can’t be easily re-created on stage, and consequently the father/daughter relationship in particular isn’t as intense. That’s not to say that James Coombes as Jake Houseman isn’t excellent. He is. It’s just his role is played out in more challenging circumstances and it is impossible for him to portray the subtleties of the character as effectively.

Ultimately, this show is aimed at a very particular market – those who probably grew up with the film and can happily quote it word for word, watch the DVD through once and then watch it again for good measure. No matter how uninspired and trashy the cynics out there think this show is, the target market is massive and since Dirty Dancing is back in the West End, the producers must be confident that fans are ready for a bit more live action.

Catherine Usher