I finally went to see the Dirty Dancing stage play the other night at the Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg. Many of the good seats were sold out for a while so sitting 6 rows from the stage was a real coup and a perfect location.
I first saw the original movie back in 1987 when I was in Standard 6 (Grade 8) at the Cine 400 bioscope (as we used to call the cinema) in Rylands, Cape Town, and it was recently on the DSTV movie loop, which refreshed my memories once again.
Watching it on stage was totally magnificent! The singing, dancing and costumes were superb, but the American accent of Johnny Castle, played by Gareth Bailey, swayed like the stunning 60’s dresses worn by the female cast. Kudos to the lead actress, Bryony Whitfield. It felt like she was channeling Jennifer Grey in her performance as Frances “Baby” Houseman.
