Jenny Winton (Penny), Gillian Abbott (Baby) and Samuel Pergande (Johnny) in the North American tour of DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
By Kimberly Harper, WPRO Arts & Entertainment Contributor
Anyone going to PPAC’s “Dirty Dancing” looking for high art is going to be disappointed – the movie it follows is a fluffy summer romance of a film – but, unfortunately, the audience members looking to recapture the magic of their favorite 80s coming of age tale won’t be satisfied either. The show’s well-choreographed dance numbers are too widely spaced between awkward, heavy-handed scenes and too little live music. The movie’s charming camp factor is lost to a script that tries too hard to put some weight into a plot that could never sustain it, and while the opening and final numbers are definite show-stoppers, everything else is bound to leave the audience cold.
Had the author stuck with the story’s light and fluffy premise, she may have found more success. In its essence, “Dirty Dancing” is the story of a girl during her last summer before college at a preppy family resort in the Catskills in 1963. When Frances “Baby” (Gillian Abbott) falls for entertainment staffer Johnny Castle (Samuel Pergande) from the wrong side of the tracks, her idealistic views are called into question. Add in some dancing, a few racy scenes and a singable soundtrack and it’s easy to see why the movie was a hit, but no one watches Dirty Dancing for its political themes, and that’s where author Eleanor Bergstein misses the mark. Bergstein attempts to inject a heavy handed civil rights subplot, complete with a cheesy campfire sing-along of “We Shall Overcome.” It doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work, and it drags out the plot interminably.
Speaking of singing, there’s very little of it in the show. There’s a talented band above the stage that isn’t nearly utilized enough, and very little singing that isn’t piped in. The two big solo songs, “In the Still of the Night” and the iconic “(I’ve Had) the Time of my Life” showcase a couple of ensemble singers whose notable talent is wasted in what is less a musical and more a play with music.
The characters of Johnny, dance partner Penny (Jenny Winton) and Baby are extremely well cast for their dancing ability, making their dance numbers some of the best moments in the show. Unfortunately their stage chemistry is lacking. They do their best with a script that did well in the movie but seems clunky in the less intimate stage presentation. Poignant moments tend to fall flat on a stage that seems too big for the show and is handicapped by technology failures – projection screens that went green at inopportune moments and an awkward scene that was supposed to take place in a field but, thanks to an oddly placed screen, leaves you searching for the actors amid 6’ blades of grass.
The show has potential to be good. More dance numbers and a lighter script could certainly help. A more cohesive set would definitely make the show more visually appealing – the costumes are gorgeous but often lost against the various pixelated backgrounds. The final number of the show is enough to bring the audience to its feet, unfortunately, without a lot more work from the production staff, those looking for the “time of [their] life” should probably visit Redbox instead of the theater.
“Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” runs through April 26 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St. Tickets range from $55 to $82 and can be purchased online at ppacri.com or by calling (401) 421-2787
