"Dirty Dancing" presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Hall

DIRTY DANCING
play program

The Travelling Toe and friend attended the Sunday matinee performance of "Dirty Dancing" at Bass Hall.  The play was presented as part of the Broadway at the Bass series by Performing Arts Fort Worth.

Bass Hall

The play is based on the 1987 movie of the same name starring Patrick Swayze as Johnny and Jennifer Grey as Baby.

If you do not know the story either you were born after 1987 or you live in a cave.  "Dirty Dancing" was a big hit when it premiered and really launched Patrick's acting career into the stratosphere.  

OK, here is a very basic premise of the movie and play.   Baby and her family go to the Catskills for a summer vacation.  Baby is not impressed with being there and begins to make friends with some of the staff when she seems them "dirty dancing" in their private quarters. Johnny, the resort's handsome dance instructor and his current partner Penny are slated to appear in a dance contest and Johnny needs the prize money badly.   But Penny finds out she is pregnant and decides not to have the baby.   But there is a no money to take care of it so Baby steps in and gets the money from her Dad. When Penny has complications from the medical procedure, Johnny enlists Baby to be his new dance partner.  As they begin practicing and spending more time together they slowly start to fall in love with each other. 

Through a misunderstand, Johnny is accused of being a thief and even though he is proven innocent, he is fired.  Baby is totally disheartened when she learns he has left the resort.

At the last show of the season, all the dancers decide to dance the way they want to not as they are required to do.  

In the play we saw Sunday  Johnny comes running down the aisle and jumps on stage and grabs Baby and says that famous line from the movie, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner". Audience members just screamed!

The play was full wonderful music of the 1960's that could not be obtained for the movie.  It really helped set the tone of the show and often reflected what was happening on stage.

The resort scenery was projected on to the stage and changed with the different scenes, from a golf course, to the dinning room, to the woods and even a swimming pool. Rain was projected on the set with accompanying sounds and it almost felt like it really was raining in the theater.

The two leads in the touring play were very good, Samuel Pergande as Johnny and Gillian Abbot as Baby.  Samuel had the longest legs and wore tight black pants and if he had had a nickle in his pocket  you could have seen if it was heads or tails.  But wow...was he ever a great dancer.  He just had that natural talent, grace and rhythm.  

Samuel Pergande & Gillian Abbot

Also it must be mentioned that 2 other actors did the majority of the singing and both had excellent voices, Jennlee Shallow and Doug Carpenter.  Doug performed a marvelous rendition of "In the Still of the Night" that wowed all the audience members.

The live orchestra conducted by Alan Plado were also brilliant.  Most of the time they were on stage but up on a platform as if on a band stand playing for the guests.  Live music makes anything better!

If this road show comes your way, do go enjoy it.  


Disclaimer:  The Travelling Toe is not a professional critic and any opinions expressed are for entertainment purposes only.