A stage adaptation of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing that received its world premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2004 is heading to the West End. The musical will begin performances at the Aldwych Theatre on 28 September and open officially on 24 October.
Dirty Dancing,which has been adapted for the stage by the film’s screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein, is set at a Catskills summer camp in 1963, and plays out the budding romance between a rich visitor, Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey in the film) and a dance instructor at the camp, Johnny Castle (originally played by Patrick Swayze). No casting has yet been announced for the stage version.
The score will feature songs from the bestselling movie soundtrack, including "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life," "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby" and "She’s Like the Wind."
The Aldwych's current tenant is Fame, which has been playing there since September 2002, but previously had played seasons twice each at the Cambridge (where it originally opened in June 1995) and Victoria Palace Theatres, as well as the Prince of Wales Theatre.