Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Review Roundup: DIRTY DANCING Launches North American Tour
BroadwayWorld: The North American Tour of Dirty Dancing: The Musical is now underway! The tour launched at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, MN and will continue across North America, making stops in cities including Detroit, Boston, Toronto, and Washington, DC.
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3 comments:
Dirty Dancing a good musical and I am happy that it is having a North American tour. I've written before about my frustrations with the Broadway scene being taken up by adaptations and revivals, but for some reasons I'm not upset with this.A possible reason as why I'm not infuriated with Dirty Dancing having a tour could be that the movie is a basically a musical, and it was also written in a different era. I equate this musical with the likes of Greece, Hairspray, and Back to the Future, all which don't upset me that they're also musicals.
Looking at the reviews, I'm not surprised that they are generally positive. It is hard to critique a beloved musical. I'm surprised that one of the reviews focused solely on the audience's reaction, rather than the content and quality of the actual production. I wonder if the tour will go to more cities that the article shared.
Dirty dancing is one of my favorite movies ever, but I do not love that they made it a musical. I think that original musicals are a lost art and the fact that we keep turning every classic 80s movie into a musical is getting a little old. I appreciate some of the critics' opinions that a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the iconic songs or moments (like the lift at the last dance). This makes audiences go to see shows not to see new original art that inspires people, but to see something that reminds them of this one moment that they love, which can be good, but i dont think its what people should be seeing theater for. That being said, I think that the production design is very well done, the stage is bright and warm, with costumes giving a very good nod to the original movie.
Dirty Dancing originated as a hit movie in the late 80s and is now launching its North American tour - while not a brand new musical, this is not an often-produced piece of theatre, so it is interesting to read about this new production. The creatives of the production are profoundly strong - both within the direction and choreography of the piece - as is the design team with lighting designer Japhy Weideman. While the reviews of this production seem to be a mix of positive and neutral reviews, I was surprised to hear that some felt that the heavy lifting of the show relied on the nostalgic qualities of the piece. I would have expected the show to bring a fresh perspective, more so with the accomplishments and accolades of the creative team. I hope I will have the opportunity to see the show, as it feels like it would be an enjoyable spectacle. I am curious to see if more will develop from this tour or if the response will shift.
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