Reviews

Debby
Awful ! totally wooden acting, absolutely no chemisty between Johnny & Baby & the field/water lift was comical - my daughter & I (age 41 & 19) laughed all the way through. Get the dvd, it's fantastic & the best £5 you'll ever spend.

Donna
I saw the show on April 19th 2008 and all i can say is WOW. I was sitting on row c, 5 rows from the stage. The show felt so real and brought tears to my eyes. it was FANTASTIC !! and i want to see it again.

Carrie
The dancing, music and memories of the film were so great that I really wasn't paying much attention to the acting (plus there was the perfect body of Josef which grabs your attention!) I took my teenage daughter with me and we both loved every minute. We sang all the way home! If you love dance, its a MUST.

Leigh
Went to see this last night... cringeworthy and very disappointing. Acting was awful, accents were dire and sets rubbish too

Kerry
Ignore the bad reviews, if you loved the film (can quote it word for word/used to watch the last scene repeatedly) then you will love the stage version.Johnnys odd american accent which sometimes sounded irish was laughable but he can dance and thats what the show is about after all. Other minor negative points were the girl behind me who found it necessary to "woohoo" every time a new scene started (yeh we've all seen the film love, we dont need your personal excitment bursting our ear drums). Also the additional scenes were unnecessary and added nothing to the story.Overall I have to say it was an excellent night and a fantastic show, the dancing was amazing and the girl who played Penny is incredibly talented.Go and see it!!!

Stacey
The extra scenes are deleted scenes from the movie. The water part was very clever, how else would you do it...fill the stage with water? Awesome show!!!

Millicent
The first time in my life I could not wait for a show to finish!! Awful acting, really lame...

HA
i went to see the show last night. it was absoultly fantastic! i loved every minute of it! hopeing to go see it again some time (:

Lyndsay age 17
i cant believe some people saying it was rubbish!!! what planet are they on!!! it was ABSOLUTLEY FANTASTIC loved EVERY minute of it!!!! fantastic dnacers and actors BEST SHOW IVE SEEN!!!!! Better than Grease and Les Miserable!!! Made me want to be in the West End even more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caroline
I was a bit disappointed with the show. The acting was wooden and the set a little on the tacky side (especially the lift seen in the field/water!!) Extra scenes were pointless... The dancing was good though escpecially by Penny! How amazing did she look in the black leotard!? I left feeling like a sack of potatoes!!!

Kim and Patrick
My husband and I went to see this show yesterday (28/03/2008). We have seen many musicals and plays, but this show really is AWFUL. The acting was completely wooden and the constant set changing was off-putting. We never once felt engaged by the performance, the actors themselves seemed to be just going through the motions. We left at the interval, which is something we have never done!

nicolaswoodbridge
This is an amazing show and all the dancing was brilliant.Josef Brown and My mum Julia Sutton were the best since sliced bread.They both deserve to get an Laurence Oliver Award.

Barry Maskell
I have not been to many west end shows but i really enjoyed this production, the sound quality was awesome and it moved along nicely its one of my favorite films so when i returned home i just had to whatch it again..any one who did noy enjoy this musical must be grumpy old so and so's......

Beverley
Brilliant! Brilliant! my husband and I went this weekend 14.3.08 matinee performance, for our 20th wedding anniversary, Sarah Manton Manton was the perfect baby she was spot on, Josef Brown was great, Nadia Coote was an amazing dancer. It made our anniversary special. Thank-you.

Louise
I thought it was brilliant. Baby was amazing. Unbelievable casting- I don't know how they found her! I didn't expect it to be as good as the film ... but it was. So much work has gone into the likenesses with the film, plus extra scenes which only add to it on stage. The only bad thing for me was Josef's accent and nasal voice- nothing like Patrick Swayze... buts his moves were excellent. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Suzanne
I thought it was FANTASTIC, I loved every minute of it and would go and see it over and over again! everything from the music to the dancing to the acting was brill well done

Louise
My boyfriend bought me two tickets as part of a Xmas present. I was so excited, but at the same time frustrated as I had to wait 2 months to see. I decided to take a girl friend and we "had the time of our lives". We hatched a cunning plan during the interval to kidnapp Josef Brown, but quickly decided against it. Who were we to deprive all of those women, waiting to see this hunk perform. Ok.. a few of the scenes were a bit OTT, but it's to be expected, that's theatre baby. I am going again in August and I can't wait - watch out Josef I'm coming to get ya this time :oD

H
A poorly acclaimed version with un-necessary props being wheeled on & off!!! Not the experience I was hoping for!!! - My expectations were to be dancing in the aisles & having the time of my life!!! How wrong can one be????

Holly
IT WAS AMAZING! Josef is really hot, I was staring at him the whole time! Shame about the theatre though, it was grotty and cold. However, its worth going to see!

Sandra
Certainly not one of the best shows I have seen in the West End. The acting by some of the cast was pretty poor. Best bits by far, were Josef getting down to his white boxers :-) Very sexy.

Minal
I left wanting more.....it was "too much". I thought Josef Brown was fantastic. I give full credit to the whole team.... and yes, I an going again!!!

Kayleigh
It was amazing! Although it wasnt Josef Brown playing Johnny, i really want to find out who it was as he was brilliant! He's not in the programme...any ideas?

tammy
oh my god! to all you people slating dirty dancing, you all need your heads read! i went to watch it just before xmas with 5 friends and was totally enthralled by it! it was amazing, cant wait to watch it again! we couldnt keep our eyes off josef HOT! HOT! HOT!

rachel
Loved the show! shame about the mice running around the top section of the audience though...especially when 2 memebers of my party had to leave due to a phobia of mice.. and the rest of the 2nd half was disrupted with people jumping up and screeching everytime a mouse ran over their foot!

Lee Eckersley
Really Bad!!. We left at the interval, the wife was not prepared to have one of her favourite movies of all time ruined, by Josef Brown's appalling American accent saying "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!". The best part of it for me, was some guy sat behind me, deciding that he would sing along to the whole soundtrack, I say sing in the loosest sense of the word, the embarrassing part of it being, a group of women in front of me, turning around looking at me and thinking it was me, before bursting into laughter!!

karen bentley
i thought the show was absolutely fantastic i could watch it over and over, one of the best nights ever.

Jane and Jackie
We saw 5 shows this week and we could not believe how disappointed we were in this show!! The extra scenes were useless, there was a tremendous amount of dead space (director - are you watching?), the actors did not stay in character as they walked off stage, the scenes were choppy, and some of the scene changes had no meaning. The audience was catcalling during the show, which was disruptive, but warranted. At one point, the audience in our section even laughed at the bad acting. The only saving grace was the song by Baby's sister during the talent show and the song sung by the singers after the show. Also, the lead dancers were strong. If you have tickets for this show, scalp them! Spend your money on other shows!!!

David Orr
This way exceeded my expectations. Josef Brown and Georgina Rich were fantastic as Johnny and Baby and were supported by an exellent cast.

Celia
I took my 19 year old goddaughter who had chosen to see it for our annual theatre trip. I'm 58 but was completely overawed by Josef Brown's physicality and sensuality and the chemistry between the principals, excellent worth every penny. And the climax, the best-known song, is very well done indeed and lifts the whole show to a new height. Well done everyone involved.

Becky
definately worth watching!it gave me goosebumps!such good dancing, singing and acting one of the best shows i have ever seen.

Anne Marie
Was very disappointed. Looked so forward to the show as the film is brillant and just couldn't believe how bad it was. No atmosphere at all until the very end when it was far too late to get into it. Felt like leaving halfway through - a waste of good money.

Monica
The show is great entertainment. Georgina Rich is a very good actress and superb as Baby. I wasn't as impressed with Josef Brown - good body and moves well but doesn't have the acting ability - he's totally wooden and not a patch on Patrick Swayze's Johnny. All the dancing is GREAT and the actress who plays Penny is an amazing dancer. Went with my daughter and we had a fantastic time and are up for it again!! Recommended.

Maria Knight - Essex
The most amazing show I've ever had the pleasure of seeing! So much more passion than the film, you actually feel involved! Josef was amazing. Going back in two weeks to see it again!! Stunning cast!

Nina
Went today to watch and have to say I'm disgusted with the theatre itself, saw a mouse crawling around on the floor near me half-way through the show. It completely ruined my evening. When I complained to the manager she was aware of infestation and could only apologise. To think I spent hundreds to come and watch this great show, its just such a shame they couldn't have it in a cleaner and bigger theatre.

Nicola
Dirty Dancing is amazing. The quality of acting and dancing was superb. I met the people after the show who played, Johnny, Baby and Penny and they all were very nice. BEST SHOW IN LONDON !

Camilla Gray
Went to see it last night and it was incredible!! Amazing dancing, singing and acting....JUST WONDERFUL.

Kerry
The show was just fantastic! The best West End show I have ever seen. Josef Brown who played Johnny Castle was simply brillliant, his dancing was amazing. I would highly recommend it and will most certainly be booking up to see it again.

Jill W
Went to see Dirty Dancing to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, and my friends 52nd birthay. My husband wasn't as thrilled as my friend and I, we thought it was fantastic, we had stirrings in parts of our bodies we'd forgotten we had! My husband was jealous methinks! Our best night out for years.

Kirsty
The most amazing thing on stage iv ever been to.. And my God the bloke who played johnny on the night of the 25/7/07 was very very sexy.xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Sarah!
dirty dancing was AMAZING! I really want to go and see it again, it was that good!except when i went georgina rich wasnt acting that night and we had emma woods, but she was amazing at acting, the dancing was out of this world!i recommend all of you to go see, what kind of person would think this was bad? pfft. your having a laugh!AWESOME!

Suzanne
Josef's dancing was fantastic and stage chemistry was unbelievable, wow! The ensemble dancers were excellent however more chemistry with partners - too many had eyes focused on the floor! The set design and scene changes were superb with excellent attention to detail. I want to see it again already!

Julia
Saw on Saturday and came away very disappointed. Josef Brown's acting was awful. It all seemed to lack something I can't quite put my finger on. And the extra little scenes, what was that about? I'm glad I got my ticket half price from a friend otherwise I would have been a bit miffed paying full price.

Sharon McManamin
Yes, what an excellent show. My sister and I went last night and had a fantastic time. Will definitely be recommending to others.

Sarah
One word .... AMAZING!!! The acting was fantastic, the dancing was fantastic, the singing was fantastic, the atmosphere was phenomenal! The whole thing was brilliant... well worth the money!!!

Lesley Ellis
Being part of such a responsive audience is what live theatre is all about - it was great fun. Would love to go again!

Fiona
I went to see the show last night with friends and my mum! It was SOOOOOO good! I'm booking another ticket to see it again! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!!! Well done to all the cast!

Jayne Cherry
The show was so much better than we expected. How clever to transfer the film version onto a West End Stage. Josef was as good as the critics said and Georgina was sensational. The show was brilliant. May it continue to be so.

Carol
Well I have now seen Dirty Dancing 4 times.... in the last 3 months! Josef Brown is fantastic as Johnny Castle, and so is Georgina Rich as Baby. The audience play a huge part in this show, especially when Josef is down to his boxer shorts, the women and probably some men! give a few wolf whistles, the moment when he puts his trousers on again, the audience were booing!! I know I shall be going again for the 5th time.... soon!

Andrew
Wow, my parents took me to see the show on monday and I havent been able to go 5 minutes without singing the time of my life, even in my GCSE exams, I would go again just to hear Ben Mingay's incredible voice, simply brilliant

Lisa
I was lucky enough to receive free tickets for the show. After seeing it, if the tickets had not been free I would be asking for my money back. Everything seemed false, the lines delivered by the characters were over the top, the 'mistakes' as baby learnt to dance, and the cheesy over-enthusiasm of the background cast. However I did enjoy the hula song and the two singers ferried on for the hits were excellent. Perhaps my expectations were too high, I was wanting the stage show to take the film to a new level. Achievable on the £millions the show is currently raking in?

Mary J
Dirty Dancing was excellent, I have been a fan for years and still feel just as young as the first time I watched it. May I add that Billy/Ben Mingay's voice is just amazing. Josef, you're so fine!!!!

Katrina Stansfield
Absoluteley Fantastic. The best West End Show I have ever seen!

Gemma Worsfold
I have been to see dirty Dancing today and its awsome!!!!!!!! Josef Brown is HOT!!!!!!!

Rachel W
I thought DD was amazing! The dancing was spectacular and the cast were brilliant. I thought Josef who plays Johnny made it his own and I even thought he was better looking than Patrick Swayze. I hope to see it again and I hope it runs with this cast for many years to come.

Jo S
It's obvious that they've sacrificed proper actors for professional dancers. The only one who could act was Baby... as far as the rest were concerned I've seen better acting in school plays. And what's with the plot additions???! Sorry 1/10. Excrutiating.

Nicola W
Saw it 13/4 with my 2 sisters. We all agreed it was the best show we had seen (and we hardly ever agree!)Well worth the ticket prices Love to see it again some time. Hope it makes it out of London...

Pat Johnstone
WOW - have just seen the show and Josef made two old ladies very happy!!!!! Brilliant show and cast. The audience was great and everybody went home happy. We need shows like this in this day and age when there is so much anger about. Well done everyone involved.

claire G
This Musical was awful and i was very disappointed. Save your money and get the dvd out!!

Lynsey Lowthian
ABSOLUTELY BREATH TAKING - I've been a fan of Dirty Dancing since the release of the film in '87 & must have seen it thousands of times (no exaggeration). This stage version took my breath away & yes, I even cried at the end. These actors/dancers deserve the highest accolade, if I could afford to see it twice a day every day I would. The dancing & the enthusiasm they show is astounding, Josef Brown's dancing skill & of course his looks should & will make him a star & Georgina Rich was an inspired choice for Baby - I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN RIGHT NOW!!!!

Mandy
Well I've just had the time of my life! Sunday today - we went to see the show on Thursday night and are still talking about it now! Paid £60 for my ticket but boy, was it worth every penny of my hard earned cash! Exceeded all expectations and definitely the type of production I expect from the West End. No offence to the following people, as I know we are entitled to our own opinions but I'm wondering if Donna, Lyn, Louise E and Henry Jones have actually been to the Aldwych to see Dirty Dancing! What planet are you on guys?! I highly recommend this show as a must see and if you haven't already bought your ticket, buy it now (but be quick 'cos I'm buying some more!).

Donna
Awful awful awful, the 'actors' were more wooden than the wooden tops, the music was jusrt awful and to top it all the sound broke down for a long time and the show was closed for at least half an hour. This is no-way up to west end standard and I would recommend that you save your money.

Lyn
This was the most boring musical I have ever seen on stage in the West End. The acting was wooden, there was no atmosphere, the cast looked bored and dreary. Terribly disappointed, total waste of my hard earnt money.

Ems
I went to see the show in Oct 06 it was fab.Yes Josef Brown is very good to look at and he is a great dancer/singer/actor to.He is also very polite as he replied to my letter i sent him. Everyone expects it to be the film and yes it is based on the film with some extra bits,but at the end of the day it is a LIVE STAGE SHOW. Go and see it it is a great night out. You will have the time of your life.

Lynsey Brown
I went last night and it was fantastic! I dont think Josef was as good as Patrick, but he did very well. They are very big shoes to fill. However I felt Georgina was absolutely brilliant. She, like me, has probably seen the film more times than she'd care to mention and I think she portrayed Baby very close to how Jennifer Grey did. Even down to the way she stood and reacted. Overall an amazing night. I'd thoroughly recommend it

zoe
I thought that Dirty Dancing was fantastic. The dancing was absolutely amazing. I was slightly disappointed by the set however when you take into account the space they have been provided with I agree it was well thought out. Josef Brown is absolutely gorgeous and played the part to a tee.

Caroline
I went to see the show last night (28 Feb 07) and found it incredibly refreshing to be part of an audience that was so enthusiastic from start to finish. And as I'm sure many women did, I had to stop myself from saying all the lines at the same time as the actors, as my 100 times of watching the film as a teenager had pre-programmed me to do. So altogether the night was fun, but I have to say, being objective, that there are some areas that need improvement. I don't know who played the role of Johnny Castle last night (it wasn't Josef Brown and we received no notice of an understudy playing the part), but his acting left a lot to be desired. He was beautiful, though, and danced fantastically, so I managed to push aside the fact that his accent could not be attributed to any part of America that I know of... The same can be said of most other actors with the exception of Georgina Rich (Baby) (if she isn't American, you certainly wouldn't know it). I'd go back and see it again, but would love to see a cast chosen as much for their dancing abilities as for their acting, with more time being spent fine-tuning the American accent so that it doesn't give the impression of gifted dancers who speak like robots...

Sarah Harding
MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC!!!!!!!!!! The Dancing was nothing but spectacular. I have waited for years for Dirty Dancing to come to the theatre and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. Far and Away the BEST theatre production I have seen. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. I had a great night (and in case anyone is thinking this is just a typical chick review) - I PROMISE my husband thought it was spectacular also. :o)

Carol Shore
We travelled from Glasgow to London to see the show - IT WAS MORE THAN WORTH THE TRIP. The dancing was spectacular. The music great. I LOVED IT. WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

Deb
I totally disagree with the comments made by Henry Jones and Louise E. It sounds like they went to the Aldwych expecting to see a movie. This production was awesome and for the record, Josef Brown might be a pretty face and indeed torso, but he is also an incredible dancer and performer. I and my 27 companions that saw the show on 24th Jan '07 were more than impressed with what we saw. I think that Brown outdanced Swayze and I'd gladly hand over the £59.50 to watch it all over again.

Bronia
I loved it, it was magnificent and I could watch it every day. All the people I came with from Sheffield said it was well worth the money as we were up dancing and had the time of our lives! We watched the dvd when we got back. Thanks for a great show xx

laura
Just been to see dirty dancing with 6 friends, wasnt sure if the cast could pull off such an amazing film on the stage but we all loved it from start to finish. Absolutely brilliant. I recommend anyone to see it and you wont be disappointed. Josef and Georgina are excellent and very believable!!!

Kimberley
Just got back 5 minutes ago from seeing the show this afternoon!!! Couldn't wait to get online!!! This was amaaazing!!!! How I would die to have a body like Nadia Coote who plays Penny. The show hit the mark! All eyes on Josef Brown... sex god of the year! And thumbs up for Georgina Brown who played 'Baby'--> complete perfection on stage!!! Go to see this! You will not be disappointed!!

Hayley
I went to see the show in November 2006 for my 30th Birthday. Dirty Dancing is one of my all-time favorite films and I was not disappointed by the stage version. It was absolutely fantastic! The bits that were added were a bit odd at times but I can only assume they were needed for costume changes etc. Anyone putting Josef Brown down is just jealous of his sexy six pack. I notice it's guys making negative comments about him. He and Georgina Rich played the parts to the T and were amazing lookalikes too.

Tracy
Four friends and I went to see the show in order to celebrate two of us becoming 40 last year - we were not disappointed! We certainly had the time of our lives. It was like being back in the late eighties and falling in love with Josef Brown, the way we did with Patrick Swayze. Josef's dancing was amamzing and Georgina Rich performed the role of Baby excellently, just as well as Jennifer Grey did in the original film, recreating the magic all over again for us. My only criticism was the wooden performance from David Rintoul in the role of Dr Jake Houseman. I have just booked to see the show again with my sister-in-law in June. When my husband-to-be first introdced the pair of us at the beginning of 1989 we both professed to be the biggest DD fans. I just know she is going to love the show as much as I did.

ian huntly
An excellent production in our opinion with seemless changes of scenes. Good cast

lauren
I totally disagree with Henry Jones. I think Josef captured the play much better than "baby" not just cause of his "pretty body", but he is a talented dancer/actor. And he seems like a nice person too, when I met him by accident going to a loo trip! I never was a big fan of dirty dancing till now so that just proves this play is saying somthing. I did have an amazing time. The characters' connections looked very real and those who are being out of order towards Josef need to lighten up. I bet they couldnt do a better job. x an awesome production.

chloe
i went to watch it and i loved it. its the best one i have ever seen and i love josef brown

Jessica
IT IS AWESOME!!!!

sally
I went with a few friends and we could not take our eyes off Josef Brown. We all thought he was very well cast and what a dancer, fantastic. The whole show was very much like the film and we were not let down at all by our high expectations. There was great chemistry between all the actors and dancers. Would recommend anyone to go and see it for sure.

Lisa
Saw the show on Friday and I was utterly enthralled. Georgina Rich was amazing...so endearing...a flawless depiction of Baby. I am an obsessive Dirty Dancing fan and could quote almost every line from the film. But this shines in its own right. Brilliantly put together, exciting.....I have never experienced this kind of atmosphere in a theatre! However, the only fault was the casting of Josef Brown as Johnny. He is obviously a brilliant dancer, but lacked personality on stage and at times merely seemed to speak his lines. Disappointing, but then he had big boots to fill! I'd still recommend it as a phenomenal night out!

Louise E
Bought in April, my tickets ensured I was happily situated in the 3rd row of the stalls. As an avid DD fan perhaps my expectations were a little high. Unfortunately my friend and I were sorely disappointed. Josef Brown was more like Jonny Bravo than Jonny Castle. Severely lacking in on stage chemistry, he was an insult to the character previously portrayed by Patrick Swayze and totally obliterated the mystery and aloofness which made the character attractive. The dancing was more rock than dirty and the added scenes hideous! On the bright side, Georgina Rich was excellent and the show was thoroughly entertaining even if it was for all the wrong reasons...we spent the entire night in stitches at the lead character's expense. We came to the informed decision that an apology to Patrick Swayze is in order!

elena
it was amazing

Henry Jones
I had to queue for 2 hours to get a ticket for the previews at the top price of £50 which were located in row Q of the stalls. The actor playing the leading role (Josef Brown) was nothing but a “pretty face”, well I should more accurately say a pretty body. I felt so sorry for Georgina Rich, who plays ‘baby’ and was actually very good, but it seemed that she was trying to recreate a romantic scene with a brick rather than a charming, desirable character. The dancing was ok but definitely not enough to sustain the piece. It would work better if they just put the dvd on the back screen of the stage. In conclusion I would say that if you are a theatre goer who likes good acting and being entertained don’t bother going to this, but if you don’t mind paying £59.50 plus booking fee to see a nice torso jumping around on stage this is the show for you.

Tasha
It was amazing better than I expected the casting was just right I believed I was watching the film but it was here with me!Dancers were exceptional and I would highly recommend it you wont be disappointed