ARTS & CULTURE
By Isaiah Bliss | Photos courtesy of Walton Arts Center
Have the Time of Your Life at Dirty Dancing: The Musical
The story that awakened a generation is back. Dirty Dancing: The Musical, a new stage production based on Lionsgate’s beloved film, is coming to Walton Arts Center on Oct. 21-25 for eight performances. Set to live music from the original film you love, Baby and Johnny bring to life the summer that changed everything. Your reservation at Kellerman’s awaits!
“Dirty Dancing didn’t just entertain — it imprinted itself onto the emotional memory of an entire generation,” Vanity Fair said.
Set against the unforgettable summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing: The Musical follows Frances “Baby” Houseman as she discovers love, passion and independence through her relationship with charismatic dance instructor Johnny Castle.
Dirty Dancing is an enduring cultural phenomenon that began with the iconic 1987 film that grossed more than $200 million at the worldwide box office and went on to launch two multiplatinum soundtrack albums, numerous No. 1 hit singles, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The original film is one of Lionsgate’s all-time bestselling library titles. This new North American stage tour aims to honor that legacy while reinventing the live experience for a new era. The Guardian said the show is “a pop-culture landmark that continues to define the nostalgia of an era.”
With live music from the original film and a book written by Eleanor Bergstein, the original screenwriter of the film, this is the feel-good escape audiences have been craving — alive with the pulse of electrified dancing, the thrill of secret encounters and the allure of forbidden romance.
“In the years after I wrote and co-produced the original film Dirty Dancing,” Bergstein said in a statement, “I was grateful and astonished by the generations of audiences who responded with open hearts to the themes of honor and courage beneath the surface. Years later, sensing our audiences wanted to ‘be there’ while the story was happening, I wrote and co-produced a stage show. Its reception all over the world exceeded my sweetest dreams.”
Show dates and times:
Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 at 1:30 and 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Dirty Dancing: The Musical is directed by Tony Award nominee, Obie Award winner and two-time Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd), who played Neil Kellerman in the original Dirty Dancing film, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie (Fat Ham, Beyonce’s World Tour). This production aims to capture the romance and youthful urgency that have defined Dirty Dancing for nearly four decades.
Kick off the night with a hands-on cocktail class before the performance and toast to a night full of dancing and romance. Purchase a cocktail class for $45 and our mixologists will teach you how to make two specialty drinks while you enjoy light appetizers and learn about the cocktail and its ingredients. Join a class at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 or at 6 p.m. on Oct. 23 and 24.
All-in tickets start at $48.30 and are available by visiting Walton Arts Center’s website, calling (479) 443-5600 weekdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. or in-person at Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.