It’s the summer of 1963, and 17 year old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing. On holiday in New York’s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents, she shows little interest in the resort activities, and instead discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles across an all night dance party at the staff quarters. Mesmerised by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms, Baby can’t wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle, the resort dance instructor…
Producer Karl Sydow is delighted to announce the new 2018/19 UK tour of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage! The show opens at the Theatre Royal Brighton on Thursday 20th September for a 10 day run before touring across the UK, and then returning to the region from Tuesday 23rd to Sat 27th October at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings.
The iconic story of Baby and Johnny, featuring the hit songs Hungry Eyes, Hey! Baby, Do You Love Me? and the heart stopping (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, returns to the stage, following two blockbuster West End runs, three hit UK tours, and multiple sensational international productions.
Kira Malou, will star as idealistic ‘Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman’. Kira is a member of the Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage family already, having played the role of ‘Baby’ regularly during the 2016-17 UK tour, as well as being a member of the ensemble. A previous winner of The Stage Scholarship, Kira has performed as a dancer with Ellie Goulding on Children in Need, and at the UEFA World Cup opening ceremony. She has also just finished her first TV series playing the lead role of ‘Mimy’ in the new Disney series School Hacks.
Simone Covele will star as ‘Penny Johnson’. Since graduating in 2013, Simone has performed extensively in her home country of Australia, as well as internationally, and was a soloist at the world-famous Moulin Rouge in Paris.
Michael O’Reilly will star as ‘Johnny Castle’. Michael is making his professional debut in the show after graduating in dance and musical theatre from Bird College, and is thrilled to be donning Johnny’s iconic shades and leather jacket. In a short break from his intense rehearsal schedule, I spoke to Michael and asked him how he managed to secure the iconic lead role in one of the best loved theatre productions around…
What was the audition process like?
The audition process from start to finish was just amazing. It was so much fun. You go in there and you listen to the creative team and then you just do your very best. It was a tough process, we had three rounds of auditions to get through and in each round we had to go straight into one of the major dance numbers.
How does it feel to know that you have landed such an iconic role as your first professional “gig”?
Well, there’s obviously an element of pressure that you put yourself under because you know that the show has such a big fanbase, and you want to do the very best you can for the fans, and for the show. But, at the same time, I’m just unbelievably excited because it’s such a cool opportunity for me. It’s such a great role to play, and I am just so fortunate that I have been trusted to do it and I’m just going to go out and give it my best.
The part involves a huge amount of dance, and that’s your background isn’t it ?
Yes it is, but I came into it a little bit late really as I started in professional rugby and then found my way into the dance world.
Sorry, how do you segue from the world of professional rugby to the world of dance?
Well, actually, I sort of fell into it. I was fortunate enough to be pushed to go to an audition when I was about 16 when one of my friends just said “you should go for this” and it turned out to be Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies and I auditioned and, somehow, I got it and so all of a sudden I was working with Matthew and the New Adventures team and that really brought me into that world and really inspired me to take it further.
I trained at Bird College, and that was heavily dance based, and through that I really found my grounding in dance and I feel that that’s where Johnny’s character comes to life, in the dance, and from there you go into the singing and all that. We have a really great team here, our Director, Federico Bellone, and Choreographer, Gillian Bruce, are really working well together to really pull it out of us, which is great.
Looking at your promo pictures I have to ask, how difficult is it to keep looking as good as you do?
Oh, I don’t know really. It’s just part of the training that we all do. On top of all the dance that we have to do I also train every day, sometimes twice a day if I can fit it in. We have mobility and conditioning sessions and then there is an element of weight training that comes into it as well, but I’m really fortunate that fitness is something that I grew up with and I will always go back to because I love to work hard. It’s great to get into the gym after a tough day of rehearsals and workout.
I guess that “the look” is another expectation that the audience have of you.
Yes, definitely. I think the audience definitely expect Johnny to look a certain way and the more that I can try to live up to Patrick Swayze, the better. There is no comparing to the man himself, of course, but all we can do is to try our best. It is so good for me, in my first job, to come in and work with such an established show and a stunning creative team. Their work is amazing, and their vision too. To be able to take the film and to put it, so well, on to the live stage is just amazing.
I think it is going to be really good fun for the audience. We are very excited to be opening in Brighton, it’s going to be so special. We are going to be bringing a full energy production to the Theatre Royal and we are all very excited to be performing for them at the beginning of such a massive and hugely successful tour. Some venues, where the show doesn’t go to until November, are already selling out so that’s great news for all of us because it’s always so great to play to a full house.
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage! appears at the Theatre Royal Brighton from Thursday 20th September to Saturday 29th September with performances on Monday to Thursday evenings at 7.45, Friday at 5.00pm and 8.30pm and Saturdays at 3.00pm and 7.45pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.atgtickets.com/brighton or through the Theatre Royal Brighton box office on 0844 871 7650
The show will then play at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings from Tuesday 23rd October to Saturday 27th October with performances on Tuesday to Thursday evenings at 7.30pm, Friday at 5.00pm and 8.30pm and on Saturday at 3.00pm and 7.30pm. Tickets for Hastings can be purchased online at www.whiterocktheatre.org.uk or through the theatre box office on 01424 462 288.