AFTER A THIRD SENSATIONAL WEST END
SEASON,
DIRTY DANCING RETURNS
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage
Sunderland Empire
Monday 26th June – Saturday
1st July 2017
Producers Karl Sydow and Paul
Elliott are delighted to announce that the new UK
production of Dirty Dancing – The
Classic Story On Stage, will mambo back onto the road after a sensational
Christmas season in the West End
followed by international dates in Bremen
and Cannes.
The show opens in Southend on 11 January and tours the UK
and Ireland
until the autumn of 2017 with a date at Sunderland Empire Monday 26th June – Saturday
1st July 2017.
Starring Lewis Griffiths as ‘Johnny Castle’, Katie Hartland as ‘Baby Houseman’ and Carlie Milner as ‘Penny Johnson’, the UK tour has taken over
£10million pounds since it hit the road last August and, due to overwhelming
demand for tickets around the country, even more dates have been added, including
return visits to Manchester, Blackpool, Liverpool, Woking and Sunderland.
The classic 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 UK, following two blockbuster West End runs, two hit UK tours, and various
international productions.
Full of passion and romance,
heart-pounding music and sensationally sexy dancing, this record-breaking all
new concept of the show is directed by Federico Bellone, choreographed by
Gillian Bruce with set design re-imagined by top Italian designer Roberto
Comotti. It premiered in Milan
in July 2015, subsequently packing out the 15,000 seat Roman Arena in Verona,
and then played a season in Rome.
Lewis
Griffiths has had a prolific career in musical theatre,
most recently starring as ‘Nick Massi’ on the UK
tour of Jersey Boys. Other roles in UK
tours include Ghost and Legally Blonde, and West
End credits include Priscilla Queen of the
Desert, Rent and Whistle Down the Wind.
Katie
Hartland made her professional musical theatre debut
carrying the watermelons as ‘Baby Houseman’, having graduated from the Royal
Central School of Speech and Drama in 2015.
Carlie
Milner is part of the Dirty Dancing family; starting as
a member of the ensemble in 2014, she covered and subsequently took over the
role of ‘Penny’ in 2015.
The rest of the company are: Julian Harries as ‘Jake Houseman’, Simone Craddock as ‘Marjorie
Houseman’, Tony Stansfield ‘as
Max Kellerman’, Jo Servi as
‘Tito Suarez’, Lizzie Ottley as
‘Lisa Houseman’, Michael Kent as
‘Billy Kostecki’, Greg Fossard
as ‘Neil Kellerman’, Nigel Nevinson
as ‘Mr Schumacher’, Daniela Pobega
as ‘Elizabeth’, and Camilla Rowland
as ‘Vivian’. Also joining the company are Gabby Antrobus, Imogen
Brooke, Simon Campbell, Robert Colvin, Katie Eccles, Beth Highsted,
Samuel John Humphreys, Megan Louch, Ashley Rumble, Callum
Sterling, Austin Wilks
and Karl James Wilson, who is
the Alternate ‘Johnny Castle’.
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. Her life is about
to change forever as she is thrown in at the deep end as Johnny’s leading lady
both on-stage and off, and two fiercely independent young spirits from different
worlds come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer
of their lives.
Dirty Dancing –The Classic Story
On Stage originally opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a
record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show
in West End theatre history. The production became the longest running show in
the history of the Aldwych Theatre and played to over 2 million people during
its triumphant 5 year run.
Since its Australian debut in
2004, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, has become a worldwide
phenomenon, with productions staged in the USA,
Canada,
Germany,
the Netherlands,
Sweden,
South Africa,
Hong Kong,
Singapore
and throughout Europe,
consistently breaking box office records. Recent sell out tours include France,
Germany
and Australia.
The first ever UK tour of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, launched
in 2011 and then returned to the West End in 2013 playing at the Piccadilly
Theatre in London, prior to launching a second UK and Ireland tour.
Produced by Karl Sydow, Joye
Entertainment and Paul Elliott, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour
Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein, script writer of the phenomenally
successful 1987 film, the production features the much-loved characters and
original dialogue from the iconic film, as well as exciting extra scenes added
in.
On
The Web:
Tickets:
Tickets available
from the Box Office on High Street West, via the ticket centre 0844 871 3022* or www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland
*calls cost up to 7p per minute plus standard network charges. Booking and
transaction fees may apply to telephone and online bookings.
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