Nobody puts Baby in a corner, especially on Broadway. The beloved 1987 romantic drama “Dirty Dancing,” which starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, is being developed for a new Broadway stage adaptation called “Dirty Dancing: The Musical.”
There’s some connective tissue too – Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote the screenplay for the original film, wrote the book of the musical and is closely involved in the creative process while Lonny Price, who played Neil Kellerman in the film before becoming a lauded stage director, is set to direct “Dirty Dancing: The Musical.”
The show hails from Lionsgate and The Path Entertainment Group under its live stage arm Showpath and will launch in 2025 with a major run in North America before hitting theater markets in Asia, Australia, Latin America and beyond.
Per a press release announcing the show, “Dirty Dancing: The Musical” will bring “a fresh creative approach to the timeless love story that captured the hearts of millions around the world.” It is once again set in the summer of 1963 and follows the love story between Frances “Baby” Houseman and dance instructor Johnny Castle. “The original film celebrates themes of empowerment, independence, and the joy of dance – elements that will be present in the new stage adaptation,” the release said.
There may even be some new songs.
“In the years after I wrote and co-produced the original film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ 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,” Bergstein said. “Its reception all over the world exceeded my sweetest dreams. Now we’ve come full circle, and with my old friend Lonny Price by my side, I’m returning to the stage with a reimagined version. Its hope is to be equal to the new world swirling around us while revisiting more fully and precisely the story I’d wanted to tell when I wrote my first lines. It’s my way of saying thank you to you all.”
