TORONTO THEATRE NEWS
Dirty Sells for Mirvish
(Sunday, April 22, 2007)
Just announced yesterday by Mirvish productions, the musical Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage has broken box office records for first day single ticket sales with more than Cad $1,867,880 (USD $1.65 million) worth of tickets sold. This record excludes group revenues and subscriptions.
The last record holder was Lord Of The Rings which two years ago sold more than CAD $1 million on the first day with only the Internet sales available. The show went on to sell $15 million in advance before previews began. Back in 2000, The Lion King sold almost $1.3 million on its first day.
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is based on the classic 1987 musical movie Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. The musical will bring back live on stage all of the memorable musical moments from the movie. This includes the Academy Award and Grammy Award winning hit single, The Time Of My Life, and many other memorable hits such as Hungry Eyes, Do you love me, Hey Baby, She Likes the Wind. The stage version will also include a number of hits from the 60s, (Save The Last Dance For Me by the Drifters and Stubborn Kinda Fella by Marvin Gaye), that didn't make it into the movie when filmmakers failed to secure the rights.
The musical had its world premiere at Sydney's Theatre Royal on November 2004 after workshops in 2001. The show sold out the Australian and New Zealand tours. In London, the show broke box office records with over 11 million GBP, (equivalent to CAD$ 25 million), of tickets sold in advance before the show began previewing in Oct 2006. The show is now booked out until 2008.
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will start previews at the historical Royal Alexander Theatre in October 31, 2007, opening on November 15, 2007 as part of the 2007-2008 season, and as a celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Royal Alexander Theatre.
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage - SHOW DETAILS
Starting Date:
October 31, 2007, Wednesday
Closing Date:
March 29, 2009, Sunday
Venue:
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Venue Address:
260 King St W, Toronto
General Enquiry Phone:
416-593-4142
Category:
Musical - Premiere - North American -
DESCRIPTION
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is a timeless story of first love, full of heartpounding music, pure dance energy and breathtaking emotion.
It is a coming of age love story involving the talented and headstrong dancer Johnny Castle and Frances “Baby” Houseman. During her family’s summer holiday at the popular Kellerman’s resort, Baby, a doctor’s daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps, meets Johnny, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. Against all odds, they fall in love, learning life-changing lessons along the way. Dirty Dancing follows the highs and lows of their summer romance.
PRODUCTION AND CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright:
Eleanor Bergstein
Creator:
Eleanor Bergstein
Choreographer:
Kate Champion
Choreographer - Latin and Ballroom Choreographer:
Craig Wilson
Set Designer/Set Design:
Stephen Brimson Lewis
Costume Designer/Costume Design:
Jennifer Irwin
Light Designer/Light Design:
Tim Mitchell
Sound Designer/Sound Design:
Bobby Aitken
Creative Team - Musical Supervisor:
Conrad Helfrich
Creative Team - Video and Projection Design:
Jon Driscoll
CASTING
Jake Simons
(Johnny Castle)
Al Sapienza
(Dr. Jake Houseman)
Victoria Adilman
(Majorie)
Victor A. Young
(Max Kellerman)
Eric Fink
(Mr. Schumacher)
Dylan Trowbridge
(Neil Kellerman)
Kent Sheridan
(Moe Pressman)
Joyce Krenz
(Mrs. Schumacher)
Michelle Black
(Performer)
Lydia Bouchard
(Performer)
Karen Burthwright
(Performer)
Jodi-Lynn McFadden
(Performer)
Jason Sermonia
(Performer)
Michael Torontow
(Performer)
Christopher Compton
(Performer)
Milda Gecaite
(Performer)
Elizabeth Gordon
(Performer)
Sarah Murphy-Dyson
(Performer)
Christopher Tierney
(Performer)
Jonathan Whittaker
(Performer)
Johnny Wright
(Performer)
Melissa O'Neil
(Performer)
RATING(S) FROM THE THEATRE CRITICS
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