Here at Apartment613 we tend to be fairly positive. When we are asked to review a play, concert, musical or art exhibit, we like to focus on the good aspects and give constructive criticism whenever possible.
It therefore takes a really unusual situation for us to declare, “wow, that performance was really, really terrible.” The musical Dirty Dancing, currently playing at the National Arts Centre until Sunday, April 19, is an example of such a situation.
How bad was it? My date for the opening night on Tuesday left at the intermission, declaring in an apologetic voice that she just couldn’t stay for the second half. I only stayed until the end because of my promise to review the show.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a Dirty Dancing hater. I enjoyed the original movie that came out in 1987 and have listened to the soundtrack numerous times.
I also find the story strangely appealing: Frances “Baby” Houseman, a wealthy girl on a family summer vacation, starts a romantic relationship with the mysterious Johnny Castle, a dance instructor at the resort she is staying at. When Johnny’s regular partner Penny Johnson becomes pregnant, Baby borrows money from her father to pay for an illegal abortion. She then becomes Johnny’s replacement partner for a big upcoming show.
So how did the musical turn out? Well, pretty badly.
To begin with, the character of Baby (played by Gillian Abbott) is completely botched. Instead of a naïve, impressionable young lady who matures into a woman, we are presenting with a wooden mannequin who has zero – and let me emphasise the word zero – chemistry with Johnny.
Then there is the surprisingly flat performance by large members of the cast. At one point during the show Johnny tells Baby that it is not enough to learn the steps to a dance, you must also feel the music. The same could be said about this musical: At times I felt like the actors were simply going through the motions but had no real desire to be on stage.
Among the few positives are the characters of Johnny (played by Samuel Pergande) and Penny (played by Jenny Winton) that were played relatively well. However, these bright lights stood out in a pretty mediocre evening.
I know there are some people who will disagree with my take on this show, while some hardcore Dirty Dancing fans may have enjoyed themselves at this performance. However, in good conscience, I cannot recommend this musical.
