'Dirty Dancing' Coming To LA @ Pantages Theatre

Already a worldwide phenomenon, DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage is breaking box office records all over the world-Australia, Germany, UK, Canada, Holland and most recently with the announcement of the U.S. premiere in Chicago, and now it's Los Angeles' turn to get ready for "the time of your life."
 
The Pantages Theatre will be home to the West Coast Premiere of DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage by Eleanor Bergstein, the writer and co-producer of the phenomenally successful film, when the US National Tour opens there in May, 2009.
 
Ticketing information for The Pantages Theatre engagement will be announced at a later date.  For Broadway/L.A. season subscription series information, go to www.BroadwayLA.org.
 
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, 'Baby' shows little interest in the resort activities, and instead discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles upon the staff quarters when an all-night dance party is in full swing.  Mesmerized 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.  'Baby's' 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 with breathtaking consequences.
 
The original story of Dirty Dancing has been expanded for the stage.  While keeping all the magical moments from the film, in the theater, Baby and Johnny's relationship is developed further so there are more Baby and Johnny scenes; there is more new music that Eleanor Bergstein always wanted for the film such as Save The Last Dance, This Magic Moment and Stubborn Kind of Fellow, which joins classic songs like the Academy Award-winning "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life," "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby" and  "Do You Love Me?" and there is more sensational dancing.
 
DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage is produced by Jacobsen Entertainment, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein.
 
Writer and co-producer Eleanor Bergstein said: "I originally wrote Dirty Dancing because I love to dance.  Since the movie appeared, the openhearted audience response has made me believe that everyone has a secret dancer inside them, one they feel could connect them to the physical world in the way they dream. As I learned how many people watched the movie over and over, I began to think that what they really wanted was to share more intensely in the event, to step through the screen and be more fully present while the story was happening.  That, of course, meant live theater--audiences watching live bodies dancing here and now--on the log, on the bridge, on the dance floor and in the staff quarters at Kellerman's.
 
 "We didn't, however, want just to slap the film on stage.  Rather, we needed to find a way to preserve the iconic moments while transforming them into a new kind of theatrical event. We made some important structural shifts, while incorporating a kind of playful running dialogue between the theatrical and movie mediums. We were able to add more story, more Baby and Johnny scenes, more about the family, more songs, and, most of all-the unparalleled excitement of live dancing."
 
Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate's CEO & Co-Chairman commented "Dirty Dancing has more enduring popularity than nearly any other piece of entertainment in the past century.  It is that rare cultural phenomenon that transcends the usual boundaries of language, nation and generation, and it gives genuine meaning to the superlatives "timeless" and "universal."  That is why DIRTY DANCING -- The Classic Story On Stage resonates as profoundly with audiences in The Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand today as the original film did with movie going audiences 20 years ago.  Dirty Dancing has been a treasured part of Lionsgate's filmed entertainment library for many years, and now we are proud to be involved with the stage play as it makes its way to audiences around the world and launches its North American Tour this fall."
 
Directed by James Powell and choreographed by Kate Champion, DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage features set design by Stephen Brimson Lewis, music supervision by Conrad Helfrich, lighting design by Tim Mitchell, sound design by Bobby Aitken, costume design by Jennifer Irwin, Latin and Ballroom choreographer, Craig Wilson, and video & projection design by Jon Driscoll.
 
Proclaimed "The biggest live theatre sensation of all time" by The Observer newspaper in London, DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage also received four stars from The Times, The Independent, Financial Times, Evening Standard, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Times and Time Out London.
 
For more information on Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, visit www.DirtyDancingOnStage.com.