DIRTY DANCING - THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE Comes to Seattle, Jan 20

Seattle Theatre Group and KeyBank Broadway at the Paramount are proud to present the premiere of Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story On Stage. The staged musical of this worldwide smash-hit film will play The Paramount Theatre from Tuesday, January 20 through Sunday, February 1, 2015. Tickets are available on-line at stgpresents.org and tickets.com, by calling 877-STG-4TIX (784-4849) or in person at select Ticketmaster locations and at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm).

"As I learned how many people watched the movie over and over and over," said Eleanor Bergstein, screenwriter of the film Dirty Dancing and book writer for the musical, "I began to think that what they really wanted was to share more intensely in the event, to step through the screen and be there while the story was happening. And if that was true, then its natural form was the theatre - audiences watching live bodies dancing here and now in the present - on the log, on the bridge, on the dance floor and in the staff quarters at Kellerman's. Writing it for the stage, I was also able to add more Baby and Johnny scenes, more about the family, more songs I couldn't afford last time, and, most exciting of all -- more dancing."

"Dirty Dancing is one of our most beloved and timeless properties," said Lionsgate Television COO Sandra Stern. "Its magic has enchanted audiences on film, television, DVD and digital platforms alike, and it remains a perennial best-seller in our film and television library. We're delighted to participate in the latest stage incarnation that will introduce Dirty Dancing to a whole new generation of fans, and we expect the stage play to prove yet again that nobody puts Baby in a corner."

The production's book is written by Eleanor Bergstein and the North American tour will be directed by James Powell with choreography by Michele Lynch based on the original choreography by Kate Champion.

Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story On Stage is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this timeless love story features the hit songs "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby," "Do You Love Me?" and the heart-stopping "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life." London's Sunday Express says "This crowd-pleasing stage adaptation hits the jackpot!"

It's the summer of 1963, and 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is on vacation in New York's Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents. Mesmerized by the racy dance moves and pounding rhythms she discovers in the resort's staff quarters, Baby can't wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle, the resort's sexy dance instructor. Passions ignite and Baby's life changes forever when she is thrown in to the deep end as Johnny's leading lady, both on-stage and off.

Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story On Stage was first performed at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia in November 2004 before embarking upon a hugely successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. A new production opened at the Theater Neue Flora in Hamburg, Germany in March 2006 where it broke records for achieving the highest advance in European history.

The production began performances on London's West End in October 2006 with an £11 million advance and went on to become the longest running show in the history of the Aldwych Theatre. It closed in July 2011 in advance of a two-year UK national tour and then returned to London for a strictly limited season at the Piccadilly Theatre.

The show has gone on to perform across the world in markets as diverse as Utrecht, Holland, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. It is currently represented by a new UK tour, which launched March 2014 in Bristol.

Dirty Dancing -- The Classic Story On Stage will be at Seattle's Paramount Theatre for 16 performances. The schedule for the Seattle engagement is:

Tuesday, January 20 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 21 7:30pm
Thursday, January 22 7:30pm
Friday, January 23 8:00pm
Saturday, January 24 2:00pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 25 1:00pm An ASL / AVIA Interpreted performance

6:30pm -- An Open Caption performance

*For tickets to the ASL- Open Caption performances, call the TTY line at 888-331-6774.

Tuesday, January 27 7:30 pm
Wednesday, January 28 7:30pm
Thursday, January 29 1:00 pm and 7:30pm
Friday, January 30 8:00pm
Saturday, January 31 2:00pm and 8:00 pm
Sunday, February 1 1:00pm

Tickets for Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage start at $25 and are available on-line at stgpresents.org and tickets.com, by calling 877-STG-4TIX (784-4849) or in person at select Ticketmaster locations and at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm).

The North American tour of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is produced by Amber Jacobsen, NETworks Presentations LLC, Grove Entertainment and Col Joye in association with Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier next generation global content leader, and Magic Hour Productions.

About STG - Seattle Theatre Group (STG) is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that owns and operates the historic Paramount Theatre and operates the Moore and Neptune Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a variety of shows from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and Jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows -- at all these historic theatres in Seattle and at venues throughout Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

Pictured: Samuel Pergande (Johnny) and Jillian Mueller (Baby) in the North American tour of DIRTY DANCING -- THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

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