Review: Dirty Dancing at the Grand Opera House

Review: Dirty Dancing at the Grand Opera House

This week in 1987, a young love story movie was released into the world and an iconic phenomenon was born. I was 18 and we were all having the time of our lives, with the movie’s music in the charts and Patrick Swayze was the hottest actor around.

As we got older we all got more nostalgic about the 80’s and its movies and music stuck with us, they reminded us of our teens and carefree youth, of young love and learning to be us.

Now in our 40’s, 50’s and beyond, a trip to the theatre to experience Dirty Dancing on stage was always going to take us right back to those 80’s years.

The touring musical production is getting phenomenal reviews as it makes its way around the UK’s top theatres. It’s selling out everywhere, squeezing in matinee shows to meet demand, and enjoying runs of more than the traditional 5 nights; the Grand Opera House in Belfast is no different.

This is your feel good production of the summer. It’s the summer romance of your youth, the one you’ll never forget, even when you’re 90. The audience on opening night in Belfast couldn’t contain their excitement; every iconic quote from the movie caused a ripple through the audience, every moment recreated pulled at heartstrings. And then there was Johnny Castle played by Michael O’Reilly, the audience swooned for the duration, never more so than when he took his top off on stage, I think a few may have fainted in the aisles.

I did get a message from someone who went to see the matinee performance saying, ‘Jeff Jeff Jeff I could Eat Him Alive, The entire audience was grannies and they lost their minds. I had a moment!’

What more can I say!

If you want to have a moment, go and see this phenomenon. You’ll love the nostalgia, the music, the dancing. You’ll love Baby, Penny Johnson, the Housemans, Tito Suarez, and the ensemble. But I suspect you’ll mostly love Johnny. 

Go. Enjoy. Escape, and brace yourself for a unique night of dirty dancing.

Jeff 

Dirty Dancing is on until Saturday 2nd September.

Grand Opera House, Belfast

Tickets here.

Dirty Dancing production photo

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1 comment

The show was amazing, best love show I’ve seen I. A long time, the sets, the dancing, simg8mg, the sets, just fabulous and what better place,to,see it than the Grand Opera House.

Geraldine Walsh

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