Summer of 1963. A peek into Baby's socialite life means either long
nights full of social dancing or a repetitive game of Simon Says. Just like
every teenager during that time, her life has been planned well ahead for her
as she anticipates her next few years to be spent as part of the Peace Corps.
Never has she thought that a little bit of Mambo and some big band could change
her life. When the long-time dance partner of star dancer Johnny Castle gets
knocked up by a waiter, Baby suggests that they find someone to fill in for her
until an abortion is successfully done, lest the dance group lose a significant
amount of their meager wages. That someone ends up being her. She then spends
the next few days in serious training with him, transitioning from naive girl to competitive
dancer and finding her way to womanhood in the process.
An announcement in Cantonese and Mandarin is followed by an English
advisory reminding you that this is the summer of 1963, and that mobile phones
have not been invented yet. You would then hear the infectious beating of the
drums that serves as a prelude to Be My Baby. This opening song and dance
number serves as your warning: Stay put and try to keep your ass on your seat.
I must tell you though that this would be rather difficult to do. Imagine Mamma
Mia! but with more dance in lieu of song. Seats should be declared illegal for shows
like this, if only to keep everyone on their feet to sway to the beat without
restriction when they feel like it. And you will always feel like it during the
show’s more than two-hour run.
The fact that the dancing itself takes center stage could not be
emphasized enough. The skirt tossing and the big band are awesome, but they take
the backseat. You would want to be dancing from the time the curtain is pulled
up for Be My Baby until it goes down after Time of My Life. Everyone in the
cast is a pro in dance, particularly Baby and Johnny, but no one comes close to
Penny, played con mucho gusto by South African Mila de Biaggi. I have not seen
a character light up the stage like that with killer dance moves and all the
skirt-tossing since West Side Story’s Anita. Every lift keeps you at the edge
of your seat, each sway of her hips adds a touch of sensuality that is just the
perfect balance to Baby’s more wholesome version of the same dance moves.
The guy who plays Johnny has some mix of Patrick Swayze and George
Chakiris going on. Okay, maybe just Patrick Swayze. Nonetheless, he is able to
make the role his own, although most people would still compare him to Swayze
by default. There is no going against that; the role is kind of iconic after
all. The good thing is that he is able to make you believe that he could really
dance like that. No faking. No tricks. The same story could be said for the girl
who plays Baby. The naïveté is there, but the transition is done smoothly that
when she finally gets her act together, you would be able to appreciate her
progress. Her evolution is also reflected in her dance moves; subtle parallelism!
In terms of production design, Lunchbox Theatrical never
disappoints. They were also responsible for the staging of The Phantom of the
Opera and Mamma Mia! in Manila. Budget does not seem to be a problem for them,
which is a good thing because the sets used for this show are effectively utilized to give you a
different kind of theater experience, something that is more techie but
tolerable. The moving panels are maximized for transition purposes and for
capturing different angles of certain scenes as if shooting a film. The
hologram backgrounds do a convincing job, except maybe for that part where they
are supposed to be in the water. That was a bit funny. Perhaps, this is the future of special
effects in theater. As long as it is not abused, why not!
You would eventually compare this to the movie, that is if you have
seen it and remain a big fan until now. However, these two are different
mediums that should be appreciated based on their own strengths. For the
theater version, it has the advantage of being shown live. That feeling of
wanting to get up and vibrate with the beat is something that the movie could
only do to a limited extent, albeit with the effects not so immediate. And yes,
the dancing! See this for the dancing, you will not be underwhelmed!
Dirty Dancing will be staged in Manila this July. If you cannot wait
that long, you could see it in Singapore this June. As far as advertisements
are concerned, the tour only covers Hong Kong, Singapore, and Manila. Plan
accordingly. No one puts Baby in a corner! And it is about time that we heard the best version of Time of My Life again since the Blackeyed Peas murdered it.
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