There's always a risk when a beloved film makes the leap to the stage. Audiences arrive with decades of affection, iconic scenes burned into memory, and very clear expectations about how those moments should feel.
Thankfully, Dirty Dancing at Wales Millennium Centre understands exactly what people have come for.
From the opening moments, the production delivers the nostalgia that fans crave, while reminding us why this story continues to resonate nearly forty years after it first appeared on cinema screens. The summer romance between Baby and Johnny remains as engaging as ever, but what truly drives this production is the sheer amount of talent on stage.
As expected, the dancing is exceptional.
Austin Wilks' choreography allows the company to showcase both technical precision and infectious energy, with every performer contributing to a production that rarely stands still. Whether in the bustling ensemble numbers or the more intimate dance sequences between Baby and Johnny, the cast move with confidence, style and impressive athleticism.
““A theatrical experience that bridges generations.””
What came as a pleasant surprise, however, was just how strong the musical element of the show is.
While Dirty Dancing is often remembered for its famous lifts and dance scenes, this production contains far more live singing than some audience members might anticipate. The vocal performances throughout the evening are outstanding, bringing an added richness to familiar songs. Combined with the excellent on-stage band, classics such as Hungry Eyes, Hey! Baby, Do You Love Me? and (I've Had) The Time of My Life feel fresh while still delivering the nostalgic hit that audiences are waiting for.
Joel Benjamin's Johnny has all the charisma and swagger the role requires, while Charlie Varlet brings warmth and sincerity to Baby's coming-of-age journey. Around them, the wider company work tirelessly to create the world of Kellerman's Resort, bringing plenty of colour and personality to every scene.
If there's one area where the production occasionally struggles, it's in finding the balance between heart and humour. Some performances lean quite heavily into the film's more comedic moments, which can occasionally take away from the emotional weight of certain scenes. It's never enough to derail the show, but there are moments where a little more subtlety might have allowed the drama to land more effectively.
That said, it's a minor quibble in an evening that largely does exactly what it sets out to do.
The audience response throughout the performance spoke volumes. There were knowing laughs, enthusiastic applause and visible anticipation building towards the show's iconic finale. When that famous final sequence eventually arrives, it generates exactly the reaction you'd expect.
More than anything, Dirty Dancing feels like a show that brings people together. Looking around the auditorium, there were audience members who undoubtedly fell in love with the film on its original release sitting alongside younger theatre-goers experiencing the story for the first time. Few productions manage to bridge generations quite so effortlessly.
Warm, energetic and packed with impressive performances, Dirty Dancing remains a crowd-pleasing theatrical experience. The dancing dazzles, the vocals genuinely surprise, and the timeless story continues to win over audiences old and new alike.
For long-time fans, it's a welcome return to Kellerman's. For newcomers, it's easy to see why nobody ever puts Baby in the corner.
PRESS RELEASE COPY:
Produced by Karl Sydow
in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions
Final Casting Announced for
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage
2026/2027 Tour
Coming to Wales Millennium Centre
20 – 24 October 2026
Featuring heart-pounding music, breath-taking emotion and sensational dancing, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage, inspired by the beloved hit film, will once again come to life in this fantastic live show.
Joining Joel Benjamin as Johnny Castle, Charlie Varlet as Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and Ellie Fergusson as Penny Johnson will be Lynden Edwards (Dr Jake Houseman), Taryn Sudding (Marjorie Houseman), Duncan Smith (Max Kellerman), Robert Grose (Tito Suarez), India Chadwick (Lisa Houseman), Asher Forth (Billy Kostecki), Cormac Diamond (Neil Kellerman), Matthew Lloyd Davies (Mr Schumacher) and Mimi Rodrigues-Alves (Elizabeth). They are joined by Ayron Campbell, Danielle Cato (Vivian/Ensemble), Anna Cliff, Ellie Cutler, Alexander Emery (Robbie/Ensemble), Sam Harvey (Moe/Ensemble), Danielle Huntley, Hollie-Ann Lowe, Max Mulrenan, Rowen Newsome, Mason Plews, Harvey Ray, Sienna Walker and Jody Zimmerman.
For the 2026/27 Tour, the Kellerman’s Band will comprise Laura Andresen Guimaraes, Gabriel Askew, Tim Edwards, Kevin Oliver Jones and Tim Wade.
Full biographies can be found on: https://dirtydancingonstage.co.uk
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage will be directed by Federico Bellone and choreographed by Austin Wilks.
Seen by millions across the globe, this worldwide smash hit comes to Wales Millennium Centre from 20 to 24 October, telling the classic story of Baby and Johnny, two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds, who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives.
Featuring the hit songs 'Hungry Eyes', ‘Hey! Baby’, ‘Do You Love Me?’ and the heart stopping ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’, the iconic show returns to the stage, previewing in Milton Keynes Theatre from 25th August 2026. Thereafter, Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage will go on to entertain audiences across the UK and Ireland until the summer of 2027.
About Dirty Dancing:
Dirty Dancing is an enduring cultural phenomenon that began with an iconic film that grossed over $214 million at the worldwide box office and subsequently launched two multiplatinum soundtrack albums, numerous #1 hit singles, won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song and a Grammy® Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, spawned a television series, multiple competition reality shows, a prequel film, a stage production with sold-out performances around the world, a made-for-television musical adaptation, and an upcoming Lionsgate sequel film. The original film is one of Lionsgate’s all-time best-selling library titles.
Notes:
Creative Team
Written by Eleanor Bergstein
Director and Set Designer Federico Bellone
Choreographer Austin Wilks
Lighting Designer Valerio Tiberi
Sound Designer Chris Whybrow
Supervising Musical Director Richard John
Associate Director Juliet Gough
Original Music Supervisor Conrad Helfrich
Costume Designer Jennifer Irwin
Casting Harry Blumenau CDG CSA
Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage originally opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history. The production became the longest running show in the history of the Aldwych Theatre and played to over 2 million people during its triumphant 5-year run.
Produced by Karl Sydow in association with Lionsgate, Magic Hour Productions, and Ivan Mactaggart -Co-Producer for Freedom Riders. Written by Eleanor Bergstein - screenwriter of the phenomenally successful 1987 film - the production features the much-loved characters and original dialogue from the iconic film.
The stage production is inspired by the classic hit film directed by Emile Ardolino, written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey alongside Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, and Kelly Bishop.
#dirtydancing /@dirtydancingonstage
For media information and further photographs, please contact
Tues 20th - Sat 24th October
Wales Millennium Centre www.wmc.org.uk
Karl Sydow (Producer)
Karl has produced Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage across the UK and around the world since 2004 (Aldwych, Piccadilly, Phoenix, Dominion, West End, UK Tours as well as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and across Asia/Africa/Australia).
Karl is producing the 2026 tour of ‘The Last Ship’, (music & lyrics by Sting) starring Sting, with a new book by Barney Norris directed by Leo Warner with seasons in Amsterdam (Le Carré), Paris (La Seine Musicale), Brisbane (Glasshouse Theatre) and New York (Metropolitan Opera).He produced Sting’s The Last Ship in 2020 at The Ahmanson in LA and The Golden Gate in San Francisco and in 2019 at The Princess of Wales, Toronto, following a 2018 tour of the UK and Ireland. Current productions include To Kill a Mockingbird (Wyndham’s), a USA tour of AVA, The Secret Conversations staring Elizabeth McGovern. Other recent productions include: The Unfriend by Steven Moffat (Criterion and Wyndham’s), UK tour of Spike by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman.
Also, Karl is building a new theatre in London, which will open next year.
In North America, he has produced Broadway productions of The Seagull with Carey Mulligan, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Peter Sarsgaard, and American Buffalo with John Leguizamo, Backbeat directed by David Leveaux (Royal Alexandra, Toronto/Ahmanson, Los Angeles), international tours including The Last Confession with David Suchet, and Our Country’s Good the original 6 times Tony nominated Broadway production and the Out of Joint’s revival in the West End and Toronto.
Other recent theatre includes: Blood Wedding by Barney Norris; An Hour and a Half Late (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour); Noises Off (Lyric Hammersmith and Garrick, West End); The Light in the Piazza (Royal Festival Hall/LA Opera/Lyric Opera of Chicago); Toast (West End/UK tour); Sweat (Gielgud, West End - Evening Standard Award for Best Play); Valued Friends (Rose Theatre, Kingston); Invisible Cities with 59 Productions (Manchester International Festival/Brisbane Festival, Australia); Alan Ayckbourn’s The Divide (The Old Vic and Edinburgh International Festival); David Hare’s The Moderate Soprano (Duke of York’s Theatre); and Sketching by James Graham (Wilton’s Music Hall), as well as films Red Joan, featuring Dame Judi Dench produced with David Parfitt and the award-winning Unicorns which both premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Other work in the UK includes Paul Auster’s City of Glass with 59 Productions; Sinatra: The Man and His Music, directed by David Gilmore; Backbeat directed by David Leveaux; the centennial production of Under Milk Wood directed by Terry Hands; A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson featuring Trudie Styler, directed by Max Stafford-Clark; Triptych by Edna O’Brien; Ajax (Southwark Playhouse); The Line and Jenufa (Arcola) written by Timberlake Wertenbaker; Ring Round the Moon (The Playhouse, West End). The spectacular multimedia production Sinatra at the London Palladium, directed by David Leveaux with choreography by Stephen Mear; And Then There Were None with Tara Fitzgerald (Gielgud, West End); the London and Sydney productions of Dance of Death with Sir Ian McKellen, Frances de la Tour, and Owen Teale; Bea Arthur at the Savoy (Savoy, West End); Auntie and Me with Alan Davies and Margaret Tyzack (Wyndham’s, West End); Michael Moore, Live! (Roundhouse); the West End premiere of Noël Coward’s Semi-Monde; Kevin Elyot’s Mouth to Mouth with Lindsay Duncan and Michael Maloney (Albery, West End); David Mamet’s Speed- the-Plow with Mark Strong, Patrick Marber, and Kimberly Williams; Drummers by Simon Bennet and Some Explicit Polaroids by Mark Ravenhill (winner of the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer), both directed by Max Stafford-Clark for Out of Joint; Macbeth with Rufus Sewell (Queen’s, West End); A Swell Party—A Celebration of Cole Porter (Vaudeville, West End); Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good (Olivier Award for Best Play); Hysteria (Olivier Award for Best Comedy); and an adaptation of Sue Townsend’s novel The Queen and I, which was Out of Joint’s inaugural production. With Two’s Company; Staircase, A Day By The Sea, The Fifth Column, and Bodies (Southwark Playhouse), Go Bang Your Tambourine (Finborough).
About Lionsgate Global Products & Experiences
Lionsgate Global Products & Experiences is a division within Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE: LION), one of the world’s leading standalone, pure-play content companies. By leveraging the studio’s world-class portfolio of film and television brands and franchises, the division drives incremental revenue and builds consumer engagement via live shows and experiences, location-based entertainment destinations, games, physical and digital merchandise, and select strategic partnerships and investments.
The group has developed multiple stage productions – including La La Land and Dirty Dancing heading to Broadway, and The Hunger Games and Wonder – integrations with marquee games (Call of Duty, Dead By Daylight, Roblox, and Fortnite), and collaborations with best-in-class consumer products licensees (LEGO, American Classics, Hot Toys, Funko, and more). Attractions based on Lionsgate’s top franchises The Hunger Games, John Wick, SAW and other iconic IP can be found at theme parks and destinations in Asia, the United States, United Kingdom, and the Middle East, with the JOHN WICK EXPERIENCE now open in Las Vegas.
About Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is the nation’s home for the performing arts, based in the heart of Cardiff Bay. Since opening in 2004, it has established itself as one of the UK’s leading cultural destinations, showcasing the best of Welsh and international talent across theatre, music, dance and the visual arts. Wales Millennium Centre is committed to nurturing creativity, supporting emerging artists and telling powerful Welsh stories that resonate with audiences at home and around the world.
As a registered charity, Wales Millennium Centre also works to fire imaginations and inspire future generations by providing creative opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. With its iconic architecture and world-class facilities, Wales Millennium Centre is a hub of artistic excellence and innovation.
