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“That was the summer of 1963, when everybody called me Baby and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy got shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's”.
DIRTY DANCING tells the classic coming-of-age love story between the talented and headstrong dancer Johnny Castle and Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman. During her family’s summer vacation at the popular holiday resort Kellerman's in the Catskills Mountains, Baby, a doctor’s daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps, meets Johnny, the guy from the wrong side of town. Against all the odds, they overcome many obstacles and dramas to fall in love - learning some life-changing lessons along the way. We see that love can conquer all barriers and we learn that 'nobody puts Baby in the corner'!
A timeless story of first love, full of heart-pounding music, pure dance energy and breathtaking emotion.
Featuring the hits songs from the best selling movie soundtrack of all time including: Do You Love Me?, In The Still Of The Night, She's Like The Wind, Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby and Time Of My Life. The story has been re-written for the stage by it's creator, Eleanor Bergstein, and includes all of the movies memorable moments and some added scenes as well.
Before it had even opened DIRTY DANCING had sold out for the first six months of it's run, and with an £11 million record-breaking advance ticket sales (Sep 2006), the show became the FASTEST SELLING SHOW IN WEST END HISTORY!
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I played the role of Neil Kellerman (grandson to Max) the young trainee-manager of Kellerman's Holiday Camp. (At last, I'm back playing a teenager!?)
The role of Neil Kellerman on stage is slightly larger than the one portrayed on film. He has more 'moments' with Baby Houseman and has a genuine struggle to make the decision between taking over as manager of Kellerman's (which his Grandpa is expecting him to do) or to follow his  heart and go Freedom Riding (as part of the Black Civil Right's Movement). Thankfully Neil stays around long enough to begin the Kellerman's Anthem at the end of the Camps final show, before Johnny returns to give us the immortal line “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” !!
This is the first time I have ever replaced an actor in an existing cast. It was a fantastic opportunity to join the Original London Cast for a few months (as the original actor left the show early) ... and then when it came to the shows first official cast change it was a pleasure to work with 14 new actors & performers for a whole year.
In November 2004 the original stage production had its premiere in Sydney, Australia and then went on a national tour of Australia & New Zealand; in March 2006 a similar production opened in Hamburg, Germany. In October 2006 a brand new production Premiered in London, & then in October 2007 in Toronto, Canada ... in September 2008 the pre-Broadway US Tour opened, & a World Wide Tour is also planned! Every single production to date has smashed box office records!
I played the role of ‘Neil Kellerman’ over 430 times (my longest run in the same production); on Monday 13th August 2007 I was part of an exciting sold out Charity Midnight Matinee for friends, family and many theatrical people, raising nearly £32k for Theatrecares; and on Wednesday 24th October 2007 I helped celebrate the shows official First Birthday!
DIRTY DANCING, the iconic 1987 movie, starred Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze & Jerry Orbach and has become the benchmark by which all "chick flicks" are now judged … and ‘DIRTY DANCING: the Classic Story on Stage’ is a worldwide theatrical phenomenon!
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'The biggest live theatre sensation of all time'
The Observer
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'Oozes sex appeal ... you're sure to have a ball ... the hottest ticket in town!'
Evening Standard ****
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'Brilliantly staged'
The Times ****
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'A youthful and sexy cast dazzle and delight ... this crowd-pleasing stage adaptation hits the jackpot'
Sunday Express
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'A glitzy, slick, hi-tech production'
Metro
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'Outstanding adaptation'
The Sun
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'A gorgeous feast of dance – Spectacular'
Financial Times ****
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'A show that will give keen pleasure to Dirty Dancing fans and newcomers alike ... Joyous'
Independent ****
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'Looking for ecstasy, Dirty Dancing delivers'
Time Out ***
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'The live theatre phenomenon of our globalised age'
Sunday Times
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