The audience’s excitement might be contagious, but the production is far from perfect.

Lyric Theatre, Sydney
November 30, 2014

“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 was shot, before the Beatles, 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 is back in Sydney, the city of its conception. After nearly ten years, it’s become a proven success with audiences, having broken box office records across the world. Its cult following is so strong that audiences seem to know exactly what they will get before even stepping foot in the theatre. The excitement is contagious, and renders the Dirty Dancing experience far more enjoyable. But, when the production is placed under a critical eye, it quickly reveals its imperfections.

No matter how faithful it is to the original 1987 film, Dirty Dancing falters on stage, confused and unsure of itself. Is it a play, or is it a musical? As the former, more emphasis would...