Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage (Singapore 2013)

Written by Eleanor Bergstein

Directed by Sarah Tipple

Cast: Gareth Bailey (Johnny Castle), Bryony Whitfield (Frances "Baby" Houseman), Mila De Biaggi (Penny Johnson), Mark Rayment (Dr Jake Houseman), Kate Normington (Mrs Houseman), Genna Galloway (Lisa Houseman), Rhys Williams (Neil Kellerman), and Kyle Grant (Billy Kostecki)

My favourite song - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life

After the watching the successfully adapted to the stage Legally Blonde: The Musical in Australia, I had high hopes and expectations of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage. I kept waiting to be blown away by the musical adaptation of the Dirty Dancing film, but I waited in vain. 

With Legally Blonde: The Musical, script changes were made to suit the stage. With Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, nothing much was different from the film. I think staying true to the film was the intention of the writer and it is understandable because the screenwriter for the film also wrote the script for the musical. 

What I liked about the musical was the dancing. However, because I am not a dancer, although I can see how difficult the moves are, I can't fully appreciate the difficulty of the moves. So while I liked the dancing, it didn't connect with it as much as my friend who enjoys dancing and attended the musical with me. 

I also found it interesting the way the landscape was projected on the white screen for scenes of Johnny and Baby learning how to balance and learning the lift. It was unexpected and relatively effective. The finale with Johnny and Baby performing the complete (I've Had) The Time Of My Life dance piece was the best part of the entire musical.  However, Genna Galloway's performance as Lisa Houseman comes a close second to being my favourite part of the musical. As per her role, she had to sing totally off key and dance horribly. And she did that so well that it was truly a wonderful hair-raising performance that I hate to love. 

Before the show... the view from Row EE

Unfortunately, that's all I enjoyed about the musical. Perhaps because it was opening night, but I felt that the sound levels for the second half of the musical was way too loud. When the singers were performing, I tried really hard not to put my finger in my ear so that it wouldn't hurt. That and the fact that during the first part of the second half, we could hearing construction going on outside. The drilling sound was really very distracting so thankfully it stopped after 10 to 15 minutes. 

Now let's talk numbers. Apparently a total of 49 songs were sung, 73 scene changes, which are lit by 200 moving lights, and a total of 21 costume changes for Baby alone. The first thing that bothered me about Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage was the scene changes. There were so many scene changes, I was having trouble keeping up with them. I understood the need to set the period and explain the situation of the time in the film, but I felt that all the exposition about Martin Luther King etc was very distracting and way too fleeting.

Also, although it is said that a total of 49 songs were sung, it feels as it there were more songs played rather than sung. I felt like I was watching a dance performance with some singing parts rather than a musical with choreographed dance moves. Okay, maybe it's because dancing isn't really my thing, but this musical really didn't do anything for me. Of all the musicals I've been to, it's my least favourite of all. 

But this is just me. Maybe you will like it better than I did. Find out for yourself. You still have time to do so. The musical will be playing at the Grand Theatre, Marina Bay Sands until 16 June.

In fact, I have 2 vouchers that will give you a 10% discount for A & B Reserve tickets on all performances except Friday & Sunday evenings that I can give away if you do want to go watch the musical. Let me know in a private message via my Entitled To Opinion Facebook page. While stocks last.... I only have 2. 

The Eclectic Reviewer thinks... Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is my least favourite musical because I had been expecting to be blown away like I was with Legally Blonde: The Musical. I had high hopes and was thus greatly disappointed. Too many, and in my opinion, unnecessary scene changes made me dizzy and a little baffled which contributed to my inability to connect with the actors on stage. I was expecting further character development and back stories, instead, I got exactly what I would be able to obtain watching the film, save for the extra benefit of a live dance performance. (2 of 5)

* Poster from www.tang.com.sg

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Legally Blonde: The Musical (Original Australian Cast)

Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell

Cast: Luck Durack (Elle Woods), Rob Mills (Warner Huntington III), David Harris (Emmett Forrest), Helen Dallimore (Paulette Bonafonte), Cameron Daddo (Professor Callahan), and Erika Heynatz (Brooke Wyndham)

My favourite songs - Omigod You Guys, Ireland, Chip On My Shoulder, So Much Better, Take It Like A Man, Legally Blonde (Remix), & Find My Way/Finale.


Have you ever done anything drastic for love? Or even changed your hair colour or hairstyle because of love? It's funny cos one of my recent posts The Wedding Planner was about how failures in love have made me who I am today. 

I recently caught Legally Blonde: The Musical in Brisbane Australia. It's on at the Lyric Theatre until 21 April and it'll be showing in Melbourne from May 2013 at the Princess Theatre. If you haven't gone to see it, you MUST GO! I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think it's even better than the LEGALLY blonde film! As you can tell I throughly enjoyed the musical. Why you might ask?

I feel that the musical did a great job with the character building. There are of course rather significant differences between the film and the musical. Some characters have been combined with others for the stage, which is totally understandable. But the changes applied to the characters made the story work better. Also, I love the fact that the musical expanded on the backstory of two well-loved characters in the film - Emmett and Paulette. Paulette even has her own solo song titled Ireland. And for Emmett, through the song Chip On My Shoulder, we find out more about what drives him to be a lawyer and his backstory makes us fall for him more than we do in the film. 

The musical is also hilarious! If you thought LEGALLY blonde is funny, you will love the musical even more. Yes, as with most stage productions, the actions and acting is more dramatised and over the top. But in the case of this musical, it works for it and not against it. The witty dialogue between songs adds flavour to the musical so that it becomes a great stand alone performance from the film, and without taking away what we love about LEGALLY blonde. 

While I feel that Resse Witherspoon's Elle Woods gives the audience more to chew on with regards to Elle's lovely nuances, Lucy Durack is a wonderful more comedic version to the film's Elle Woods. Reese Witherspoon's emotional performance is not seen as much in the musical, but due to the nature of stage performances, I think giving the musical's Elle a more lighthearted (read: Blonde) personality suits it perfectly. 

I first heard Rob Mills perform in Sydney, when he was playing the role of Fiyero in the musical Wicked. Maybe it was an off day for him when I saw him perform in Sydney, cos he went off key and was pitchy during the performance. While it didn't ruin my entire Wicked experience, it did make me take note of who he was, just in case I see him name come up again at any other musicals. Hearing him in Legally Blonde: The Musical, I have to applaud him for his performance. It was flawless and I really wanted to slap him, well not him but Warner, for being such an ass. And comparing to the film version of Warner, I think that the character is evenly matched. 

Cool bar eh?

When the Australian and Asian tour of Wicked came to Singapore I went to watch the musical again. But before I watched the show, I had bought the tickets of course, I was a little worried knowing that it was the Australian production because of Rob Mills' performance as Fiyero. I was thrilled to find out that Fiyero was played by another actor. A fact I only realised on the day of the musical. The performer for Fiyero in Singapore was none other than David Harris. He plays the beefed up role of Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde: The Musical, and he did a fantastic job. 

Emmett Forrest gets a backstory in the musical, something lacking in the film. And I enjoyed the fact that he has a bigger role in pushing Elle to be a better person. Legally Blonde: The Musical's Emmett also more outwardly (at least to the audience) believes in Elle's abilities and I think that was a very smart move. This also enabled the audience to actually see Elle and Emmett gradually fall in love with each other. 

Professor Callahan's nasty personality shines right through from the first time we see him on stage and I think this version of the character, though stereotypical, is more credible and less of a surprise. Props to Cameron Daddo for playing a wonderfully mean and utterly heartless Professor Callahan. 

I love Selma Blair's Vivienne to bits. Even though she was such a b***h almost all throughout the film. She played in well. Ali Calder's Vivienne was more aggressive so I find her change from foe to friend rather abrupt. But I suppose it had to be someone within the team of lawyers to remind Elle of the right she has to be legally blonde. 

I have to do a shout out for Erika Heynatz and stage debut as Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She has great stamina! In the musical, she is introduced through a very funny and well staged video workout, but in it, she has to sing and skip at the same time. Then, to make things more interesting and harder for her, she has to 'pause' while the lawyers talk about her case while she's halfway through her routine (she was doing a pelvic lift). Omigod you guys! A-mazing! 

Les Misérables (2012)

Directed by Tom Hooper (1)

Cast: Hugh Jackman (2), Russell Crowe (3), Anne Hathaway (4), Helena Bonham Carter (5),   Sacha Baron Cohen (6), Amanda Seyfried (7), Eddie Redmayne (8) Samantha Barks (9), and Aaron Tveit (10)

(Watch the trailer)

My favourite songs - Little People, Do You Hear The People Sing?, One Day More, and On My Own.

My favourite scene - Anne Hathaway singing I Dreamed A Dream

1994, Kallang Theatre, that was where I had my first musical experience. The musical that I watched was Les Misérables, and I was 12 years old then. Les Misérables has always been my favourite musical. That is why when Les Misérables came back in 1996 again, I jumped at the chance to go watch it again. And if I get the chance to, I'd love to watch it again. 

Why do I love watching musicals so much? Well, that's because I feel that music accompanied by a powerful and emotive singing voice can convey so much more than spoken words can. In real life, people don't break out in song like they do in musicals, that is why I feel that when I watch a musical, I am transported into another world and I am fully immersed in the story. So instead of just watching on the sidelines or from the outside, I feel like I am part of their story. 

What I love about Tom Hooper's Les Misérables? I feel like I am watching the musical for the first time. When I watch a musical, if I can afford it I will try to get seats as close to the stage as possible. This is because I like to be able to see the expression on the performers' faces as they sing. However, it doesn't happen often because front row seats are very expensive. And when you sit right in front, you see the expression, but have problems taking a step back to see the big picture and everything that's happening on stage. This film gives us both. And that is what I love about it. 

Some might find the many close ups disconcerting. But I think that IS the whole point. Les Misérables is a musical that makes you feel anger, love, sadness, disgust, hate, frustration, and helplessness. And often times when you see a musical, you can only hear the emotions through the actors' singing voices. But with his close ups in Les Misérables, Tom Hooper is giving you the very exclusive and special opportunity to see and hear the emotions the actors are trying to convey. The actresses that nailed it perfectly in Les Misérables is Anne Hathaway with her song I Dreamed A Dream. And for the men, I'd say that Eddie Redmayne's performance during the song Empty Chairs At Empty Tables was really touching.

Because Tom Hooper filmed the actors singing live, we are able to enjoy a brand new version of Les Misérables. The actors give us a fresh interpretation of their character's emotions and a new understanding of what they are trying to say through song. 

Now Tom Hooper's Les Misérables is not the first feature film to be adapted from the Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. In 1998, Les Misérables was made into a film starring Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean, Geoffrey Rush as Javert, Uma Thurman as Fantine, and Claire Danes as Cosette. So you can only guess how excited I was when I first heard they were going to make another Les Misérables film with Anne Hathaway one of my favourite actresses of all time. 

From the moment I saw Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean on screen with the other prisoners I started to get emotional. I loved every minute of the film. The set, the costumes, the make-up were all excellent! The actors all did a great job in their roles. 

In terms of the singing, I think Anne Hathaway was able to sing and act and did a fantastic job as Fantine. But while Hugh Jackman managed to hit the nail on the head in terms of the emotions with the acting, he was not as great with the singing. And with Russell Crowe, he was able to sing the words and carry a decent tune, but I felt less conviction and emotion in his singing and acting. In fact, I sense he is concentrating on getting the words out rather than focusing on the emotions of the song. Amanda Seyfried once again astounds me with her ability to hit all the really high notes as Cosette. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that I throughly enjoyed Eddie Redmayne's Marius both in the singing and acting department. Samantha Banks' Éponine really made my heart break as well especially when she was singing On My Own. And of course how can I not mention Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen as the Thénardiers. These two really did a fantastic job in their respective roles. I especially loved the part when Sacha Baron Cohen's character could not remember Cosette's name properly. It made me laugh out loud despite the fact that Les Misérables is really quite a tragic tale. But singing aside, I think every actor in the film did a tremendous job in the film.

I also have to comment on the excellent performances by Isabelle Allen and Daniel Huttlestone who play young Cosette and young Gavroche respectively. Both have performed in the actual musical in England. 

In terms of the story, well, I love it because its about the human condition. It's something everyone can relate to. We have Jean Valjean a man who is a victim of his circumstances who makes me think about all the people who turn to a life of crime in desperation. It also makes me ask myself what would I do in their shoes? Would I keep to the moral code and die or steal to survive? 

There's Javert who is the opposite of Jean Valjean, he sacrifices everything to live by his strict moral code. He see black and white and leaves no room for grey areas. But life isn't black and white isn't it? My heart goes out to Jean Valjean for the circumstances that lead him to steal a loaf of bread, and while I do not blame Javert for his unbending because he is true to himself, I am disappointed with his inability to empathise. 

Les Misérables also shines a spotlight on the plight and circumstance of women in those times especially as we follow the storyline of Fantine and her daughter Cosette. It always makes me sad that women are subjected to such hardship in those days, but it makes me thankful for all the brave women who fought for the equality of women. (Also reminds me of the film Hysteria and Maggie Gyllenhaal's character who stood up to men and fought to be heard) 

It isn't just about the women of those times. Les Misérables is also a commentary about the political situation of the time, the plight of the poor, and the ignorance of the rich or upper class people. It's about having dreams and hopes of liberation and revolution. It's a story about brotherhood and youthful aspiration. It's about young love and familial love. And it's all about the blurred the lines of right and wrong. 

I feel that Les Misérables is such a compelling tale and such a success because it takes you on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, action and reflection. And all this is done by the wonderful and intricate weaving of various story lines, sewn together by beautiful and meaningful lyrics and emotive tunes. What a wonderful musical film Tom Hooper and his great cast has given us!

On a side note: If you want to find out what's different between the film and the musical check out this article on The Artifice. 


(1) Tom Hooper has directed films like The Damned United (2009), The King's Speech (2010), and Les Misérables (2012). 

(2) Hugh Jackman has acted in films like X-Men (2000), Kate & Leopold (2001), Someone Like You (2001), Swordfish (2001), X2 (2003), Van Helsing (2004), The Prestige (2006), The Fountain (2006), Scoop (2006), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Australia (2008), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Snow Flower And The Secret Fan (2011), Real Steel (2011), Butter (2012), Les Misérables (2012), and The Wolverine (2013). He also voice the character of Memphis in the animation Happy Feet (2006) and Roddy in the animation Flushed Away (2006). He has also performed in musicals like Carousel and The Boy From Oz.

(3) Russell Crowe has acted in films like L.A. Confidential (1997), Gladiator (2000), Proof Of Life (2000), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003), Cinderella Man (2005), A Good Year (2006), 3:10 To Yuma (2007), American Gangset (2007), State Of Play (2009), Robin Hood (2010), Man Of Steel (2013), and Noah (2014). 

(4) Anne Hathaway has acted in films like The Princess Diaries (2001), The Other Side Of Heaven (2001), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Ella Enchanted (2004), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Havoc (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Becoming Jane (2007), Get Smart (2008), Passengers (2008), Rachel Getting Married (2008), Bride Wars (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), Alice In Wonderland (2010), Love And Other Drugs (2010), One Day (2011), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). She also voiced the character of Red Puckett in the animation Hoodwinked! (2005) and Jewel in the animation Rio (2011) 

(5) Helena Bonham Carter has acted in films like Merlin (1998), Fight Club (1999), Planet Of The Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2004), Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005), Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007), Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009), Terminator Salvation (2009), Alice In Wonderland (2010), Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (2010), The King's Speech (2010), Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011), Dark Shadows (2012), and The Lone Stranger (2013). She has also voiced the character of Lady Tottington in the animation Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005), and the character of Emily The Corpse Bride in the animation The Corpse Bride (2005).

(6) Sacha Baron Cohen has acted in films like Ali G Indahouse (2002), Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006), Borat (2006), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007), Brüno (2009), Hugo (2011), and The Dictator (2012). He also voiced the character of King Julien XIII in the animations Madagascar (2005), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012).

(7) Amanda Seyfried has acted in films like Mean Girls (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), Mamma Mia! (2008), Chloe (2009), Dear John (2010), Letters To Juliet (2010), Red Riding Hood (2011), In Time (2011), Gone (2012), The Big Wedding (2013), and Lovelace (2013). She also played the role of Sarah Henrickson in the television series Big Love (2006-2011) and guest starred in television series like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Veronica Mars, House, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. 

(8) Eddie Redmayne has acted in films like Like Minds (2006), The Good Shepherd (2006),  Savage Grace (2007), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), The Yellow Handkerchief (2008), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and My Week With Marilyn (2011).

(9) Samantha Banks came in 3rd in the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything in 2008. Les Misérables (2012) is her film debut. She has also performed in musicals like Cabaret, Aladdin, and Oliver!. She also played Éponine in the 2010-2011 West End production of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre and at the Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary Concert in 2010.

(10) Aaron Tveit has acted in films like Ghost Town (2007), Howl (2010), and Premium Rush (2012). He also played the recurring role of William "Tripp" Vanderbilt III in the television series Gossip Girl (2009-2012), and guest starred in television series like Ugly Betty, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Good Wife. He has also performed in musicals like Hairspray, Wicked, Catch Me If You Can and Rent. 

The Eclectic Review thinks... Les Misérables breathes new life into the musical but doesn't replace or take away the value of the original musical. The way that this film pieces the tale together for those who have never watched the musical before is very excellent. Those who have never watched the musical will be taken on an emotional journey. And those who have watched the musical will find this film a wonderful addition that will help them better understand and appreciate the story and its messages. It's additional lines and new song Suddenly don't emote as well as the original songs do but they get the job done to explain the narrative. And the powerful performances by the cast especially Anne Hathaway, Samantha Banks, and Eddie Redmayne really makes the film worth watching over and over again. (4.9 of 5) 


* Movie Poster from Wikipedia

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That Thing You Do! (1996)

Writer and Director: Tom Hanks (1)

Cast: Tom Everett Scott (2), Liv Tyler (3), Charlize Theron (4), Ethan Embry (5), Tom Hanks, and Alex Rocco (6)

(Watch the trailer)

My favourite quote - "Ain't no way to keep a band together. Bands come and go. You got to keep on playin', no matter with who." 

I love watching a film over and over again because each time you watch a film, you notice something different and affects you in a different way. Watching That Thing You Do! again for the umpteenth time, I caught a few details that brought a smile to my face. 

When The Wonders were going on television, I noticed all the little backstage details I never used to in the past. Probably because now I am so used to stuff like that at work that when I see it in a film, it screams and jumps out at me. We got a glimpse of the television production going on and it reminds me of why I love my job. When the director said to his crew that the "supers" were coming up I actually know what they mean now. In the past, I never noticed that line because I wasn't aware of what it meant. Everything about that live television debut of The Wonders was so surreal. It was like I was watching myself at work, except it wasn't actually my production. Kudos to the crew on making the film so realistic. (Click here to see the part with The Wonders' performance on television)

The costumes and the set was amazing! I really felt like I was living in those days, watching the television live show on my brand new colour TV. I never really paid attention to the character or the actress who played Tina too. No, I'm not saying that Charlize Theron wasn't good in the role, just that the role was so small and really a minor plot in the entire story. Looking at her performance now, she really captured the ditzy blonde personality really well.

Jazz! It dawned on me that this film is probably the reason why I started liking jazz. I like the emotion in jazz music and how it makes me feel. Jazz makes me feel like I could enjoy the music and forget all my troubles. 

One other thing that really got to me was the fact that the film felt so real that I actually walked out of the cinema thinking this film was based on a true story. Yes! I believed that this was true for a while before realising it wasn't at all based on fact! When I went on Google to find out more about The Wonders, all I could find was about the band in the film. I think the ending where there were snippets of information given about what happened to each of the band members helped fuel that belief for a while. I like it. I like closure and knowing what happened to my favorite characters, even those I don't like, and even if they're fictional. 

Now, let's get down to the why. Why I love this film and the quote I mentioned. Simply put, I love it because it reminds me to stick to my passions. It reminds me to keep on writing, no matter with who. I also love it cos of the great characters in the film. I love watching how each character interacts with the other band members and how each character react differently to the situations they face. Working in a team is like playing in a band, each person has a specific role and no one should be more important than the other. Yes there should be a leader, but everyone needs to work together harmoniously for a band or a team to succeed in their endeavors.