Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in “Dirty Dancing”
Lionsgate and The Path Entertainment Group, under its live stage arm Showpath, announced plans to develop the classic 1987 film Dirty Dancing into a musical bound for Broadway. Original screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein is involved in the development process, revisiting the material she previously helped adapt for Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage. Tony nominee Lonny Price, who played Neil Kellerman in the film, has been tapped to direct.
Dirty Dancing: The Musical has plans to premiere in late 2025 with “a highly anticipated major run in North America,” according to the production companies. They are also eyeing international markets including Asia, Australia and Latin America.
“In the years after I wrote and co-produced the original film Dirty Dancing, I was grateful and astonished by the generations of audiences who responded with open hearts to the themes of honor and courage beneath the surface,” said Bergstein in a statement. “Years later, sensing our audiences wanted to ‘be there’ while the story was happening, I wrote and co-produced a stage show. Its reception all over the world exceeded my sweetest dreams. Now we’ve come full circle, and with my old friend Lonny Price by my side, I’m returning to the stage with a reimagined version. Its hope is to be equal to the new world swirling around us while revisiting more fully and precisely the story I’d wanted to tell when I wrote my first lines. It’s my way of saying thank you to you all.”
Price added, “I am beyond excited be reunited with Eleanor and to join her in bringing this expanded Dirty Dancing to the stage. For the people who already love the movie, they will get a deeper, more nuanced version of the characters they fell in love with. Having played Neil in the movie, I know full well the scores of people who have been touched by this story, and for me to return to Kellerman’s and direct this new musical iteration truly is a thrill.”
Set during the summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing follows the journey of Frances “Baby” Houseman and dance instructor Johnny Castle as they navigate love, passion, and personal growth. The romantic leads were famously played on screen by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.
“The new production will deliver iconic moments, unforgettable songs, and electrifying dance sequences, while reimagining key elements of the story to resonate with today’s theatregoers,” The Path Entertainment Group wrote in their announcement. “Fans can expect new choreography and staging concepts, and perhaps even some new songs.” The film’s soundtrack features a number of memorable songs including “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey! Baby,” and most iconically, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
