REVIEW: Dirty Dancing at Sunderland Empire

Dirty Dancing

Sunderland Empire

Until Saturday 26 September 2026

Few films are as universally loved as Dirty Dancing, and it is therefore no surprise that the popular stage show has cha-cha’ed back into Sunderland this week. Featuring a soundtrack inspired by the 80s film and filled with more high kicks than a Strictly extravaganza, the show allows audiences an opportunity to relive the beloved film.

Led by Charlie Varlet (Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman) and Joel Benjamin (Johnny Castle), the show features all of the aspects and moments of the film that an audience expects. There’s dancing, she still carries a watermelon and we’re still not allowing anyone to put Baby in the corner. The show is light, comic and moves at pace, running at just over 2 hours including an interval. Varlet is charming as Baby, paying homage to Jennifer Grey’s original quirks without feeling like it’s pure mimicry.

Benjamin is, to the obvious delight of the audience, fairly ripped, and great attention has been paid to ensuring that the audience regularly see plenty of muscles. At times, it feels like it may be bordering on excessive – was a shirtless scene entirely necessary? – but where Benjamin comes into his own is his dancing ability, particularly in his routines with Ellie Fergusson (Penny Johnson). Their pairs routines are nothing short of breath-taking, filled with kicks, flicks and tricks. There are moments where Fergusson, and many of the ensemble dancers, seem to be pushing their bodies beyond what is humanly possible, creating dance scenes that are impossible to tear your eyes from.  It is absolutely the dancing which elevates this show to something which stands alone as its own piece of work, for which choreographer Austin Wilks should surely take a great deal of credit.

The show sits somewhere between a musical and a loving retelling of the classic story on stage. Whilst music is used and performed throughout the play, the principal cast largely focus on bringing the story to life through dance and drama, leaving the singing in the (admittedly very capable) hands of Mimi Rodrigues-Alves (Elizabeth) and Asher Forth (Billy Kostecki). The inclusion of a small band on stage throughout key musical numbers really lifts the musical elements of the show, and does create a much more intimate feeling despite the show’s significant scale. Admittedly, the instrumental version of She’s Like The Wind felt like a bit of a painful tease to the audience. Memorably recorded by Patrick Swayze for the original film, the swelling of the band did feel that we may be about to be treated to a rare moment of music from the principal cast. Alas, it was not to be, cue collective sigh from the audience.

Admittedly, it isn’t a show that you will be humming for the next week, but that is not its purpose. The show is a heartfelt and loyal recreation of the film. There are no shocks, no surprises, and it serves up that warm feeling that you get from watching something that you know really well, and that’s something that we all need from time to time. It’s funny, entertaining and allows you to sit back and relax, and quite frankly that sounds like a perfect night out to me.

Review: Hannah Daglish

Tickets:

Tickets are on sale now via ATG Tickets' Sunderland box office site (a transaction fee may apply to online bookings). LINK