Have the Time of Your Life

In the dark days of the late '80s, Dirty Dancing was the closest thing to a big-budget musical Hollywood had produced in years. It's a coming-of-age story in which the hero is a heroine, it has a soundtrack packed with oldies (and a couple newbies -- looking at you, "She's Like the Wind") and a heaping helping of dance numbers. Little wonder that the film has been reworked into a big-budget musical, albeit one that still leans heavily on its dancers to tell the story. Frances Houseman -- Baby to her friends and family -- goes to the Catskills and falls in love with the dreamy resort dance instructor, Johnny Castle. She also falls in love with the sensual, high-energy dancing the staff of the hotel practice after-hours -- it's definitely not cotillion-approved. Learning to dance this way helps her break away from rules and familial expectations, and also teaches her how to make a dramatic entrance; that big dance finale with the lift and the passionate embrace is a justifiably famous movie moment. Dirty Dancing the Musical opens the U.S. Bank Broadway Series at the Fox Theatre 527 North Grand Boulevard; 314-534-1111 or www.fabulousfox.com). The show is performed Tuesday through Sunday (October 21 through November 2) Tickets are $25 to $95.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 26, 1 & 6:30 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 30, 1 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 1, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 2, 1 p.m. Starts: Oct. 21. Continues through Nov. 2, 2014