‘Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage’ brings magical summer at Kellerman’s to life

Before seeing “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage,” I knew but a few bits about the film.

I recognized “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” as being from “Dirty Dancing,” though I didn’t know the context behind the line, and I’ve seen countless recreations of the Patrick Swayze-Jennifer Grey lift.

But that was it.

For the record, “Dirty Dancing” was released a few years before I was born, and it’s not exactly the type of fare a newborn or toddler clamors for. Though even as I got older, for no real reason, I never watched the film.

Even still, it turns out you don’t need to know a thing about “Dirty Dancing” to thoroughly enjoy the stage adaptation, currently transforming the INB Performing Arts Center into Kellerman’s Catskill Mountains resort.

The story told onstage is nearly identical to the one told on screen.

Frances “Baby” Houseman, while on vacation at a resort with her family, stumbles upon a staff party featuring dance moves the teen has never before seen, many of them performed by hunky dance instructor Johnny Castle and his gorgeous dance partner Penny Johnson.

But when Penny, pregnant by staff member Robbie Gould, has to miss a performance to get an abortion, a doubtful Johnny begins teaching the somewhat resistant Baby to dance so she can fill in.

Aaron Patrick Craven, as Johnny, and Kaleigh Courts, as Baby, make for a fantastic pair.

She plays Baby’s naivety as well as he portrays Castle’s experience, and they both nicely show their characters growth, personally and, in Baby’s case, as a dancer, over the course of the summer.

As could be expected, the dancing throughout the production, both group numbers and scenes featuring just Johnny and Baby, was incredible to watch.

The choreography team – Michele Lynch, Tobin Del Cuore, Kate Champion and Craig Wilson – deserve more praise than fits in this review for designing a show that far exceeds expectations.

Kudos, too, to the entire cast for pulling off such elaborate performances.

Anaïs Blake’s Penny was especially beautiful to watch, and it’s a shame she spends much of the second act recuperating in bed.

But if you come for the dancing, stay for Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams’ set design.

The beautiful backdrops and detailed set pieces really helped transport the audience to a resort in the Catskill Mountains. Everything from the cabins to the campfire and the dining hall to the lake and forest where Baby and Johnny rehearse their routine was represented.

The transitions between locations too were noteworthy, with set pieces moving seamlessly in a way that illustrated the journey one takes across the resort’s campus from, for instance, a cabin to the dining hall.

Although “Dirty Dancing” isn’t a musical, “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” features a fair amount of singing, especially from the extremely talented Nickolaus Colõn, as Billy Kostecki, and Erica Philpot, as Elizabeth.

The duo got the loudest applause during curtain call, and at one point during the show, the crowd’s extended applause after one of Colõn’s numbers drowned out a few of Johnny’s lines.

Since its 2004 premiere in Australia, “Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” has proven to be as popular as the film, which was the first, according to the program, to sell more than 1 million copies for home viewing.

It’s got all the beloved elements from the film, the dancing, drama and romance, only this time talented dancers and a beautiful set bring that magical summer at Kellerman’s to life.