D.C. Readies For Time Of Its Life As 'Dirty Dancing' Bows At National Theatre

All photographs shot during a working rehearsal; lighting and costumes not indicative of final production.

NORTHWEST -- Washingtonians might not be able to put Baby in a corner, but they can have the time of their lives over the next two weeks as Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage takes over The National Theatre from now through September 14th.

The D.C. stop of the hit musical marks its North American tour launch today, with an official opening night before a packed house of fans that will include a curtain call with the original screenwriter of the eponymous film, Eleanor Bergstein.

Bergstein, who also served as the book writer for the current stage production, witnessed firsthand the success of original 1987 blockbuster movie and was able to build on such momentum in adapting the story from screen to stage.

"As I learned how many people watched the movie over and over and over,” she reflected. “I began to think that what they really wanted was to share more intensely in the event, to step through the screen and be there while the story was happening. And if that was true, then its natural form was the theatre – audiences watching live bodies dancing here and now in the present – on the log, on the bridge, on the dance floor and in the staff quarters at Kellerman's.”

The theatrical production debuted in London's West End in October 2006 and went on to become the longest running show in the history of the famed Aldwych Theatre. It closed in July 2011 in advance of a two-year UK national tour and then returned to London for a limited season at the Piccadilly Theatre, before embarking on a worldwide journey that spanned the globe from Holland to South Africa.

The narrative behind Dirty Dancing is well known, but basically follows Frances 'Baby' Houseman as she vacations with her family in the Catskills during the summer of 1963. While at a resort, she falls for the facility's dance instructor (originally played in the movie by the late Patrick Swayze) and the rest is pop culture history.

Like the original movie, the stage production boasts a timeless soundtrack including the hit songs "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby," "Do You Love Me?," and the chart-topping "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life."

Ticket prices start at $48, plus service charges, and are available at the National Theatre box office, online or by calling (800) 514-3849.