Dirty Dancing performers recount their ‘big breaks’

Jennlee Shallow (Elizabeth), Doug Carpenter (Billy) and the company of the North American tour of DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE.

With the classic line “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” the film Dirty Dancing which starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey was a huge hit when it was released nationwide in theaters in 1987.

Written by Eleanor Bergstein, the timeless love story of Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) as a modern day Romeo and Juliet fighting the odds to be together became a pop culture phenomenon backed by a soundtrack steeped in catchy pop, rock, and soul music.

The play Dirty Dancing — The Classic Story On Stage has expanded both musically and in story since its film debut. Bergstein, who plays an active role with the production, wrote 21 new scenes for the stage version which also now explores the social issues of abortion, Civil Rights and the war overseas.

Gillian Abbott, who stars as Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman in the play, spoke to the Banner recently about the new scenes.

“In this version of the stage show the topic of civil rights is more fleshed out then it is in the film,” she says. “Eleanor actually had written all of these scenes for the film and the producers ended up taking them out. So, now this is her chance to tell her full story.”

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Abbott worked closely with Bergstein once she landed the role of Baby. She had “some intimate time with Eleanor working through the script and then working through all the layers of Baby,” she recalls. Abbott began her career at the age of 17 with Cirque du Soleil and describes her time with Cirque as “…such a great introduction into this career. It was such a healthy first experience.”

Abbott was able to take chances as a performer with Cirque du Soleil.

“That taught me that I really love shows. I went to Juilliard for dance and a lot of the dancers go on to do contemporary dance companies. Having had the Cirque experience in my pocket I knew that I really loved the atmosphere of doing shows, and I also loved the challenge of doing the same show night after night.”

Against the emotionally-charged backdrop, Dirty Dancing also explores an interracial love story involving the character Elizabeth played by Trinidadian singer and actress Jennlee Shallow. Shallow, who recently appeared in the TV series Empire as a backup vocalist for Courtney Love, also starred as Sarah in The Kennedy Center’s 2009 production of Ragtime. She spoke to the Banner about her role as Elizabeth in the stage production of Dirty Dancing.

“I see her as a narrator through songs. She doesn’t have any lines. She pretty much tells the story through songs but at the same time she has a story of her own. She is caught in this love triangle between these two staff kids of different races. They have a little thing throughout the show and then it’s pretty much revealed to us at the end of the story,” says the singer/actress.

Fulfilling a dream

The island native had no formal vocal or theatrical experience before she landed her big break as Nala in the German production of The Lion King.

“This was definitely my first job in general and I guess working in this business. I never thought that I would be working in musical theater. But I always had a dream to sing because I grew up in church in the Caribbean singing,” says Shallow.

She soaked everything in and learned a lot from all the experienced performers she worked with on a nightly basis.

“That was pretty much how I got my first training until eventually I decided that if this is something that I want to do, I really need to know more about it. I quit my role as Nala in Australia and decided to go to musical theater school in LA for two and a half years.”

It’s not all serious topics and issues in Dirty Dancing. The heart of it is still the music and, of course, the dancing.

“There is definitely a lot more dancing in the play. There is a mixture of ballroom, lots of grinding. There is salsa and a lot of dancing,” says Shallow.

A number of songs that Bergstein had tried to obtain for the movie are now in the play, including The Drifters’ Save The Last Dance For Me and Stubborn Kind of Fellow by Marvin Gaye, which were both written in 1962.

Shallow landed the role of Elizabeth when she was asked by casting director Laura Stanczyk to come in and audition because they were at the final stages of casting and still hadn’t found the singer that was right for the show. It just so happened that Shallow was already familiar with the music because she had seen the film back home and was “in love with the songs.”

So, she went in and sang the songs including We Shall Overcome. Eleanor Bergstein, who was present during the audition, was blown away. So much so she began crying during the audition. Bergstein then approached the actress and said “I’ve never heard anyone sing the songs the way you did and I just want you to know that I hope you will join us.”

“I pretty much got the job that day,” says Shallow. “She’s been very supportive to me since that day, and still today such a supportive, loving lady.”