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Dirty Dancing Q & A with Toronto's Baby
ELLE Canada chats with Monica West starring as Baby in the theatre production of Dirty Dancing.
By Dayna Boyer
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Check out our tips for burlesque dancing 101!
4. How have you prepared to play the role of Baby?
In rehearsals, I've worked closely with Dirty Dancing's creator, Eleanor Bergstein and the director, James Powell. Eleanor has a very specific view of the characters in the world of Dirty Dancing, and her knowledge of the people of the play and the 1960s has been invaluable to me. In turn, James is a brilliant director. He knows how to explain what is needed in a scene, in a moment, or for the feel of the entire play without saying, “Just do it like this.” It has been a true gift to be able to discover these moments together as an actor and director.
5. Your schedule sounds chaotic, what does a typical day look like for you?
Until we open on November 15th, we are in previews. The preview period is when we rehearse during the day and have a show a night. Today we have two shows, so the rehearsal will be short. The longest day I've had so far was from 10 in the morning for a video shoot and then rehearsal until 10 at night. The days are long, and yet the story we are telling, and the cast we are telling it with makes all the hours of work fun.
6. What do you hope people take away from the stage production of Dirty Dancing?
Audiences can expect to take away a greater understanding of the characters and the story. The audience can spend more time with Baby, Johnny, Penny, the Housemans and Kellerman's Staff kids, so they have the chance to experience everything they love about the movie and more. Something I really like about the performing the play is that I finish the show feeling joyful. As I have spoken with audience members, they express leaving the world of the play with a feeling of joy as well.
Image courtesy of Mirvish Productions
Dirty Dancing opens November 15th, 2007 to the public at the Royal Alexander Theatre in Toronto. To find out more head to www.dirtydancingonstage.com.
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