Dirty Dancing hits right notes most of the time

BOSTON – Fans of the 1987 movie “Dirty Dancing” won’t be disappointed by the stage adaptation but not everyone will leave the Opera House having had the time of their lives.Australian Josef Brown (Johnny Castle) partners well with Amanda Leigh Cobb (Baby) and Britta Lazenga (Penny) during dance routines but may prove a difficult sell to American audiences as the iconic Johnny. The classically trained ballet dancer is a stretch as the hard-scrabble working-class dance instructor. Brown’s strong Australian accent makes it almost impossible to believe he is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, a cool, edgy character Patrick Swayze perfected in the movie.With that said, however, the high-energy show delivers.The rock music of the summer of 1963 is used perfectly as Brown, Cobb and Lazenga move seamlessly, albeit more ballet than mambo, in dance number after dance number during the two-hour 40-minute show, which features 35 hit songs including: “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the Academy-Award winning “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life.””Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage” does a decent job maturing Baby as she goes from a daddy’s girl into a woman who falls in love with the bad-boy dance instructor, during her family’s vacation in the Catskills, but simply wastes time trying to be a play more than a musical. The attempt to add dialogue and dramatic twists serves no purpose except to add minutes to the show.The melodramatic “We Shall Overcome” is hard to place in this production. It felt out of context, adding gravity where none was needed, given the overall feel-good nature of the story.The sound and lighting are always center stage in “Dirty Dancing,” the stage set to sparkle with more than 200 moving lights and more than 200 automation cues with state-of-the-art surround sound. The LED video display is the centerpiece of the production – which is used flawlessly as Johnny and Baby practice their lifts in the lake – projecting true-to-life images and live video feedback of the production.The music, dancing, hip gyrations, long legs and of course the line, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” make “Dirty Dancing” an enjoyable night out.”Dirty Dancing” is being performed at the Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., through April 12. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30; Friday evenings at 8; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m.Tickets range from $30-$91, and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, Broadwayacrossamerica.com and the Colonial Theatre box office, 106 Boylston St.