Dirty Dancing Broadway adaptation heading to the stage with original film's writer, movie actor returning to direct

Dirty Dancing is grooving its way to the Broadway stage for the first time ever — with original film star Lonny Price (who played Neil Kellerman in the movie) returning to direct.

Movie studio Lionsgate announced Thursday that original Dirty Dancing writer Eleanor Bergstein is also returning to work on a stage adaptation of the beloved 1987 film starring the late Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, with Dirty Dancing: The Musical slated to debut in New York City in late 2025.

According to the announcement, Dirty Dancing: The Musical will follow its debut with a major run in North America, with expansion currently slated for global markets in Asia, Australia, Latin America, and more.

Dirty Dancing: The Musical offers a "a fresh creative approach to the timeless love story," per the announcement. Set in 1963, Dirty Dancing follows the story of Frances 'Baby' Houseman and dance instructor Johnny Castle as they fall in love with each other and their passion for the art of dance.

The new production is set to feature recreations of iconic moments, songs, and dance sequences, while "reimagining key elements of the story" for modern audiences.

"In the years after I wrote and co-produced the original film Dirty Dancing, I was grateful and astonished by the generations of audiences who responded with open hearts to the themes of honor and courage beneath the surface. Years later, sensing our audiences wanted to ‘be there’ while the story was happening, I wrote and co-produced a stage show," Bergstein said in a press statement. "Its reception all over the world exceeded my sweetest dreams. Now we’ve come full circle, and with my old friend Lonny Price by my side, I’m returning to the stage with a reimagined version. Its hope is to be equal to the new world swirling around us while revisiting more fully and precisely the story I’d wanted to tell when I wrote my first lines. It’s my way of saying thank you to you all."

Added Price: "I am beyond excited be reunited with Eleanor and to join her in bringing this expanded Dirty Dancing to the stage. For the people who already love the movie, they will get a deeper, more nuanced version of the characters they fell in love with. Having played Neil in the movie, I know full well the scores of people who have been touched by this story, and for me to return to Kellerman’s and direct this new musical iteration truly is a thrill."

Across its 1987 theatrical run, Dirty Dancing grossed $214 million at the box office and went on to become one of the most beloved movies of the era, even winning the Oscar for Best Original Song for the Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes soundtrack hit "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."

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Grey previously addressed wanting to do a sequel to the film, but wanted to get it right to honor Swayze's legacy.

"We're not giving up any dates at the moment because… really, what I'm doing, my whole job with this, is to get it right, get it really right, in Patrick's honor, in honor of all of the fans' relationship with the movie. If you're going to do that movie again, it has to be right," she said on Good Morning America in January 2023. "It's definitely happening. I'm very excited to say that. It's something I refuse to do unless it's perfect, so I'm doing my very best to make sure we honor it."

Dirty Dancing: The Musical — made in collaboration with The Path Entertainment Group's Showpath division — is set to premiere in late 2025.