‘Dirty Dancing in Concert’ comes to Patchogue

Growing up, Great Neck native Michael D’Elia always wanted to be a professional singer.

“For Christmas, I’d ask my parents for an agent,” says D’Elia, who performed in musicals at Great Neck South High School. “It was something I always dreamed of doing.”

March 18 will be a homecoming for D’Elia when “Dirty Dancing in Concert” comes to the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts. The 35 year-old singer will embody the role of Johnny Castle, which was originally portrayed by the late Patrick Swayze in the 1987 film.

“I do my best,” says D’Elia. “My hair isn’t quite as cool as his.”

“Dirty Dancing in Concert” is a hybrid of the film and a live concert.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” says director/choreographer Alexandra Herzog. “There’s a massive screen above the band with the movie playing but all the music from the film is performed live.”

A sound mixer blends the film dialogue with the live musical performances.

“Neither overpowers the other,” says D’Elia. “When there’s no dialogue, the band plays at full volume. But when there is dialogue, they will bring us back a little bit, so the audience doesn’t miss anything that’s happening on the screen.”

POST-FILM PARTY

The fun continues way past the credits as a full dance party follows the film.

“Our singers make their way out from the band and become more interactive with the audience by encouraging them to sing along and dance,” says Herzog. “The goal is to build energy in the crowd.”

The band performs songs from the soundtrack like “Yes,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “She’s Like the Wind,” “Cry to Me,” “Love Man” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”

“This is a new immersive element that brings extra excitement and makes the show unique,” says D’Elia. “We tell people to come down toward the front of the stage. The audience gets so excited. It’s quite a moment.”

‘DIRTY DANCING’ PASSION

Fans of “Dirty Dancing” have a driving passion for the film even 38 years after its release.

“The music is timeless and the choreography appeals across generations,” says Stephanie Blakeman, 48, of East Meadow, who saw “Dirty Dancing The Concert Tour” at Radio City Music Hall in 1988.

“This film followed ‘Flashdance’ and ‘Footloose.’ It was the next step as we all became more mature.”

Jennifer Lozano, 50, formerly of East Meadow, adds, “I love everything about it. That was back when Hollywood knew how to make a movie. The characters propelled the story forward. The music and dancing were amazing and the stars had the best chemistry I’ve ever seen between two actors. It was off the charts.”

LONG ISLAND CONNECTION

Coincidentally, the three big hits from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack in 1987, “She’s Like the Wind,” “Hungry Eyes” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” were cowritten by two Long Islanders.

The single, “She’s Like the Wind,” which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, was a collaboration between Swayze and composer/songwriter Stacy Widelitz, who is originally from Plainview.

“I met this actor in an acting class who introduced himself as Buddy, that was Patrick Swayze. I was there to play piano for a friend of mine who was doing a musical scene,” recalls Widelitz, 68. “Together we developed the song both musically and lyrically. The film producers realized the potential of having the romantic lead of the movie singing the romantic ballad and then added the song to the soundtrack.”

John DeNicola, formerly of Amityville, Centerport, Smithtown and Port Jefferson, was in a New Jersey studio writing songs with lead singer Franke Previte from Franke and the Knockouts when “Hungry Eyes,” which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, was born and ended up in the hands of the late Eric Carmen, formerly of the Raspberries (1971-75).

However, when it came to the film’s big finale, the number No. 1 hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” the “Dirty Dancing” producers were looking for a song that captured the sentiment of the story as the screen exploded with Kenny Ortega’s choreography.

“It is the marriage of a song to a movie to a feeling it invokes. The verse is a push-pull between anticipation and relaxation then builds to the chorus which soars and takes off,” says DeNicola, 69, who co-wrote the song with Previte and Donald Markowitz. “It was lightning in a bottle.”

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday’s exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.