Dirty Dancing the classic story on stage, hits the Regent Theatre, in Hanley once more and it is guaranteed to be a sellout.

Set in 1963 we join ‘Baby’ on her family holiday with her doting Dad, eager to please sister and loving mother.

Her Dad is a respected doctor but is burnt out and a holiday is what is needed.

Baby feels out of place amongst the technicolour campsite. Her sister is having a ball and dating the Harvard schooled waiter within days. Baby however discovers the darker side of the holiday entertainment when she stumbles upon the staff quarters where a different style of dancing altogether is taking place.

It is a classic boy meets girl story but with a few twists and turns. The show mainly sticks with the original movie script but there are a few additions, which doesn’t change the story but adds more dimension.

We have a little bit more background on Baby’s parents and we learn a little more about Neil Kellerman which is a welcome touch.

Dirty dancing isn’t musical theatre but a play with music. It features all the classic hits from the film, sung by cast members and accompanying musicians, which is mind blowing to watch.

Danny Colligan and Lydia Sterling perform a stunning version of “Time of your life” at the finale. It is a song that has been played many times but sounded brand new at The Regent.

The choreography as expected is just stunning. Georigia Aspinall as Penny Johnson was mesmerising to watch with her spell bounding energy and presence.

The casting is sublime and Michael O’Reilly and Kira Malou could be Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. Daisy Steere as Lisa Houseman is hilarious as her dipsy and shallow sister and gets a lot of laughs from the audience.

The show doesn’t disappoint and has all the classic lines such as “I carried a Watermelon” and “No-one puts Baby in the corner” – which drives the crowd wild.

Dirty dancing just leaves you with a crazy grin on your face for the rest of the night.

Why is Dirty Dancing still so popular and why do people watch it so many times?

There is no answer, but it could be something to do with nostalgia value. Not just to the 60s but to the 80s when the film was released.

It could be the message of the show which is about fighting for what you believe in – a value which whatever generation, will always ring true.

Whatever the answer is you can be guaranteed that you will indeed have the time of your life!

Without a doubt 5 stars!

Dirty Dancing is at The Regent Theatre until Saturday 8 July. For details and tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/dirty-dancing/regent-theatre

All images by Mark Senior