‘THIS IS MY FIRST BIG JOB... I’M LOVING IT’
HIGH lifts, grand jetes, pirouettes, undercurrents of sex, overcurrents of sex ... And songs such as The Time of My Life.
Yes, Dirty Dancing is coming back to Glasgow.
This time around the role of Baby, played by Jennifer Grey in the hit movie alongside Patrick Swayze, will feature Katie Eccles.
It’s Coventry-born Katie’s first step into the big time. But she’s leapt forward with all the power her legs can muster.
“It was a bit daunting to start with,” she admits of the challenge.
“This is my first big job. But I’m using every part of my skills to make sure it all comes together.”
She adds: “The jobs I’ve done before have been quite small, (appearances in much smaller theatre, in the likes of a Cinderella Christmas Spectacular, and in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs) but you don’t look at them that way.
“It’s not the size of the job that matters, but how much you put into it.”
Katie’s voice booms excitement; “It’s great to get my first appearance out of the way. And everyone backstage has been amazing. They keep you right.”
Katie has been dancing since she was four.
“At seventeen I realised I wanted to do it for the rest of my life and I’m really luck my parents encouraged me to go to stage school.”
She studied dance and then acting for a year at drama college. Then it’s been out to work, to gradually make her way up the ladded.
“I’ve never had to work in children’s shows or as an Elf alongside a department story Santas or anything like that,” she says with a thankful note in her voice.
“I don’t think it would be my vibe, but I’ve had to work in all sorts of theatre. And the experience has been amazing. “You meet such cool people.” Katie has managed to land TV roles in the likes of Mr Selfridge and Grantchester. But was she fearful of playing Baby? “Yes, it’s an iconic role. And I’m aware there are massive shoes to fill. But that’s life.
“And I like to thing we’ve been able to bring something knew to the story. ”
She adds; “I’ve watched the film so many times. And I’ve really enjoyed with working with Lewis (Griffiths, who plays her love interest Johnny and Carlie (Milner) who plays Penny and I think ‘My God, they are amazing.’”
The Dirty Dancing stage adventure opened in London in 2006 with a record advance of £15m.
It has gone on to tour the UK since, to incredible response.
The story works because the audience get to go on a journey with the character.
Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is a young girl very much out of sorts with her world.
“She is quite naïve, a young girl set to join the Peace Corps, but by the end of the show she is able to stand up to her parents.
“She comes to know what she wants. And you see the different stages of that in the show.”
Did Katie go through that familiar teen angst?
“Not so much,” she says, grinning. “My mum and dad are amazing, so we didn’t fall out.
“And there wasn’t any sibling rivalry. I have a brother, but he’s three years younger than me.