THE crowd had been waiting months longer than expected for Baby and Johnny to dazzle them on stage, and judging by their reaction it was well worth the wait.

There was a packed house at the Alhambra on Tuesday for the first night of Dirty Dancing’s five night stint in Bradford, waiting excitedly for the classic scenes they know and love from the 80s classic.

A talented cast of dancers, singers and actors retold the story of the summer of 1963, with Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman learning some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing.

On a family holiday, Baby finds little fun in the resort activities, instead being mesmerised after stumbling upon a secret ‘Dirty Dancing’ party in the staff quarters, where she first lays eyes on dance instructor Johnny Castle.

Stepping in as his dance partner, she goes on a whirlwind learning curve both about dance and also about love, life and loss, culminating in, well… we all know what happens at the end.

Leading lady Kira Malou plays a perfectly innocent, idealistic Baby, alongside Michael O’Reilly as Johnny Castle, who certainly got pulses racing and hearts fluttering during his various dance routines and romantic encounters.

The show is packed with classic songs and all the most memorable scenes from the film, including the classic watermelon scene, Penny’s heart-wrenching abortion, and the songs ‘Hungry Eyes’, ‘Do You Love Me?’, ‘Hey! Baby’ and of course, ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’.

The iconic ‘Hula Hana’ performance by Baby’s sister Lisa was also a stand out moment of the show, with her off pitch singing, comedic dance moves and baffled backing band and dancers drawing roars of laughter from the crowd.

By the time it reached its crescendo, with Johnny returning to win the heart’s of Baby’s family – and at the same time the hearts of pretty much every woman in the audience – with their closing dance routine and the iconic lift, there was dancing in the rows as the crowd enjoyed the party atmosphere and the hit of nostalgia the show brings.

For fans of the film, and of the subsequent stage show, it was the perfect show bringing back memories of Kellerman’s from the 80s and some of their best-loved songs and cinematic moments on stage.

Some did get a bit carried away, with wolf-whistling and shouting coming across as crass, but on the whole it was a good-tempered crowd there for a good time. And after the last 20 months, it's exactly what we’ve all needed.

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage is at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre until Saturday, November 27. There a very limited tickets left for the six shows, to book visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call the box office on 01274 432000.