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Dirty Dancing the fastest-selling show in West End history
Last updated at 17:37pm on 27.09.06
The time of his life: Patrick Swayze stars in the stage version of dirty dancing
The stage version of Dirty Dancing has taken a record £11 million in advance ticket sales, it was revealed today. Preview shows of the musical will begin on Friday after months of hype.
More than 240,000 tickets have been snapped up so far, and producers have installed an extra 25 seats at London's Aldwych Theatre to allow an additional thousand tickets to go on sale.
They will be available from noon on Friday and the box office will remain open until midnight to meet demand.
The sales make the musical version of the hit 1987 film, which will officially premiere on October 24, the fastest-selling show in West End history. The movie's creator Eleanor Bergstein has adapted her own script for the stage.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey starred in the original film, about a teenage girl who falls in love with a dance instructor during a family holiday.
It remains the biggest independent film of all time and the soundtrack has sold 41 million copies.
The stage version will star Rada graduate Georgina Rich as Baby and Australian Josef Brown as Johnny.
