Cobb, according to the actress' official website, will play Frances "Baby" Houseman, the role created on screen by Jennifer Grey. No official casting been announced.
Amanda Leigh Cobb has been seen on Broadway in The Coast of Utopia and in the Williamstown Theatre Festival productions of The Front Page, The Corn Is Dead and Eurydice. Her other theatrical credits include roles at Yale Repertory, NY Stage and Film, the Eugene O'Neil Center, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Long Wharf and the Weston Playhouse. Cobb received her MFA from the Yale Drama School, and she has been seen on TV in "Law & Order: SVU."
Following success in London and Toronto, the new national American tour of Dirty Dancing will start Sept. 28 in a limited engagement at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago. Performances will play to Dec. 7.
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is produced by Jacobsen Entertainment, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein, writer and co-producer of the smash movie.
The show is a theatrical hybrid that includes dancing, presentational singing, book scenes, but not traditional character singing or a new musical theatre score. It draws on pop songs from the hit film soundtrack. Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage "is a coming of age love story involving the talented and headstrong dancer Johnny Castle and Frances 'Baby' Houseman," according to producers. "During her family's summer vacation at the popular Kellerman's resort, Baby, a doctor's daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps, meets Johnny, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. Against all odds, they fall in love, learning life-changing lessons along the way."
The show "follows the highs and lows of their summer romance."
The original story has been expanded for the stage. "While keeping magical moments from the film, in the theatre, Baby and Johnny's relationship is developed further; there is more sensational dancing; and, more music, joining favorite songs like the Academy Award-winning '(I've Had) The Time of My Life,' 'Hungry Eyes,' 'Hey Baby' and 'Do You Love Me?'"
For more information on Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, go to www.DirtyDancingOnStage.com.
