Interview with Dirty Dancing’s Colin Charles
Posted on 21 March 2023
This beloved musical Dirty Dancing captures the spirit of a generation through the love story of Johnny and Baby, transporting audiences to the sun-drenched, sultry atmosphere of the Catskill Mountains, where the music is loud, the dance moves are daring and anything is possible! With an infectious soundtrack and unforgettable choreography, Dirty Dancing is a cultural phenomenon!
We had the time of our life as we caught up with Colin Charles, who plays the role of Tito in Dirty Dancing. We discussed everything from Colin's most surreal moment on stage, which character he would love to play, and what makes him feel like spring is really here!
Q&A with Colin Charles
Colin: The most surreal moment of being involved in the show was actually recently, we did a live performance of excerpts from the show, which was broadcast live on This Morning! During the broadcast, my son, who is 2 years of age, was at his childminder’s and was watching the show on TV, so my son’s childminder decided to film his reaction when he first saw me appear on the television. After the broadcast she sent me the video which was delightful, to see a surprised and quizzical look on his before exclaiming “It’s Daddy! “ as the TV cameras moved into a close-up of me singing ‘Love man’.
Colin: Probably Billy as he also has some great songs to sing! Like ‘Still of the Night’ and ‘Time of My Life’.
Colin: Assuming you are meaning a scene from the show? It would definitely be to perform and sing ‘Time of My Life’.
Colin: Having played the role of John from Miss Saigon, I feel he and Tito would have had a lot in common as they’re both Black Americans and both ex-army, (In my mind, I’ve always felt Tito has an ex-army background) and both would have been around in that era, to partake and witnessed the historic events that changed America, as Miss Saigon and Dirty Dancing are written about events in the sixties!
Colin: When the sun comes out. Oh, and seeing the Daffodils spring up in my garden!
Colin: Sitting outside having lunch by the river and watching my little boy running around in the park!
Dirty Dancing tickets are available now!
Don't be a baby in the corner, grab your dancing shoes and get ready to be swept off your feet by the rhythm of Dirty Dancing!
By Kevin Thomas
From as early as I can recall, writing has always been my passion. Being able to combine this with my love for theatre has been a rewarding and exhilarating experience. I truly believe that there is magic in seeing a story brought to life on stage, and this is what I would like to promote to audiences.