Cinema’s return celebrated with open-air show

May 5 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

THERE was Dirty Dancing on the streets of Newcastle last night as hundreds of film fans helped celebrate the Tyneside Cinema’s return home.

A crowd of around 1,000 – there were even some men – had the time of their lives at the Monument for a special outdoor screening of the 1987 film that turned Patrick Swayze into every woman’s dream date.

The drizzle did little to deter the film’s legions of North East fans, who arrived with deckchairs, blankets and umbrellas for the show – despite most of them having seen Dirty Dancing enough times to know the script word-for-word.

A gigantic screen was installed on Grey Street for the night, organised by the Tyneside Cinema to warm up film fans for its reopening later this month after 18 months of building work.

The evening kicked off at 8pm with entertainment featuring dancers, balloon artists and stilt walkers.

And cheers erupted at 9pm as the night sky closed in and The Ronettes’ classic Be my Baby signalled the beginning of the film, as the assembled masses danced and sang their way through the movie one more time.

Organisers had every film in history from which to choose for last night’s festivities, but Dirty Dancing was selected by Tyneside bosses for its sheer popularity – it is often cited as the most-watched film in the world.

Last night Tyneside Cinema chief executive Mark Dobson was one of the few present who was watching the film all the way through for the first time.

He said: “I’m thrilled to bits. We wanted to put on something that would allow a lot of people to have a lot of fun and I think we’ve done that tonight. We’re starting the Tyneside’s journey home by trying to turn Newcastle into an open air cinema.”

The cinema’s page on internet site facebook has been the centre of a major debate between fans in recent days on the best accessories to bring along for the big night.

The result was a sea of outdoor chairs, bean bags, brollies, blankets and picnics, as people filled Grey Street from wall to wall, even cramming into shop doorways.

Social worker Sarah Nevin, 31, from Kenton, Newcastle, (favourite DD moment – the first dance between Baby and Johnny) said: “We probably know the script off by heart. It’s your total fantasy of Patrick Swayze teaching you to dance.

“I must watch it every three months. It’s such a feel-good film. If you’re feeling ill you can just curl up on the sofa with it.”

Operations manager Lorna Fearon, 32, from Blyth, Northumberland (favourite DD moment – the big final performance) said: “We were at just the right age when it came out. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen it.”

Katie Paterson, 31, a commercial director from Lemington, Newcastle (favourite DD moment - the water scene) said: “I love Dirty Dancing. I probably know every single word.”

The Tyneside was relocated to Gateshead 18 months ago when the £6.5m building work began, and visitors will get the chance to see the results from midday until 5pm on Sunday, May 18 when the cinema will open its doors. Normal service will resume from May 22.

The new-look Tyneside will have two new screens – the 156-seater Electra and the 100-seater Roxy – in a new roof extension.

It will also feature a digital film production lab designed by Mike Figgis, Hollywood director and Tyneside patron, will have education spaces and improved facilities for the disabled.

Updates on the programme are promised at www.tynecine.org - where visitors can also catch up on the refurbishment programme at the cinema.

A unmissable event

WHEN I saw that the Tyneside Cinema was showing an outdoor screening of Dirty Dancing as part of its re-opening I knew come rain or shine I’d be there.

I rounded up a few of the girls and although it rained for most of the day, when we arrived at Monument to pick our spot for the evening, the rain eased.

The pre-film entertainment consisted of circus acts and a DJ, who warmed up the crowd nicely.

As it grew nearer to 9pm, when the film was due to start, the atmosphere was electric and when the opening bars of Be My Baby filled the speakers everyone went wild.

Dirty Dancing is one of my favourite films of all time, but the atmosphere and experience of last night mean that I will never be able to watch the DVD in the same way again.

Everyone sang along with every song, cheered at the iconic moments and, most importantly, danced the final dance with Johnny and Baby.

There were also the die-hard fans who shouted out lines from the film throughout and the biggest cheer of the night came after Johnny’s famous line: “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” The poster advertising this event lived up to its promise and we most definitely had the time of our lives!