The audience has been ready for years

Tickets fly for 'Dirty Dancing' on stage

The cherished sight of Johnny lifting Baby will recur at the Opera House for months. (David Scheinmann Photo)

The Recreation Department in Wilmington organizes bus trips to Boston for most big downtown theater productions. Usually one bus is enough.

But when the town advertised that the next voyage would bring residents to the Opera House to see "Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage", it became clear that a second bus would be necessary.

"This one has had a huge demand," says recreation director Deborah Cipriani. "I think it has a big draw because of the movie."

Despite a recession that has left many with little disposable income for entertainment, Broadway Across America-Boston announced that the show, set to run Feb. 7 to March 15, has had such strong advance ticket sales that it is being extended through April 12 - a run of more than nine weeks. In comparison, "Frost/Nixon," which closes Feb. 8, will have been at the Colonial Theatre two weeks, typical for a touring show. The last time the producers had such a hit was when "Wicked" pulled off a nine-week run in 2007.

And those productions, like most touring shows, came with the built-in buzz of a Broadway hit. "Dirty Dancing" is making its East Coast premiere, with the aim of going to Broadway. It's a stage adaptation of the popular 1987 film about a young 1960s tourist named Baby (Jennifer Grey) who falls for Johnny, a Catskill Mountains dance instructor (Patrick Swayze). Producers say ticket sales are tapping into a large pool of fans of the movie, including many who don't often go to the theater. Fans who want to see Baby learn the mambo one more time. Fans who want to see Johnny lift her triumphantly, as the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" inspires everyone at the fictional Kellerman's resort to get up and cut a rug.

"We're hoping to get up in the end and do some dancing in the aisles," says Andrea Labonville, 51, of Gorham, N.H., who already has her ticket.

Drew Murphy, president of Broadway Across America-Boston, says about 90 percent of seats at weekend performances in February and March have already sold. "This is doing by far much, much better than other shows," Murphy says. "It's bringing out a lot of your nontraditional theater audience, the people who normally wouldn't buy a theater ticket."

Producers had such people in mind, in fact, when they set up "Dirty Dancing" ticket packages. Ordinarily, group sales call for a minimum of 20 seats. But for this show, producers dropped the number to 10 so friends - presumably women - would be inspired to see the show in packs. Tickets cost $30-$132.50.

Penned by "Dirty Dancing" writer Eleanor Bergstein, the stage show debuted in 2004 in Sydney before moving on to such other cities as London and Toronto. Reviews ran the gamut, but sales were incredibly strong. It had its US premiere in Chicago, where it ran for 16 weeks. According to Eileen LaCario, vice president of Broadway in Chicago, many ticketholders returned for a second performance. "It's a party show," LaCario says.

In Wilmington, the two charter buses will carry 152 people at $85 apiece, and there's a growing waiting list for seats. Cipriani will be on one bus with her 26-year-old daughter Meredith, whose favorite film of all time is - you guessed it - "Dirty Dancing." The trip is her 27th birthday present.

She's one of many "Dirty Dancing" enthusiasts who were too young to see the movie in theaters, but fell in love with it on TV, video, and DVD. Like others, she connected to the love story, the coming-of-age angst, and of course the steamy dance scenes with Swayze.

"Too many," Meredith Cipriani said, when asked how many times she's seen the movie. "A couple thousand."

Deborah Cipriani says she and Meredith, who last visited a theater together for "Wicked," have high hopes for the show because of the dancing. Sure, they could just keep watching the movie at home, but there's something about seeing the dancing live that appeals to them.

" 'Dancing With the Stars,' anything with dancing, you just want to see more of it," Deborah Cipriani said. "Hopefully it will compare [to the movie], and that's why we're going, too - to see how they portray it."

Gayle Baker's Valley Travel in Conway, N.H. also has two full buses booked for the show. The company attributed the trip's popularity to the movie's following and possibly to Swayze's battle with pancreatic cancer, which has put him in the headlines.

"Usually, it's one coach per [show]," said Patti Frasier, marketing tour director for Valley Travel. "It's really quite awesome, especially now in the downturn economy."

Frasier says some of the 100 people on the buses will be traveling eight hours roundtrip, coming from such New Hampshire towns as Berlin and Gorham. The package costs $199, which gets passengers the ride, dinner, and prime seats.

Labonville will be on board, along with co-workers at the Coos County Family Health Services, including nurses, physicians' assistants, and the facility's chief operating officer.

"I've seen the movie probably 25 times," Labonville said. "I think we all had a little crush on Patrick Swayze at one time."

Making a shorter trip will be Lynne Twomey, 47, of Marshfield, who booked tickets with members of her country club - mostly women in their 40s to late 50s.

"I think it was within two days I had everybody all set to go," Twomey said, adding, "I have the VHS. That goes way back."

Meredith Goldstein can be reached at mgoldstein@globe.com