When Ashley LaLonde rolls into Richmond with Dirty Dancing: The Musical, on September 22, it won’t be her first time on the Altria Theater stage.
A swing/understudy for the three Schuster sisters in Hamilton, LaLonde got the opportunity to play Eliza in 2023 when the blockbuster show played Richmond for the second time.
“That was a special experience,” says LaLonde who is playing Elizabeth in Dirty Dancing: The Musical. “A lot of my friends and family in this area came to the see the show. It was a dream come true.”
LaLonde’s role in Dirty Dancing: The Musical is very special to her.
“The main thing that drew me to the role was the ability to establish an original role. This is a brand new character that is not in the movie,” she says. “This is especially exciting.”
Reimagining a Classic
Set in the summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing: The Musical, a new stage production based on Lionsgate’s beloved film Dirty Dancing, follows Frances “Baby” Houseman as she discovers love, passion, and independence through her relationship with charismatic dance instructor Johnny Castle.
The show is directed by Tony Award nominee, Obie Award winner and two-time Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd), who played Neil Kellerman in the original Dirty Dancing film, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie(Fat Ham, Beyonce’s World Tour).
During production, LaLonde got the chance to write the blueprint for the new role. “It was very collaborative,” she says. “I helped co-create it. That as an actor is a priceless experience — bringing a character to life.”
The character — Elizabeth — has her first job is at Kellerman’s. An aspiring singer, she ends up in a love triangle with Johnny’s younger cousin.
“They need to have their own love story,” she says. “It’s really fun to play this young woman who has hopes and dreams. I feel honored every night.”
She is thrilled to be singing many of the iconic songs in the show, which went on to launch two multiplatinum soundtrack albums, numerous #1 hit sings and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
“To be able to bring this story that has a special place in people’s heart to life is very nostalgic and very meaningful,” she says.
From New York to Richmond
A lifelong New Yorker and a Harvard grad, LaLonde was immersed in the world of Broadway as a child growing up, thanks to parents who appreciated the theater as much as she does now.
“I always dreamed of going into the arts,” she says.
At Harvard, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, she appeared in Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, dating back to 1844.
“I was the first woman and first ever Black woman to perform in the show,” she says, noting she began working professionally at the age of 18.
LaLonde is thrilled to be coming back to Richmond. Her husband is a Richmond native as is her best friend from college.
“When I was in Hamilton, I fell in love with the people and the culture in Richmond,” she says.
Dirty Dancing: The Musical plays Altria Theater September 22 – 27. Tickets and additional show information can be found at BroadwayInRichmond.com.
