I had the time of my life on Tuesday evening and I owe it all to Broadway Across Canada Vancouver’s latest production — Dirty Dancing.

Like countless other women around the globe, Dirty Dancing is one of my all-time favourite chick flicks. I can recite any line from the 1987 movie, own the soundtrack and have always dreamed of seeing it live onstage.

My mom shares my enthusiasm for this classic film, which is why I decided to bring her along to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre so we could both see it come to life.

We bid farewell to ‘the Valley’ before rush hour traffic and headed for the bright lights of the big city. The drive only took around 35 minutes — thank goodness for the new bridge!

After checking into our hotel, we walked across to the QE and found our seats, which were pretty close to the stage. Nobody was putting this Valley Mom in the corner.

It was just about showtime.

The lights dimmed, a hush fell over the crowd, and then…

Bum… ba-bum/bum…ba-bum/bum… ba-dum..

We were whisked away to the summer of 1963, where 17-year-old Frances “Baby” Houseman, played by Gillian Abbott, was about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing.

It doesn’t take long until she has her first brush with eye candy Johnny Castle, played by Christopher Tierney — and yes, she carries a watermelon.

Abbott and Tierney both have some big dancing shoes to fill, but certainly don’t disappoint with their hypnotic stage presence and sexy dance prowess.

Featuring the hit songs, “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the heart stopping “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, this adaptation, directed by James Powell, had us dancing and singing along in our seats. Looking around us, it was easy to see we weren’t the only ones.

Die-hard Dirty Dancing fans, you’re going to be impressed with this performance from start to finish. The stage show mirrors the beloved film, using some pretty impressive theatrics to clone the original screenplay, but also peppers in a few additions for character development. And Valley Moms, make sure to bring some extra cash for souvenirs. They were selling the most adorable bibs that say ‘Nobody puts baby in the corner.’

Dirty Dancing is playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre until January 17. For ticket info and showtimes, visit www.vancouver.broadway.com