IT was the film musical which took on a life of its own.

Remarkably it is almost 30 years since Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey hit the big screens and went on to break all box office records.

Next week a spectacular tribute show to the hit movie - A Night Of Dirty Dancing - comes to the Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn.

"It really is a magical night," said producer Will Norton, who actually starred in the show when it played to packed houses around the UK last year.

"For this year we have rejigged a lot of the show and made it even better," he said.

The stage show has been inspired by the movie and is set at Kellerman's Holiday Camp where the end of season talent competition is about to take place.

"The characters you are familiar with from the film are all there," said Will. These include Baby, the teenage daughter of a well-off couple holidaying at the resort who falls for Johnny the camp's dance instructor.

"But we have also introduced and developed new characters including Baby's sister and during the course of the night we learn about what has taken place during the summer."

The show includes some spectacular dance routines and also features a live band.

"Some of the songs from the movie feature in the show such as Big Girls's Don't Cry and, of course, The Time of My Life which everyone associates with Dirty Dancing. But there are also four or five other classic songs from the early Sixties which we have introduced."

With the show taking place in Blackburn on the same night as the final of the European Football Championships, the theatre is bracing itself for the ultimate girls' night out.

But Will said he had been surprised at the mixed audiences the show has played to around the country.

"It is a great girls' night out," he said, "but the great thing about the show is that it has something for all ages and both sexes.

"You do see some husbands who have clearly been dragged along but once the band gets going they are soon into it all.

"It really is a great fun show for everyone."

Although not a stage version of the movie, a number of the film's classic scenes and lines have been retained.

"Oh there's plenty in the show for the real fans of the film to enjoy," he said. "It's amazing how so many people in the audience know the lines, it can be quite off putting when you are in the show at first - they almost seem to know it better than you do."

A Night of Dirty Dancing, Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn, Sunday, July 10. Details from 01254 685500.