Profile for Jeff3

I don't know when Colin's leaving. He's by far the oldest (older than George Maguire!) but, so far as I know, he's still going strong. I don't know when Liam's leaving either, but not before September. It strikes me that both of these plus Leon will be getting close to expiry by the autumn, so that could be a volatile period. But, who knows? Certainly not me... as I have demonstrated.

Leon Cooke has signed a new contract, extending his run in the title role unil September. Leon was the first new Billy after the original three. As such, he missed out on some of the kudos and - specificaly - on the awards heaped on the original cast. When Stephen Daldry introduced Travis Yates (No 5) on his opening night he presented him as "The Fourth Billy" in front of a packed house. But Leon has slowly gathered a huge following. He is a really engaging performer. I will always remember t...

I'll try to come on here occasionally, but, after my last post, you might not trust me! The night I did the spoof review (Wednesday - I wasn't there naturally) the show apparently folded at half time because there was a power failure.

You're right about George. Although he did perform after his official last night, it didn't really count as a comeback. As you say, his contract was just lengthened for a couple of weeks. I gather that George resisted offers to perform again when they were back down to three prior to the introduction of Matthew and Colin in March. I rather respect him for that. He must have been tempted, but he clearly wanted to draw the line.

I think they found the schedule a bit brittle with only three, which is why James and George kept making comebacks. I think it would have been four rather than five had it not been for the discovery of the amazing Colin at the American auditions and the determination to get him on stage before his voice broke. I haven't seen Matthew, but I'd like to. There was some nonsense talked about it not being appropriate to have an Asian Billy, but that seemed to evaporate once he started.

No, they're alternating five: Liam, Leon, Travis, Colin & Matthew. The other two are next in line and are expected to make their first appearances in the summer. June 3rd is thought to be the date when Liam's contract comes to an end, though it isn't certin that this will be his last performance. Leon will presumably be coming close to the end of his run some time in the summer and Colin is nearly sixteen already, so presumably his will be one of the shorter runs.

I can't remember who told me now, but I tested the information out a couple of times and it seemed to be true. I don't know why. I know Liam was unwell for a bit in the Autumn. Maybe, when he came back and it became clear that they wanted him to do a longer run than the other two originals, he and his parents got to call a few shots about when he was going to perform and what pattern of performances might best keep him fresh and healthy. But I'm guessing.

Sorry, I didn't actually mean in the letter scene, which was played for maximum sentimental impact. Elsewhere though, his performance was lightened by some very nice touches. I asked someone to remind me of specific examples. He said: "There was a definitely playful quality to his Billy that was most clearly expressed in Expressing Yourself and Shine. You somehow got a sense that he wanted to dress up and dance with Michael/dance with the ballet girls but he's pretending for them that he does...

That last was the answer to Matthew's question obviously. As for 12th May, well there are predictions of all sorts of nonsense. Apparently, people purchasing tickets are being warned not to expect a normal show, so most of the seats are being snapped up by groupies. The expectation is that there will be appearances from all Billies - past and present.

Yes, I believe it was when he returned from illness around Novemberish. If it still applies, it does mean that if you know a week or so ahead that Liam is going to be one of the two 'in residence' on any given Thursday or Saturday, then you know he will (more or less) definitely be on in the afternoon.

No, there's no schedule that runs that far ahead. Some devotees have got quite good at predicting up to about a week ahead (though that presumably becomes harder with five Billies!) and there are some quirks that we have got used to - Liam never does evening performances on Thursdays or Saturdays for example - but really there's no way of knowing who will do what in May.

Colin Bates' opening night was sensational. Colin's acting is very strong indeed. He combines a sensitive approach to the more intense moments, particularly the letter scenes, with an impishness which defuses the sentimentality very nicely. His ballet is extremely polished. Swan Lake was very assured indeed. But his dancing is also very powerful and characterful. His Angry Dance was one of the grittiest I'e seen. His singing was also very sound. He brought out strong performances from all the...

I think Karlo has it right. There's a nice tension between community and individuality with a recognition that both are important. But ultimately the triumph of the individual over prejudice and conformity carries us away. Anyone can empathise with this, though perhaps Karlo and I can agree that being gay is just one way of instantly being closer to the character's dilemma. It's interesting that so many people want to see this event over and over again. I guess this is because we get almost a...

Just been chatting to someone about how the Billy Boys will cope post BETM. I wondered whether others might be interested in these thoughts: I saw Stephen Daldry telling an interviewer at the Olivier awards that the most important thing from the boys' point of view was to regard the hype surrounding BETM as a special experience, something to be remembered and cherished, but probably never to be repeated. He is obviously mindful of the dangers and he and others have taken a lot of trouble over...

Tell us about Matthew.

I'm clinging to the belief that Billy Eliot has a universal theme that can withstand the introduction of Billys of every colour under the sun.

18th Feb: I was sitting in Pizza Express after the performance this afternoon, minding my own business, reading my book and eating my pizza (obviously), when who should walk in but the star of the show. Well, I say the star of the show, but at this point he was chatting away animatedly and generally bearing a striking similarity to a totally normal boy. Someone called out to congratulate him and he accepted the compliment with perfect charm, genuine pleasure and honest humility. And I got to ...

That doesn't make any more sense for being posted twice. Who said anything about not supporting the troops? They just shouldn't be put in that position! And as for Iran; if that happens can I opt out of the human race? Billy Elliot The Musical is good isn't it. I'm going again on Saturday.

Re 18th Feb: Where will it end? BETM lifted me onto a new plane this afternoon, though I have seen it more often than I would care to admit. The best two words I can think of to sum up the experience are Liam and Mower! A while ago, someone posted a poll on the fansite asking us to identify our favourite dance. Obviously, we all love all of them, so it was a difficult one. It was noticeable, though, that very few of us singled out Swan Lake, even though this is a very effective and pivotal mo...

Karlo, Try www.billyelliotfans.com Loads of stuff to read there.