"Well, Brian d'Arcy James has a very difficult role"
Oh please. Shrek? Difficult? That's laughable. Those three boys deserve the Tony...they do more in their two performances a week than d'Arcy james does in an entire month.
I'm going to have to get to Notting Hill one day, especially if it's got a cupcake shop. Is Hummingbird Bakery worth the trip? Perhaps you found some delicious cupcakes nearer Theatreland? Something near the river would be fab, I'm in town again on Thursday and could do with delicious baking. If not a cupcake, perhaps a trip to Ben's Cookies is in order...
I was recommended Hummingbird specifically, so that was a special trip, but they were excellent. Plus, it was my first trip to Notting Hill, which was fun. I did have some rather exquisite yummies (including cupcakes) during tea at the Haymarket Hotel which I cannot recommend highly enough. Service was spectacular.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
The Billys do more than the lead in Shrek? Seriously? Because what...they dance?
Okaaaay. And there seems to be some belief that the boys are more deserving because they're young. Don't younger actors have more energy? More flexibility? More stamina? So where's the miracle that they can last two shows per week in a dance role?
Take ALL the dance out of the picture and the boys in Billy Elliot STILL have a larger acting challenge than the actor - ANY actor - inside that rubber costume. If you can't see that then there's no point in carrying on this debate.
Take ALL the dance out of the picture and the boys in Billy Elliot STILL have a larger acting challenge than the actor - ANY actor - inside that rubber costume. If you can't see that then there's no point in carrying on this debate.
The problem is that none of the boys are very good actors. Dancers yes, actors, no.
Then I guess there's no point in continuing the debate, because it's very unlikely we'll ever agree.
I wish I thought Billy Elliot was as moving as so many others seem to think it is, but I felt manipulated by overproduction and the very weak score undermines what could have been an emotional powerhouse of a show. The Billy I saw, Kiril Kulisch, was wonderful as a dancer, but was his the best performance of the year? Not in my opinion. I loved J. Robert Spencer's portrayal of a man who's desperate to keep his family together.