BILLIY ELLIOT = Snoozefest

Just returned from seeing the touring production of Billy Elliot. I was not particularly excited about seeing this show for the first time.. and what I saw tonight definitely didn't change my mind.

First the good. The cast was strong and did an admirable job with the material before them. And... that was about it.

My apologies to the Billy fans out there but.. how the heck did this show win 9 Tony awards, including Best Musical. Best Musical.. REALLY? With THAT banal, incipid score? Who was it up against the year it won? I left the theatre without one song still stuck in my head, and I couldn't hum one now if I had a gun to my head.

I just found the whole production to be boring and entirely too long. Both my boyfriend and I (and the woman next to me) kept looking at our programs to see how many more songs were left. It was also hard to follow in part because the British/Scotish accents were SO THICK, perhaps TOO AUTHENTIC (Sorry if that makes me sound 'simple' and less wordly). Characters and entire scenes were completely unnecessary. And the set design didn't help things either. In fact it only added to some of the confusion at first (Same dull, boring set with same red entrance/exit door serves as Billy's house, the dance studio, a union hall?). And this tour is Equity, right? Why were cast members moving pretty much all the on-stage sets and props? Tacky. And the cross-dressing best friend who apparently has a crush on Billy? What??! Just all biazarre and, at this performance, not very funny.

Updated On: 9/30/12 at 01:11 AM

Lucky for all of you, I don't know a thing about Billy Elliot, the musical, except that they had done some tinkering specifically for the American touring production. I *think* some of that tinkering included something with the accents. Apparently, Americans are easily spooked by foreigners and accented English. They're right. Well, the narrow minded sector, at least, and which country doesn't have one of those? Durr.

Sometimes the ear isn't used to hearing a certain combination of sounds and that jarring quality alone can translate to mumble jumble. When I was a kid, I assumed so many wrong words in place of what was actually sung on cast recording that featured British accents, thinking about how many times I screeched wrong lyrics into the open air is shameful!

I lied. I vaguely know exactly one song from Billy Elliot but can only recall how it made me feel since I don't remember its melody. And how it makes you feel is more important anyway, but I really liked it. Now if only I could remember the name of the song. :S

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I'm sorry for your experience. I saw it on Broadway and really loved it. As for the hummability of the score, I don't see that as a very valid argument for not liking it. Sondheim has said a lot on the matter. Also, in the Broadway production, no actors moved scenery (at least that I can remember). The big thing about the set that everybody loved was how the tower of Billy's bedroom and the kitchen rose on an elevator from underneath the stage. Also, it was so chilling when the miners descended as the part of the stage they stood on lowered, and they sang a capella. However, neither of those would have ended up in the tour. The accents, for me, were a bit difficult for the first five to ten minutes, but afterward, my ears adjusted. If you put the work into listening, you hear a very moving story. And then, of course, there's the dancing, especially of the actor playing Billy. Did you not enjoy that? Even the people I know who don't like the show thought the dancing was great.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion but it is difficult to take the views seriously of someone who can't even spell Scottish let alone realise that the accents in Billy Elliot are North East England and certainly not Scottish. Even if you are not very good at understanding accents, I am sure the programme or a bit of research would tell you where the piece is set. It certainly makes it clear enough at the beginning of the show.

As for actors moving parts of the set - that happens regularly in the theatre (on Broadway,off-Broadway,regional there, Equity,non-Equity) often as part of the design or directorial choices. I haven't seen the tour but the actors moving the walls back is definitely a directorial choice. As for actors moving props - have you really never seen a show where actors move props?

And the cross-dressing friend who has the crush on Billy? - I am not sure if your objection is to the the cross-dressing or the crush. Certainly boys having crushes on other boys is pretty common and boys dressing up is their mothers clothing not exactly unheard of.

I'm still bitter that BILLY won Best Musial over NEXT TO NORMAL. I saw BILLY and really didn't understand why everyone was so into it. NEXT TO NORMAL should've won by a long shot, my opinion.

First off, BILLY won 10 Tony Awards, not 9.
The score for BILLY ELLIOT is one that works as a part of the whole and does so with such integrity that the songs don't stand up when removed from that whole. I am a fan of the musical BILLY ELLIOT but I never listen to the cast album. When you take the songs out of the context of the story and the absolutely BRILLIANT staging, it just doesn't work. That can be interpreted as the score being "banal" or it can be interpreted as the score being so integrated into the plot and staging that it doesn't work when those elements are removed. However, that being said, there are still songs that I think are catchy and that I find difficult to get out of my head (SOLIDARITY comes immediately to mind). And SOLIDARITY is one of THE most amazingly staged musical numbers in years; a perfect melding of song, plot/character development and staging.
I agree that the set on the tour is not as clear as the set they used on Broadway. While the Broadway production kept the union hall walls on stage for most of the show, the kitchen set tower and table rising out of the floor made it clear that we were in Billy's home. The national tour has a smaller tower that rolls onto the stage when we are in Billy's home SOMETIMES. There are times when we are in Billy's home and the tower does not come in, only the kitchen table, and then it is definitely not clear where we are.
The accents in the show are scaled back from the London production, where that type of accent might not be any more difficult to decipher than a southern accent would be here in the states.
Unfortunately, they have made other changes to the show that weaken it, but not to the point of completely destroying it. Much of the profane language has been cleaned up for the tour. On Broadway, Billy's second line was "Fu#@ed if I know." Now it is changed to "I don't bloody know." When Mrs. Wilkinson is telling Billy to be calm for his audition, he used to say "For FU*% sakes, I KNOW!" Which prompted Mrs. W's response, "And another thing, remember to keep your mouth shut." That always got a laugh. They cut out the swear word in the tour, so Mrs. W's response is not only not funny, it doesn't even make sense. All the F bombs in SOLIDARITY are gone, making it a less "angry" song.
I never thought the dancing dresses in EXPRESSING YOURSELF worked; I always felt they conflicted with the gritty, realistic tone of the piece. But at least the dresses on Broadway were interesting to look at. The ones they are using on the tour are embarrassing. I also thin the tour is having a hard time keeping up with their Billy's growth spurts. When I saw the tour in Boston one of the Billys was as tall as Mrs Wilkinson, making him seem less vulnerable. A second Billy was injured and did not do a single show as Billy in Boston, but he went on as Tall Boy and he also very tall and had a very deep voice. Noah Parets was the only Billy I saw who seemed small enough to play the part. (I did not see Ben Cook so I don;t know how he reads) However, the cast is very talented and really sell the show. I have never seen it not get a HUGE response from the audience.
As for its winning the Tonys over NEXT TO NORMAL, that musical seemed more like a musicalization of a Lifetime movie, and I guessed its "surprise" plot twist five minutes in.

Steven22 - you sound like my oldest daughter who loved "Next To Normal" and could not understand it either. Actually, I liked the music of "Next To Normal" a lot more than "Billy Elliot". I think the great dancing put "Billy Elliot" over the top in many people's minds.

I dragged my feet for quite a long time before seeing the show. When I finally saw it, I truly enjoyed it. Never saw the film. Thought the show had more intricate familial and social dynamics that several shows put together.

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Hey keithp: Maybe get off your high horse. The northern England/Geordie accent is very similar to a Scottish accent -- I wouldn't say this out loud in downtown Newcastle, but it's true. After all, look at a map: They're right next to each other.

A Geordie accent has nothing to do with a scottish one. And I should know, I'm from that part of the country! Sure they are "right next to each other", but having said that, the country's border is at least a 1.5 hour car drive from Newcastle and "Billy Elliot" is actually set in a town near Durham, which is another 40 minutes further south from Newcastle. So geography lesson over

I saw the show for the first time last year during a visit to New York and I loved it. Very moving and very well done!

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I saw the show originally in London and then multiple times in New York. As time went on, they kept changing small things ostensibly to make it more "family friendly" but in reality weakening it and making some scenes awkward. There was also a VERY definite fall off in the quality of the performance of the child playing Michael. The kids after David Bologna and his immediate successors were mostly clowns with very little of the vulnerability inherent in that character. It really took away from the story. It was almost like no one was giving them notes. Also, the addition of Emily Skinner to the cast did not do the show any favors. That is really when it jumped the shark for me-a very, very poor choice even though I recognize her brilliance in other things. I am glad to hear the person on the tour is better. Even as much as I love this show, I think they could EASILY remove 30 minutes and still have a great show. As for Next to Normal...I thought that was brilliant also. I really couldn't compare the two. As far as Best Musical, I think either could have won. For actress though, I think Alice Ripley absolutely deserved it.

I saw Billy Elliot twice on Broadway and loved it. The show touched me a lot. Regarding the score, I think it works perfectly with the show but not as a score to listen to out of context.
Even though I love N2N as well (especially the score), I think Billy Elliot was a better overall production.

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Zamedy, I also saw the tour in Buffalo after seeing the show twice in NYC during previews. Huge difference between the two.

I did like the tour a lot-I thought the actors were incredible. Not a bad note in the bunch. But the show seemed longer and the energy seemed much flatter. It's hard to describe. It felt like the audience just wasn't getting into it. Applause was polite until the curtain call for Billy.

The cross dressing reads different on tour somehow. Many of my friends felt it didn't work. I have to say, the large dresses in NYC created more of a fantasy. The guys in dresses with nylons over their faces on the tour looked like Leigh Bowery and they creeped me out. The role of Michael really has to have a boy that commits and doesn't just ham. The tour Michael had moments but he strained. On tour, the Expressing Yourself number didn't work. The sentimental mother stuff felt more forced too, whereas in NYC the audience was sobbing (me included.)

The pace really seemed to drag. The musical seems to have a few numbers that really pull the audience in and win them over-"Grandma's Song", "Angry Dance" and "Electricity". I think people go in and out between them. Even Billy flying seemed to lack an audience reaction.

But, at the end of any complaints-there are the Billys. I think the audience is in awe of these young men that can work at that level and deliver that kind of performance. It's pretty inspiring no matter who you are. I think that is what wins people over in the end.

I like the show as a whole but never listen to the score. N2N should have won best musical.

Also, with many musicals, I truly feel there is a zeitgeist moment when the show is new, the original cast is pumping nerves, excitement and adrenaline that can never be replicated. That energy is palpable.

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