a sampling of links to twelve reviews and a brief excerpt from each:
# Ben Brantley in The New York Times, with a review in the print edition that fills the top half of page one in the "Weekend Arts" section and is referenced on the front page of the main news section with another color photo, writes: "Few people may have the gift of this show’s title character, a coal miner’s son in northern England who discovers he was born to pirouette. But the seductive, smashingly realized premise of 'Billy Elliot' . . . is that everybody has the urge. And in exploring that urge . . . this show both artfully anatomizes and brazenly exploits the most fundamental and enduring appeal of musicals themselves."
# Barbara Hoffman in the New York Post (Clive Barnes is on leave.) writes: (**** out of 4 stars) "'Billy Elliot' opened last night, proving itself the best gift from Britain since Harry Potter. . . . Here he's [Elton John's] given us memorable music - by turns anthemic, folksy and rock-and-roll rousing - that serve Hall's lyrics well. You'll probably wake the next day humming their raucous 'Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher'. . . ."
# Joe Dziemianowicz in his New York Daily News blog writes: "The show's creative forces - Stephen Daldry, Lee Hall and Peter Darling - who repeat duties as director, writer and choreographer, and who are joined by composer Elton John - are to be commended for bringing "Billy" to the theater with smarts, clarity (yes, Americans will "get" the across-the-pond references, including the expletives), imagination and tender loving care."
# Michael Kuchwara for the Associated Press writes: "It's not often that a musical comes along that is as ambitious as it is emotional — and then succeeds on both counts. . . . But 'Billy Elliot' is an exceptional work that exemplifies what the best musicals are all about: collaboration. Everything comes together in this impressive, warmhearted adaptation. . . ."
# Matt Windman in AM New York writes:
(**** out of 4 stars) “'Billy Elliot: The Musical' is the real deal: a truly compelling and absolutely spectacular theatrical experience destined to be a smash hit. . . . Simply put, you cannot miss it. . . . In his first great score for the theater, [Elton] John mixes rock and roll, folk ballads, political anthems and parody."
# John Simon for Bloomberg News writes: "'Billy Elliot'. . . really does have something for everyone, and that something is, gloriously, art. . . . But the best and biggest surprise is the way the cast, under Daldry's direction, never makes the slightest false step, balletic, histrionic or emotional."
# Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune writes: (***½ stars out of 4) writes: "'Billy Elliot', a sentimental, inspiring, thrilling show that treats the arts as both an escape hatch and a key component of human hope, has found an apt new moment [the economic downturn]."
# Richard Zoglin in Time Magazine writes: "Billy Elliot does almost everything a musical should do, and more. . . . Oh, and there are songs, too — good ones by Elton John, with lyrics by Lee Hall, — but they are so tightly woven into the action that you almost hate to single them out. . . . In telling its uplifting tale, Billy Elliot does an amazing job of not pandering."
# David Rooney in Variety writes: "He [Billy Elliot] also gets the standout song, the show-stopping "Electricity." True to its title, that number and its extended dance interlude send a visceral charge through the audience that raises the spirits in the way only a musical can. That 'Billy Elliot' is as much an elegy as a celebration is what makes it such a winner."
# Linda Winer in Newsday writes: "Broadway's long, dark, dry spell of big, smart, smash musicals is officially over. . . . Elton John has written an ambitious, varied, altogether satisfying grown-up score that, after his sentimental Disney music, we never dreamed he had in him. . . . [Peter] Darling's impressive choreography seems to infuse everyone in the big cast with a personal story. . . ."
# Malcolm Johnson in the Hartford Courant writes: "'Billy Elliot The Musical' has everything . . . and a variety of ringing songs by Elton John and Lee Hall. . . . it will draw in countless more customers with a mounting that justifies the astronomical ticket price. Bravo, Billy."
# David Sheward in BackStage writes: ". . . one of the smartest and most satisfying Broadway musicals in years. . . . Tough, intelligent, exuberant, electric, politically savvy, and fun are all accurate adjectives for Billy Elliot. Long may he dance on Broadway and across the country."
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna
Espcially the NYTimes/Brantly .jpg?format=auto&width=300)
