Billy Elliot Closing- Page 2

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 8:21am

Elton John was not there.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 10:11am

Jordan it’s a closing night for people who have worked very hard on a show for a long time, most if not all the people booking will be people who know it’s a closing night and are specifically there to say goodbye to the show. I think it’s a great thing what they did, a perfect way to close the show. Even if people were in the audience who did not know they still got to see the whole show and were probably thrilled that they got to a see a performance so unique. It just seems to be people on here who get up in arms about things like this.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 10:25am

No, its not just people on here. And it's not just a performance for fans and family etc, it a performance that was on sale to te general public. And please tell me how a first time watcher would know they're seeing something "special" with nothing to compare it to?

[supersam1026]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 11:23am

I went with a friend who had never seen it before. At the end of the night he was still interested to see what one Billy would have been like, he still absolutely loved the show.

[billyboyA]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 6:27pm

I'm a complete Broadway purist, but frankly unless you were there you can't accurately judge the experience. Even as a purist, it was a magical experience. Much like what I heard the big special show they did for A Chorus Line becoming the longest running show on Broadway was like.

It's good you weren't there Jordan - that way you didn't have to be pissed off. But for those of us who were there and wanted more of a send off than just the same show that has been playing at the Imperial, it was an experience that was magical and will forever be etched in the hearts of those that were there.

Some events call for something more than just the norm. The fans and friends and families who were there in the theatre yesterday, like I was, were hoping for something special - and got more than any of us had even hoped for.

When I went to the closing of Women on the Verge, there was barely even a mention of it closing. It could have literally been any show of the run - nothing to make it stand apart as a show saying goodbye to Broadway. And I have to admit, that I was a bit annoyed because I was hoping for something more.

Apparently some of us get pissed off when they try too hard, and some get pissed off when they don't try hard enough.

If there's one thing I've learned from reading message boards: it's that there's a lot of people looking for a reason to get bent out of shape. In years past, people would go to therapy for those problems. Now they go to message boards.

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 6:37pm

That's interesting... in the most widely-distributed video of WOTV, Mambo Taxi Driver makes a joke at the beginning of the show about the house being mostly empty and the show being about to close. I'm surprised, given that he did that DURING the run, that he wouldn't do something to mark its actual closing.

[jetts7]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 6:56pm

Any clips of it on YouTube?

[homeimp]

Posted: 1/9/12 at 7:00pm

I was at this performance, which was absolutely special and totally terrific. I don't think you will find very many members of the audience who were disappointed that they got to see all 4 Billys, or that the show was wrecked for them. The weaving in and out of the Billys was seamless. No one has mentioned the fact that if one Billy was named to do the show, it would be interpreted as saying he was the "best" of the group. This was the fairest way to do it for all the Billys, and the children in the other roles which were also split. Stephen Daldry explained to the audience that the decision as to which boy to name as final Billy was just too difficult, so they had simply decided not to make it. All four boys would play Billy. At which the audience appauded and cheered.

[viola13]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 2:25am

I don't think anyone's mentioned the fact that Stephen Daldry and Lee Hall's closing night speech was at the top of the show, rather than at the end, like most shows. So the audience was clued into the fact it was closing night and that the kids would be switching off before the show started.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 9:05am

"it would be interpreted as saying he was the "best" of the group"

To be totally honest, by having one Billy do two of the three major dance numbers in the show kind of said that.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 10:06am

While Peter Mazurowski did perform both "Angry Dance" and "Electricity" - as well as the final letter, "Dear Billy (Billy's Reply)" - he had fairly minimal stage time, especially when it came to scene work. His only other involvement was Tall Boy in the opener and boxing scene, then the little scenes directly preceding each dance number he did.

Tade Biesinger did first number ("The Stars Look Down"), the scene in the house/scene with Mum, the boxing class scene, Shine and the shadow dance transition to Grandma's song. He also did the scene and "Expressing Yourself" with Michael. He was Tall Boy at the top of Act 2, then did the goodbye scene with Mrs. W near the end.

Joseph Harrington did about 2/3 of Solidarity himself, was in the scene where Tony and Dad argue, the private dance lesson scene with Mrs. W. and the letter song, and all but the last 10 seconds of Born to Boogie (which I've heard might be his favorite number). In Act 2 as Billy he did "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," "Deep Into the Ground" the scene with Michael, the first 10 seconds of "Dream Ballet," and the Post scene near the end. He was also Posh Boy.

If anyone was the most slighted, I'd say it was Julian Elia. He transitioned during the shadow dance and was onstage for Grandma's song ("We'd Go Dancing"), then did about 1/3 of Solidarity by himself, did the flip off the piano in "Born to Boogie," and then the bathroom scene with Debbie. In Act 2 he did the "Dream Ballet," was in the fight scene after "He Could Be a Star," and finally in the soup kitchen scene.

Peter's strongest suit iss his dancing and perhaps the most difficult thing is the singing. Tade is a very strong actor with a clear high boy soprano voice, but he doesn't have as much stamina as the other boys for the longest dances. Joseph also has a clear voice. Beyond that, Peter is also the most senior of the Billy boys so that might have added to how they assigned parts of the show.

I guess I'm just saying that while it seems obvious that they must favor Peter over the others since he got two very big dance numbers, I'd say you're underestimating all the rest of the dances and Billy's scene work.

[once a month]

Posted: 1/10/12 at 10:53am

You sure know your Billy's, Amanda! I appreciate the clarifications regarding the Billy break-down! There was nothing about this final performance that I didn't love. I had such a good time, even through my incessant crying! Thank you very much one last time for the opportunity to see this from such a grand location.

It was a wonderful event!

[mikey2573]

Posted: 1/12/12 at 12:45am

I was at the closing show as well and it was an unforgettable experience! They transitions from Billy to Billy were goosebump inducing. This first was during the shadow dance. Tade started the dance and then suddenly Julian appears. The two boys do the shadow dance together, mirroring each other, and then Tade leaves and Julian takes over.
By far the best moment was the end of SOLIDARITY, when Billy does his pirouettes. Suddenly there were 2 Billys, then three then all four were on stage doing the final pirouettes and going into that final pose. That number always gets a huge applause, but this time it got an extended standing ovation. Then, with all 4 Billys still in their final poses, Daniel Jenkins enters as Dad, takes a look at the 4 Billys, and says his next line, which is, "What the f*cking hell is going on here?!" Well, the audience just fell apart laughing. Then Julian and Peter ran offstage in terror while Tade and Joseph did "rock, paper, scissors, shoot" to see who was going to stay to face Dad. Joseph lost so Tade left and Joseph stayed to face dad. Simply brilliant! And the whole evening was full of those moments. It was a truly magical night.

[moncruzz]

Posted: 1/13/12 at 1:28pm

Had I known they were going to make the last Broadway performance extra special, I would've gone the extra mile to be there. Now when will the youtube videos surface??

[mikey2573]

Posted: 1/20/12 at 10:55pm

You all asked for it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i173N3EgGPc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwcq73Bspw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHtDcwnJVmo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sntOHXsyq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVWZVEt_1-I

(That's Tommy Batchelor who does the flip off the proscenium).

Here's a not so good shot of the end of SOLIDARITY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr2IqA6HUGE

And Peter's final ELECTRICITY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57nWTJWxl2s

Enjoy!!