Billy Elliot - Why The Hate- Page 2

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 12:53am

I personally love Billy Elliot, but the score is definitely its weak point. I felt it served a purpose in the show, but it doesn't stand on its own as a great or even good score (with the exception of Solidarity).

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 1:17am

Large portions of Billy Elliot the musical made no sense to me until I saw the film (ie: the fence/bus thing). When I took 13 of my family friends to the show for the New Year, they all said that they enjoyed the movie more than the show.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 1:29am

I didn't like the cheap feel good curtain call after a very poignant ending. It felt like the producers felt too worried that people would be left with a "negative" feeling so they tacked in that schlocky tutu number. Total disrepect for the audience IMO.

I totally agree with you, Bettyboy. It was like the producers just didn't think audience members could handle a somewhat sad ending when, really, I thought it was the perfect ending. They just ruined it with everyone coming out in tutus.

and also, the huge dresses and pants in Michael's song should not be in the show. That is just random. and silly.

<--- the set of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I was assistant stage manager for during the 2007 season at the STNJ outdoor stage.

-Dre- You must remember all the same that at the crux of every game is knowing when it's time to leave the table... And it's important to be artful in your exit. No turning back, you must accept the con is done... It was a ball, it was a blast. And it's a shame it couldn't last. But every chapter has to end, you must agree.
~Dirty Rotten Scoundrels~
There's a special kind of people known as show people. We live in a world full of dreams. Sometimes we're not too certain what's false and what's real. But we're seldom in doubt about what we feel.
~Curtains~
It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to, than I have ever known.
~A Tale of Two Cities ~

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 2:06am

People love to trash the shows that win all the Tonys and get all the attention.

In my world, everything is welcome. Some things I like, some things I don't, but that doesn't mean I can't respect other people's perspectives or be objective about what is good and bad in what I like or don't like.

No show is perfect. Nothing is perfect. No one is perfect.

Despite what they may think.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:09am

I LIKED Billy Elliot, but I think it's flaws are similar to the flaws of Wicked. It panders to the "common" audience instead of reaching to be sophisticated and genuine. The entire cross dressing scene is totally unneccessary, and in all honestly, is put in just for the "aren't those boys amazing for wearing dresses" factor.

I DO find the score to be pendantic. I've seen the show 3 times and can only tell you two song titles: Solidarity and Electricity -- and I can't stand Electricity, it's a pile of maudlin manipulation.

I also rather dislike the "Billy Machine". Yes, I think the boys are incredible dancers. But I havent' seen any of them that are the total package.

Each time I see the show I become LESS enamored of it. The first time I was touched and couldn't wait to see another Billy. But that didn't happen for more than 6 months...as I was not driven to do so. It fell off my radar. My kids decided they wanted to see it after the Tony Awards. I enjoyed seeing them watch the show, but was a bit bored. I already had made plans to see BE a month after that with friends...and I began dreading having to sit through it again. Compare that to seeing other shows numerous times (and I don't see ALL shows multiple times) where I leave the theater "jonesin'" for more. Or days after a viewing, I am still thinking about the show.

Recent shows that have moved me to wanting more?
Hair
Ragtime
Next to Normal
Spring Awakening (yes, I know that will negate my opinions to many)

I don't think it's terrible, I just prefer excellence in quality as opposed to spectacle.

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:41am

Although I really don't think the score is all that memorable, there are some songs that stick out. I really enjoyed "Expressing Yourself", "Solidarity", and a few others to a lesser extent. Even though the music was by far its weakest link, I still found myself so moved by this show.

I don't dance. Never have and probably couldn't even if I tried. That being said, I still found myself relating to the struggles Billy went through and was so taken in by the story on the stage. I found it similar to Sunday in the Park with George in that regard. Although I'm not a painter, so much of Sunday is about creation and making something that matters. In both this instance and Billy Elliot, I am able to take my own struggles (as a writer, as someone who like to act, etc.) and project it onto the unfolding drama.

I'm also very glad there's the questionable character of Michael. I say questioning because he doesn't come right out and say that he's gay in the musical, though it is confirmed in the movie. Anyway, I mention this because in the end when Billy's father accepts him (as so memorably portrayed in the final moments of the film with that gasp) that moment plays as much as a father accepting his gay son as it does anything else. Because I am able to project these ideas onto the characters, I relate to it and find myself really falling (and eventually bawling) for the show.

So while Billy Elliot may be far from perfect, I still think it's a pretty good piece of theater. To be perfectly honest I think the movie serves as a better musical than the actual musical does. Just about every scene is set to a perfect soundtrack (Ha! This is the one time I can actually use this word on here) that really brings the film to life. The scene underscored with "London Calling" is just about the best thing ever.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 4:28am

It is a popular show, this is broadwayworld.com, here it is not popular to like popular shows. Some people here may have a valid reason, but most don't, and that's just how it is.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 6:56am

That's not a fair OR accurate statement. MANY of the people here have very sophisticated tastes and more theatrical and musical knowledge than the average theater goer.

Additionally, there are many folks here that LOVE BE, and Wicked and many other mainstream shows.

As I said in my post above...I loved Spring Awakening...a very unpopular choice here. I also LOATHED a number of shows that were deemed 'wonderful'. The best part about this site is that it is not a mutual admiration society. Those of us with strong attitudes love to churn thought and discuss them. There are only a few posters here that just look to poke holes in everything.

[jakebloke]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 7:07am

BE is one of the rare cases where the film is much better than the stage adaptation. I will usually prefer live theater, but not in this case. I saw it in London, and my biggest problem was that i couldn't understand half of it. I really enjoy Billy's story, but the whole union/Margaret Thatcher stuff lost me.

[Kev]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 9:41am

I'm really wondering WHY Billy Elliot is the phenomenon that it is. Is the story of a dancing boy really that catching to cause all this commotion?

mormonophobic touched on this, and I have to agree. In the grand scheme of things, Billy could be anything...a painter, an athlete, a composer, a child prodigy mechanic. The point is that this struggling kid is able to leave his crumbling town and pursue a dream, not just on the basis of his own talents but by the help of his community (one that is plagued by financial and personal conflict.) Family and townsfolk come together, despite the consequences, to sacrifice so this one kid can leave and have a better life. I'd venture to say these touching elements account for much of the show's broad appeal.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 11:31am

Oh, that's fine. And very true.

But the score is still a pile of sh!t...

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 11:53am

I'd buy a ticket to hiceasar's NEXT TO BILLY!

[Kev]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 12:13pm

Oh, that's fine. And very true. But the score is still a pile of sh!t...

The score is whole 'nother issue. While I share many of the same criticisms of the score, I believe the songs are expertly staged. There is nothing much to the music & lyrics of "Solidarity" but, the staging is rather brilliant.

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 12:40pm

The score to billy is weak, the only reason it was nominated for a tony is there was no other "original" music to nominate. As a refresher, Shrek, 9 to 5, BE and N2n got nominated ROck of age couldn't (and shouldn't) because its not original. It was like the catagory for revivals. Why did guys and dolls get nominated? because there was nothing else to nominate

[Mamie]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 1:16pm

I think "Billy" is the best all round show on Broadway right now. I find myself going back to see it every couple of months and finding more and more layers in the characters and story. I've seen N2N once and once was enough. It's simply a matter of personal taste.

As for Grandma's song, I really take exception to this comment:
Grandma's Song: Why? What was the point of this song? To develop a character that is basically dropped after this, and in the movie her dementia was much worse.

It most definitely was NOT to develop Grandma's character. It was to explain Jackie's and then Tony and Billy's. All three men were battlers who's instinct was to hit first and ask questions later. Grandma's song explained the home that Jackie grew up in. With both parents physically battling it out every day and a dad who was regularly drunk, it's no wonder he was well down that path himself. And that battling nature in him led to Tony's being bloodied twice at the riots. And now Billy - gets angry at a boy asking him questions at the audition and immediately strikes out and hits him. Dad isn't blind and it's at the audition that he sees where his boy is going and where he CAN go. It's critical to the story development and it's played beautifully on that stage.

Listening to Grandma sing about her life never fails to bring me to tears.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 2:05pm

That doesn't make it a good score, by any means. Sorry Mamie...

You keep enjoying that Fan Club status. xoxo

[Kad]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 2:22pm

"BE is one of the rare cases where the film is much better than the stage adaptation."

Isn't it usually the other way around... most of the time?

[hicaesar]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 2:31pm

"I'd buy a ticket to hiceasar's NEXT TO BILLY!"

Haha.. thanks TulitaPepsi.. I was looking for a good title.

What's funny is that most people complaining about BE are saying it doesn't have the best score. I agree... the score is not remarkable, I do think the score fits the show and is decent.

HOWEVER... Next to Normal has no dance numbers whatsoever, which is very rare for a Broadway Musical. So BE has a so-so score but great dance numbers, and N2N has a great score but no dance numbers. So it probably comes down to what you enjoy most about going to a show.

Call me middle of the road... I like em both (been to both twice btw.).

[jakebloke]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:10pm

"BE is one of the rare cases where the film is much better than the stage adaptation."


That's just my opinion. I almost always will enjoy a live adaptation over the film (even if the broadway show isn't that great) Billy Elliot and the Sound of Music are the 2 exceptions in my opinion. Hoever, I also understand that the BE film is NOT a musical. If it were, I'd prob like the Broadway show better. :) I wouldn't say I hate BE the musical, I just prefer the film, which is unusal for me. I guess that's what I'm trying to say in my ramble.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:16pm

HOWEVER... Next to Normal has no dance numbers whatsoever, which is very rare for a Broadway Musical.

- A Little Night Music (besides a waltz), Sweeney Todd, Sunday In The Park With George, Assassins, Passion. It's really not THAT rare. N2N has musical staging like the musicals I listed. A musical doesn't need dance numbers to be good.

[Mamie]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:48pm

MusicSnob1

You definitely do like to live up to your name

[Geridith]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 3:58pm

I loved the show, have seen it multiple times.

If you want to see a current Billy thats the full package, see Dayton Tavares.

Just wanted to speak up as someone who actually DOES like the show, since this thread seems to be weighed down with negative opinions. Score, probably not the best I agree, I've been listening to Ragtime more than Billy, but I personally love Electricity.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 4:36pm

"MusicSnob1

You definitely do like to live up to your name"

You said it, Mamie!

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 6:46pm

Don't be an obnoxious @sshole. You specifically asked.... "Why The Hate"

You wanted our opinion? You got it. Now buzz off, twerp. xoxo

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 1/14/10 at 6:51pm

...and sometimes the best score of the year isn't even nominated for a Tony! :^)