#1
Posted: 10/1/08 at 11:48pm
The bottom line: the race for Best Musical has ended before it's even begun.
BILLY ELLIOT more than lives up to the hype, and for a first preview, I'm in awe at how tight and succinct it already is.
The cast is uniformely excellent. Haydn Gwynne brings just the right mixture of jaded bitchiness and earthy maternity as Mrs. Wilkinson, soaring while leading "Shine" and "Born to Boogie" (though the latter should truly soar once they fix the abrupt ending.) Greg Jbara is heartbreakingly earnest as Dad, and Santino Fontana shows the makings of what would have made him a stellar George in Roundabout's revival of SUNDAY... as Tony.
Carole Shelley is a riot as Grandma, particularly in the book scenes, but she missed most of the very specific "beats" in "We'd Go Dancing," though I expect she'll become more comfortable with it as the preview period goes on.
A very special mention also goes to Frank Dolce, who comes close to walking away with the show as Michael. His duet with Billy as they try on women's clothes to a parade of dancing dresses, "Expressing Yourself," was the big show stopper of the evening (next to the brilliantly choreographed "Solidarity" and the powerful eleven o'clock number "Electricity.")
And then there's Kiril Kulish, who is every bit the star and absolutely spellbinding in what is his first ever theatrical performance. A mature and starkly honest actor, great singer, and phenomenal dancer, I can't imagine anyone being better at this role than Kulish. His "Angry Dance" and "Electricity" were powerful and riveting. True perfection and a grand start for such a young performer.
With it being so early in the process, the show's not perfect yet. The pacing of act one needs tightening, and some of the numbers (primarily "We'd Go Dancing" [known as "Grandma's Song" in the West End production] and "Born to Boogie") seem to deflate as they truly start to pick up momentum.
Technically, things went rather smoothly, though a stage hand randomly walked out at the end of "Born to Boogie" to sturdy the table and catch Kiril Kulish as he made his big tumble. They also didn't get the black out quite right at the end of act one, so Kiril was seen walking off after he'd ended the song laying on the ground.
Some stage hands were also pretty visibly seen helping with quick changes on stage during "Merry Christmas, Maggie," but considering that Stephen Daldry warned during a pre-show speech that this would be the first time they've run the show without stopping, everything went off without a hitch.
The twists and turns of the set are absolutely marvelous. Ian MacNeil really finds a way to move the action just as naturally as the characters appear on stage. Similarly, lighting by Rick Fisher is stunning.
The political subject matter and strong accents translate extremely well to an American audience. Everyone in the packed house seemed positively riveted, and I didn't get a sense anyone felt isolated or disinterested in anything in the least.
The curtain call mega-mix tends to go on a little long, but it's great fun that ends the show on the right note.
The show is truly spectacular. I am anxious to return once it's opened and see how the creative team makes it even better as time goes on.
Running time was close to three hours with a fifteen minutes intermission, which seemed to be on track.
Feel free to ask any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.
BILLY ELLIOT more than lives up to the hype, and for a first preview, I'm in awe at how tight and succinct it already is.
The cast is uniformely excellent. Haydn Gwynne brings just the right mixture of jaded bitchiness and earthy maternity as Mrs. Wilkinson, soaring while leading "Shine" and "Born to Boogie" (though the latter should truly soar once they fix the abrupt ending.) Greg Jbara is heartbreakingly earnest as Dad, and Santino Fontana shows the makings of what would have made him a stellar George in Roundabout's revival of SUNDAY... as Tony.
Carole Shelley is a riot as Grandma, particularly in the book scenes, but she missed most of the very specific "beats" in "We'd Go Dancing," though I expect she'll become more comfortable with it as the preview period goes on.
A very special mention also goes to Frank Dolce, who comes close to walking away with the show as Michael. His duet with Billy as they try on women's clothes to a parade of dancing dresses, "Expressing Yourself," was the big show stopper of the evening (next to the brilliantly choreographed "Solidarity" and the powerful eleven o'clock number "Electricity.")
And then there's Kiril Kulish, who is every bit the star and absolutely spellbinding in what is his first ever theatrical performance. A mature and starkly honest actor, great singer, and phenomenal dancer, I can't imagine anyone being better at this role than Kulish. His "Angry Dance" and "Electricity" were powerful and riveting. True perfection and a grand start for such a young performer.
With it being so early in the process, the show's not perfect yet. The pacing of act one needs tightening, and some of the numbers (primarily "We'd Go Dancing" [known as "Grandma's Song" in the West End production] and "Born to Boogie") seem to deflate as they truly start to pick up momentum.
Technically, things went rather smoothly, though a stage hand randomly walked out at the end of "Born to Boogie" to sturdy the table and catch Kiril Kulish as he made his big tumble. They also didn't get the black out quite right at the end of act one, so Kiril was seen walking off after he'd ended the song laying on the ground.
Some stage hands were also pretty visibly seen helping with quick changes on stage during "Merry Christmas, Maggie," but considering that Stephen Daldry warned during a pre-show speech that this would be the first time they've run the show without stopping, everything went off without a hitch.
The twists and turns of the set are absolutely marvelous. Ian MacNeil really finds a way to move the action just as naturally as the characters appear on stage. Similarly, lighting by Rick Fisher is stunning.
The political subject matter and strong accents translate extremely well to an American audience. Everyone in the packed house seemed positively riveted, and I didn't get a sense anyone felt isolated or disinterested in anything in the least.
The curtain call mega-mix tends to go on a little long, but it's great fun that ends the show on the right note.
The show is truly spectacular. I am anxious to return once it's opened and see how the creative team makes it even better as time goes on.
Running time was close to three hours with a fifteen minutes intermission, which seemed to be on track.
Feel free to ask any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 10/2/08 at 11:48 PM
