cturtle's BILLY ELLIOT review

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:40pm

What a delight it was to get to see this show in London on 7 April! The Victoria Palace is a beautiful old theatre and just the right size for a big crowd without forfeiting intimacy. BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL is Stephen Daldry’s vibrant transfer-to-stage reworking of his 2000 movie hit. The basic plot is identical, but much of the "grit" of the 1980’s miner's strike in Britain is reduced and told stylistically through song and montage by book author and lyricist Lee Hall. The music by Elton John is totally functional and often enough downright inspired. Songs serve as militaristic musical mantras of the working class people who populate the story. Perhaps not very original, but they serve their purpose.

“And the stars look down and see the struggle
And the stars look down and see the pain
And the stars will lead to where light shines again
Where we’ll stand as one, beneath the sun …”

“Solidarity, solidarity, solidarity forever,
All for one and one for all …”

Other musical numbers are appropriately placed to explore each major character's plight. Mrs. Wilkinson gets her big chance to “Shine” as she routinely attempts to inspire the group of gangly girls in her ballet class.

“Give em the old razzle dazzle
Turn on the old pizzazz
There’s no time for shilly shally
Give it backbone, give it welly …”

Again, maybe not terribly original, but very entertaining. The song begins with Billy dodging the dancing in an effort to give the hall keys to Mrs. Wilkinson, and ends with him unwittingly prancing about with a big pink feather fan along with the girls. Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson is a sheer delight. Her character is spot on, in the manner of Julie Walters in the movie, but this time she’s thin and not afraid to let her hair down and let herself go.

Gwynne’s other big song is “We Were Born to Boogie,” an energetic dance number in which she joyously joins Billy in expressing his new-found talent.

“We weren’t born to stand still
Aint a question of will
Gotta move, it’s a fact
You were born to react
We were born to boogie …”

It really gets good when stodgy Mr. Braithwaite (Steve Elias), who has called Billy a wanker on two previous occasions, joins in the boogie. Very fun and very funny.

The actors who play Dad and Tony (Tim Healy and Joe Caffrey) are fine in their roles, but their ages appear closer to Billy’s grandfather and father than his father and brother. Dad’s singing of a poignant folk-type song at the pub adds regional flavor to the story, which is set in northeast Britain.

Ann Emery is a cast standout as Grandma. Her rendition is gutsy and absolutely charming, especially in the song she sings to Billy to tell him what a bastard his grandfather was. If she had it to do again, she sings, she would do it on her on, and her way. She is an inspiration to Billy to follow his own road.

Another inspiration to Billy is the appearance of his “Dead Mum.” As in the film, he treasures a letter she wrote to him when he was a baby, but here she makes a visual and vocal appearance at key points in the story. “The Letter” is an emotional and gorgeous moment.

“Please, Billy, know that I will always be
Proud to have known you
Proud that you were mine
Proud in everything
You must promise me this, Billy …”

Updated On: 4/24/05 at 02:40 PM

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:41pm

I can’t say enough good things about the kids in this show, with the roles played on alternating nights by three different casts. The ones performing on the night we attended did a remarkably consistent job, from “Small Boy” and “Tall Boy,” to the “Ballet Girls,” to Debbie and Michael. The Michael we saw (Brad Kavanagh) was wonderful! He and Billy perform a stand-out number about the joys of dressing up in girls’ clothing. For Michael it is a perfectly natural expression of his personality. (After all, his father does it too.) A first-reluctant Billy indulges because Michael is his best friend. The two end up romping around with a bunch of disembodied dresses that come dancing out of the closet. (Pun intended.) An incredible tap-dance ensues that brings down the house. Great talent and great fun! (Something tells me this number wouldn't play as well here in Georgia as it did in London.)

I wish I could remember the words to this song, or even the title. Unfortunately, the program does not list the musical numbers. The lyrics I’m quoting here are from blurbs in the program or the two music previews on the website: http://billyelliotthemusical.com/songs.html

An unidentified member of the ensemble plays Billy’s gentle “alter ego” in the first act and a gruff Royal Ballet School dancer in the second. In the “alter ego” scene, Billy does a beautiful dance with the grown-up image of himself. The set pieces are pulled away, and man and boy fill the stage with their motion. The inclusion of a Billy flying on a wire may seem corny to some, but I thought it was lovely and very moving.

Which brings us to the young man who plays Billy (James Lomas or George Maguire – it was hard to tell which!) … quite simply nothing short of incredible. Wonderful little actor, beautiful singer, and boy could he dance! In the movie Billy does very little actual ballet dancing. Here Billy fully projects his budding prowess as a young ballerino. And he’s an amazing tap dancer too! His performance had the audience cheering throughout and on its feet at the end. It was the finest evening of youth performing in my memory.

The choreography by Peter Darling rises above mediocrity on more than one occasion. Mrs. Wilkinson and Billy shine, and they simply wouldn’t with lousy dance moves. There’s one sequence when the strikers stylistically interact with the ballet girls, at one point lifting them in turn, juxtaposing their conflict upon the girls’ innocence. While a noble bit of creativity, frankly it just didn’t work for me.

The set by Ian MacNeil is functional but rather clunky. It consists of a long upstage set-piece and two perpendicular pieces right and left, making three sides of a big box, within which most of the action takes place. This design primarily serves as the town hall, where the union meetings, boxing practice, and ballet lessons occur. The stage-right piece doubles as the Elliot's kitchen. Billy's bedroom rises out of the center of the stage, a la Pride Rock in THE LION KING but on a much smaller scale. Though rather spectacular, the raising of this piece is accompanied by the annoying sounds of its machinery, and the time it takes to fully extend itself slows the pace of the show, making its use anticlimactic. The one scene in which the bedroom "tower" works well is when Billy, in a rage of anger, let's his pent-up emotions poor out in a vigorous tap dance that begins in his room at the top and continues down the circular steps to the stage.

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 02:41 PM

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:42pm

Act two opens with a Christmas follies performance by the Durham Miners’ Association. A festive and biting musical number wishes death to “Maggie Thatcher,” complete with suds-soaked miners dancing around with their faces covered by plastic pop-art Thatcher masks.

As in the film, the climax of the show is when Billy auditions for the Royal Ballet School. One of the interviewers says, as Billy and Dad start to leave, “Just one more question, Billy. What does it feel like when you dance?” Billy fans knew there was going to be a song here, especially if they listened to the music previews on the internet. When I first heard the clip of “Electricity” on the website, it honestly gave me chills and made me a bit misty. So it was a highly anticipated moment in the show.

“I can’t really explain it, I haven’t got the words
It’s a feeling that you can’t control
I suppose it’s like forgetting, losing who you are
And at the same time something makes you whole …

And then I feel a change
Like a fire deep inside
Something bursting me wide open
Impossible to hide
And suddenly I’m flying
Flying like a bird
Like electricity
Electricity
Sparks inside of me
And I’m free
I’m free …”

These are the best words in the work, and the music soars. The young actor does a beautiful job singing the song. But ultimately it was a tiny bit anti-climatic for me. Maybe because Billy stands in one spot on the stage, without any additional lighting cues … I’m really not sure. But there just seemed to be something missing.

When the strike is over, Dad and the others return to their work, descending into the depths of the stage.

“So we walk proudly
And we walk strong
All together
We will go as one
The ground is empty
And cold as hell
But we all go together when we go.”

After a beautiful scene with “Dead Mum,” in which she says she doubts if she’ll ever see her growing son again, the action ends with Billy saying goodbye to Michael and stepping down off the stage into the audience. A brief moment later, Billy is back onstage giving Michael a kiss on the cheek before disappearing again. A simple and lovely way to end. (There is no “grown-up” Billy scene, as there was in the film.)

All in all, it was a wonderful evening of theatre. The Londoners screamed and cheered, and we cheered right along with them. We left the theatre inspired … and eagerly awaiting the cast recording!

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 02:42 PM

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:44pm

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 02:44 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:45pm

This is wonderful! I can't wait till I get the chance to see it!


The picture you posted isn't showing. Also is your icon from the show?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:48pm

Fabulous review, cturtle! I've still got my fingers crossed that I'll score tickets for 4/29 or 30! Do you know if the Scissor Sisters ended up writing one of the songs in the show? Is the music typical "Elton"?

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 2:53pm

eponine: i know, i can't remember how to fix the photo! go to my FAN PHOTOS to see yes, my avatar is a pic from the program of the Billy we saw :)

type: sure hope you score don't know about the scissor sisters, as john gets credit for all. typical elton? ummmmmm ... yes and no

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 02:53 PM

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 3:44pm

car driving on the right?! obviously a one-way street

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 03:44 PM

[ElTico68]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 3:48pm

Wow... sounds wonderful. Thanks for such an indepth review. Can't wait for a chance to see it.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 3:53pm

Good photo. I'm so amazed at the architectural beauty of those old London theatres!

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 4:01pm

yes, the VICTORIA PALACE is a grand old theatre with an interesting history ...

http://www.victoriapalacetheatre.co.uk/vphistory.htm

http://www.thisistheatre.com/londontheatre/victoriapalacetheatre.html

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 4:14pm

Wow, interesting! Did they maintain the original interior design? I'm curious about the "sliding roof" in lieu of modern A/C that the first link was referring to. How does that work?

(Also, would you happen to know what time the Victoria Palace's B.O. opens and closes? I'll try to give them a ring in the middle of tonight and pray they have tickets that TM.co.uk doesn't!)

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 4:26pm

i have no idea how that roof worked. i am interested in that myself!

we got our tix thru WWW.SEETICKETS.COM only a week or so before the performance. we had great seats too ... near the front of the dress circle.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 4:28pm

*running to seetickets.com*

Do you live in the States? If I order now, I wonder if they'll have time to send them to me in Canada or if I'll have to Will Call.

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 5:12pm

when we ordered the tickets, the site said they would be mailed to us, and there was no option to ask for them to be held at the box office. we ended up calling seetickets on the phone and verified that they would be held for "collection." good luck!

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 05:12 PM

[Ringo Star]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 5:28pm

CTurtle, a wonderful review! I think I may be able to clear up a few of your queries. On the 7th April, the part of Billy Elliot was played by 12-year-old Liam Mower (yup the kid shown in your avatar!)The part of Michael was infact played by Ryan Longbottom (not Brad Kavanagh). Some of the lyrics from "Express Yourself" (Billy and Michael's duet which you mentioned) include:

"Get some earrings, some mascara, some heels and a fan,
pretty soon you will start to feel a different man"

"What the hell's wrong with wearing a dress,
being who you want to be,
who the hell is it you try to impress,
all you have to do is learn to care less.

Start a new fashion, buckle a trend,
baby sing something to me,
coz what the hell is wrong with expressing yourself
and trying to be free.

If you want to be a dancer dance,
If you want to be a miner mine,
If you want to dress like somebody else,
Fine, fine, fine!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the show, I really hope it is a big hit, I think it's a wonderful production!

[FosseBoi]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 6:05pm

DONT critisize me for asking this because I dont mean this in a bad way! Is Billy gay? Or do they make it up to you to deside? Just wondering.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 6:18pm

thanks for such a great review. i'd been waiting to hear thoughts on this show...

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:04pm

WEEE! SPREAD THE BILLY LOVE!

*points to avatar* glad you had a knock out time!

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:20pm

I've been waiting and waiting for some kind of in depth review, so thanks so much cturtle!

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:31pm

ringo: thanks for clearing up my billy identity crisis! in the program there is only one set of photos labeled with the actor's names, and the boys look very much alike in those shots. thanks also for the lyrics to EXPRESS YOURSELF. what a great song

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:34pm

i have to billy-fy my profile now... *scurries off*

[cturtle]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:34pm

fosseboi: billy is not gay ... at least not that he knows at his age ... he just likes to dance. it is michael who is recognizing his gay feelings and admits to billy that he fancies him.

Updated On: 4/16/05 at 10:34 PM

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:36pm

boi... boy... wow, i just got that. am i slow?

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 4/16/05 at 10:42pm

what a fabulously written and wonderfully thought piece you have given us. DYNAMITE!!!!! thank you, thank you, thank you!:)