January 2015 Reviews - London

Reviews of the show
Barry Appleby
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by Barry Appleby »

THURSDAY MATINEE 15th JANUARY

We are a bit short of reviews this month unfortunately so I'll bore you, firstly sorry I'm a bit late! “Had to wait till me dad went out” naaw don't believe that. Yes again another good coverage by Pat on Thursdays matinee which I was lucky to be there, unlike one member, who was in a cottage in the mountains of Scotland, what a week to pick, should change his name maybe to “Wish I was at home Billy”
The weather was wild for us all, but we made it into London, Bradley (sorry mate, Bradders to us) was outstanding and confident throughout, I don't see him as often as others do, but in his Electricity he seems to add movements to it, every time I've seen him, he so does remind me of Fox, he really is a topper, always looks to enjoy himself on stage, finishing off his performance in style, in the finale, the audience stood up and gave him and the cast a great ovation, its so nice to see these youngsters enjoying performing on stage.
I had a girls school not far behind me, Tomi in Expressing Yourself, had them in stitches when he was strutting around the stage, with his hand on his hip with the dresses, also his antics with the tutu, he really is a bundle of fun.
Great to see Connie as Debbie, she immediately comes on stage in the opening number with a smile, straight away you can see her enjoyment being on stage. Her antics make me laugh, grunting when climbing the toilet wall, doing her best to wow over Billy with no luck, showing her disgust and disdain with her mum, who is always in the way, all the time.
A big thanks to the Westow Ballet girls so full of enthusiasm throughout, I might be wrong but they seem to be the youngest group I've seen, well, lets say the smallest.
So nice to see Wendy Somerville as Mrs Wilkinson so enjoyed her performance, so again a “Big Thanks” again to ALL the Cast for a very enjoyable afternoon.
After the show, it is straight away for a meal and always a good laugh and micky taking, makes a real good day out, then we set off and go our different ways home. Things went a little downhill mainly due to the bad weather, I believe Pat had slight delay at Gatwick again!, I got stuck on the Tube for 40 minutes with a signal delay, not nice, then got to Kings Cross to find my train delayed incoming, anyway we left 20 minutes late but I think the train driver was Lewis Hamilton, we seemed to pass everything on route, we arrived into Hull only 5 minutes late, then its into my car to drive to Bridlington, it was not to bad, even with the gales, a bit icy but after all, it is January.

Barry's corny joke – Two anglers were trying to outdo each other with tall stories. One claimed he hooked a big fish, struggling to get to the side of the boat, it broke free, he claimed it weighed 35lb & 6oz.The other angler said how could he, be so precise with the weight.
He replied, “ It had scales on its back”
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patc
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by patc »

Wednesday 21st and Thursday Matinee 22nd January

A boy's blog:

My name is Roy Kord and me Mum luvs the billy elliot show. a few years ago she brung my older brudder Wayne to see it and now she brung me for my burfday on wensday. Wayne did a plog of his and this is mine. The teeter is in London so we went on the tairn first and then on the choob. Ther was millions of peeple inside when we got ther. It was a grate show and I injoined it a lot. All the seens were grate but my favrit won was the boxing fite wher Billy acted the eejit with his best pal called Mykal and made every body laff. In the sekind haff of the show ther is a brilyint part when Billy does a bally dance with an older boy who looks like him. ther is lodes of smoke all round the stage and then Billy starts to fly a round. In the dark you cuddent see at furst but then you see that Billy is tashed to a rope witch flings him in the air. The older boy cachis him and pushes him up and down. I’m glad I wasent the boy that was playing Billy cos I wud have been very scared been up that high. Me mum sed that ther wud be lodes of bad words and ther was. Sum of them wer a bit rood as well but she sed I was not to start usen them when we came home. The funneeast seen was when Mykal dresses up in ladies cloze and makes Billy do the same and they do a grate dance and lodes of uge dresses came on to the stage and jined in. Ther was a gurl called Debbie in the show who was shockin bold but me Mum says it was brilyint acting cos thats the way she was sposed to be in the show but she was probly very nice when she was at home. Billys dad and his brudder never stopped arging and fiting in the show and wer usen bad langridge. Billys dad axially punshed his brudder on the face and he felled down on the floor. Ther was a littler boy in the show but he probly dusent get as much money as Billy cos he was only on a few times. A boy at the bally school who was reel posh was annine billy and billy bashed his head up against the wall. I hope he dident haff to go to the hostipal. The lady that was teechin Billy to do bally was smoking a sigaret witch is very unhelfy. I tink Billy reely liked her cos he gave her a big hug. She liked billy two and she was very sad when billy sed goodbye. There was a big man who made a yukky samidge and put tons of salt on it but he still ate it in front of every body. Billys gran was in the show and she made every body laff. She sang a song all on her owen and then started dancing a round. My gran wuddent be abel to do that. She luvs just to sit in her chare all day and watch TV. There was lodes of bally gurls all dancin and pushin billy around and laffin at him but he shode them in the end that he was a better bally dancer than them. After the show was over me Mum gave me a luvly sprize cos she sed we were staying in me anties house in London and we were going to see billy again on Tursday. I told you she luvs it. In the sekind show ther was a seprit man what palyed Billys dad and he was terble angry lodes of times. The boy who was billy was different as well but the same boy and gurl were playin Mykal and Debbie. I forgot to menshun ther was a big man on wensday what played the piano on the stage when Billy was been tawt bally but he was a diffrent man on Tursday. These men had to do lodes of skipping with skipping ropes and I was amazed that they were abel to do it and not be eggsawsted. Ther was lodes of sad bits as well. At the end of the furst haff billy was ragen mad with his dad but when the second half started he was back frendly with him agen and even sang a sad song with him. and Mykal was left awl alone on the stage at the very end when he had no frends left now that billy was gone away. Me Mum asked me witch billy was the best but I sed they were bote brill and we called it a drawer. Before we went to the show Wayne told me that it wud be the best thing I ever seen and it was. I cuddent bileeve that any boy wud be abel to do all that stuff speshly in front of millions of peeple. Ther was a man in front of the stage playing a piano but me Mum sed ther was lodes of udder men under the stage playing lodes of instormints. I hope you like my plog and I think every body shud go to see billy elliot. On the way out I herd lodes of peeple saying that they wud be going to see it agen. I’m goin to try and purswade me Mum to bring me and Wayne to see it in our haff term brake but cos our chrismas school reports for english wer so bad she wants to send us for electrocution lessons insted.

Well, there you have it. Roy, like his brother before him, obviously had a great time at both shows.

He didn’t mention any names but I can tell you that Billy was played by Ollie Jochim and Brodie Donougher, respectively, both of whom were absolutely magnificent. In their own distinctive ways they brought to life the inspirational story that Billy Elliot is, making it a memorable three hours for two audiences. Nothing like this could be achieved without the utmost dedication and determination that these boys have, aligned with their skills and talents which are evident for all to see and enjoy. I can only imagine the amount of hours they must spend every week practising and refining their Electricity’s and Dream Ballets under Damian Jackson’s guiding influence. I hope they know that all their hard work is appreciated so much by spellbound audiences.

It is many years since I last saw Lucinda Collins play Grandma. With Ann and Gillian ever present, opportunities were limited but she made up for lost time on both Wednesday and Thursday with a wonderful interpretation of the character that I thoroughly enjoyed. My old back is still wincing at the manner in which she tries to emulate Dad and Tony’s jump up as Billy is upstairs reading the RBS letter.

In Mr. B’s case you can’t ask for more than seeing David Muscat AND Phil Snowden in action, again with contrasting styles but both hilarious.

Demi’s “shockin bold” Debbie was brilliant and when it is time for her to move on from Billy, not anytime soon I hope, I am sure that she will have no problem getting further parts as she is a really impressive actress with great stage presence and facial expressions that need no accompanying words.

Zach is out of this world. Once on stage he grabs your complete attention and then proceeds to endanger your lungs by crippling you with laughter (the tutu heroics practically finished me off both times), lights your life up with uninhibited razzmatazz and, finally, in a moment, reduces you to a blubbering wreck, this latter experienced in total respectful, mournful silence in both shows with not a muscle moved before the curtain hit the floor. Thank goodness for the few moments of darkness that follows in the theatre and, of course, the spectacular Finale.

No travel upsets of note this week but I don’t mind going through anything Mother Nature can throw at us in order to enjoy this unique experience as often as possible.

Pat
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dancingboy
Billy
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by dancingboy »

Fanks for dat, Pat. I mite take meself to de show at sumtime.

On a serious note I must endorse your comments about the dedication of all concerned, but particularly the boys who play Billy. Their reward must be to see the audiences give their ovations night after night.
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angelenroute
Billy
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by angelenroute »

You get the Mark Twain prize for that one, Pat, wow!!! :o :D

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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jmh2014
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by jmh2014 »

Thursday Jan 22nd

Brodie/Zach/Demi
Elliott/Todd/Kyria

I cannot add much to Pat’s amazingly unique review above, so I will just say this: Brodie’s Electricity – stunning.

The evening performance was, without doubt, the best show I’ve seen. That was all down to the young lad from Liverpool, Elliott Hanna. He produced a spellbinding performance that gave the entire cast so much to work with and they responded in kind. Standout performances of Angry Dance and Electricity. The ovation to Angry Dance allowed him to stand for a few seconds and take it in. There looked to be a hint of a smile before his customary smirk, brush down and walk off stage.

First time seeing Phil Snowden as Mr B and Lucinda Collins as Grandma and their own interpretations of the characters just adds to the performance.

Solidarity contained one of those moments that can only happen in live theatre.

Ruthie goes to grab the biscuits as she has done hundreds of times before, only this time they end up flying to the front of the stage. For a split second everyone takes in what they have seen and starts laughing. Ruthie continues to sing through her own laughter and calmly walks forward, picks up the biscuits and puts them back in the pack, while Elliott & Kyria are struggling to get their lines out. Composure regained the scene continues until Ruthie has to say “Pick up the biscuit.” She can’t help but laugh as do the audience. Full credit to Elliott here, he has one quick smile and then back to full concentration.
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angelenroute
Billy
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by angelenroute »

jmh2014 wrote:Solidarity contained one of those moments that can only happen in live theatre.

Ruthie goes to grab the biscuits as she has done hundreds of times before, only this time they end up flying to the front of the stage. For a split second everyone takes in what they have seen and starts laughing. Ruthie continues to sign through her own laughter and calmly walks forward, picks up the biscuits and puts them back in the pack, while Elliott & Kyria are struggling to get their lines out. Composure regained the scene continues until Ruthie has to say “Pick up the biscuit.” She can’t help but laugh as do the audience. Full credit to Elliott here, he has one quick smile and then back to full concentration.
LOVE IT! :lol:

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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Billy Whiz
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by Billy Whiz »

A big thank you for all the great reviews. For us fans that can't get there very often it is heartening to hear that the show is still doing so well.

Keep 'em coming :)
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ERinVA
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by ERinVA »

A boy's blog:

My name is Roy Kord and me Mum luvs the billy elliot show. a few years ago she brung my older brudder Wayne to see it and now she brung me for my burfday on wensday. Wayne did a plog of his and this is mine. The teeter is in London so we went on the tairn first and then on the choob. Ther was millions of peeple inside when we got ther. It was a grate show and I injoined it a lot. All the seens were grate but my favrit won was the boxing fite wher Billy acted the eejit with his best pal called Mykal and made every body laff. In the sekind haff of the show ther is a brilyint part when Billy does a bally dance with an older boy who looks like him. ther is lodes of smoke all round the stage and then Billy starts to fly a round. In the dark you cuddent see at furst but then you see that Billy is tashed to a rope witch flings him in the air. The older boy cachis him and pushes him up and down. I’m glad I wasent the boy that was playing Billy cos I wud have been very scared been up that high. Me mum sed that ther wud be lodes of bad words and ther was. Sum of them wer a bit rood as well but she sed I was not to start usen them when we came home. The funneeast seen was when Mykal dresses up in ladies cloze and makes Billy do the same and they do a grate dance and lodes of uge dresses came on to the stage and jined in. Ther was a gurl called Debbie in the show who was shockin bold but me Mum says it was brilyint acting cos thats the way she was sposed to be in the show but she was probly very nice when she was at home. Billys dad and his brudder never stopped arging and fiting in the show and wer usen bad langridge. Billys dad axially punshed his brudder on the face and he felled down on the floor. Ther was a littler boy in the show but he probly dusent get as much money as Billy cos he was only on a few times. A boy at the bally school who was reel posh was annine billy and billy bashed his head up against the wall. I hope he dident haff to go to the hostipal. The lady that was teechin Billy to do bally was smoking a sigaret witch is very unhelfy. I tink Billy reely liked her cos he gave her a big hug. She liked billy two and she was very sad when billy sed goodbye. There was a big man who made a yukky samidge and put tons of salt on it but he still ate it in front of every body. Billys gran was in the show and she made every body laff. She sang a song all on her owen and then started dancing a round. My gran wuddent be abel to do that. She luvs just to sit in her chare all day and watch TV. There was lodes of bally gurls all dancin and pushin billy around and laffin at him but he shode them in the end that he was a better bally dancer than them. After the show was over me Mum gave me a luvly sprize cos she sed we were staying in me anties house in London and we were going to see billy again on Tursday. I told you she luvs it. In the sekind show ther was a seprit man what palyed Billys dad and he was terble angry lodes of times. The boy who was billy was different as well but the same boy and gurl were playin Mykal and Debbie. I forgot to menshun ther was a big man on wensday what played the piano on the stage when Billy was been tawt bally but he was a diffrent man on Tursday. These men had to do lodes of skipping with skipping ropes and I was amazed that they were abel to do it and not be eggsawsted. Ther was lodes of sad bits as well. At the end of the furst haff billy was ragen mad with his dad but when the second half started he was back frendly with him agen and even sang a sad song with him. and Mykal was left awl alone on the stage at the very end when he had no frends left now that billy was gone away. Me Mum asked me witch billy was the best but I sed they were bote brill and we called it a drawer. Before we went to the show Wayne told me that it wud be the best thing I ever seen and it was. I cuddent bileeve that any boy wud be abel to do all that stuff speshly in front of millions of peeple. Ther was a man in front of the stage playing a piano but me Mum sed ther was lodes of udder men under the stage playing lodes of instormints. I hope you like my plog and I think every body shud go to see billy elliot. On the way out I herd lodes of peeple saying that they wud be going to see it agen. I’m goin to try and purswade me Mum to bring me and Wayne to see it in our haff term brake but cos our chrismas school reports for english wer so bad she wants to send us for electrocution lessons insted.

Well, there you have it. Roy, like his brother before him, obviously had a great time at both shows.
Are we sure that one of the Chick-fil-a cows did not masquerade as a human to write this blog???? :lol: :lol:
https://www.facebook.com/EatMorChikin
Ellen



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patc
Mrs Wilkinson
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by patc »

ERinVA wrote:Are we sure that one of the Chick-fil-a cows did not masquerade as a human to write this blog???? :lol: :lol:
https://www.facebook.com/EatMorChikin
Roy says that this cow is suffering from "Bow fine spongebob endsloppily" :D.

Pat
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patc
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Re: January 2015 Reviews - London

Post by patc »

Thursday matinee 29th January

I was at the VPT today. So were lots of other people……….and so was Elliott Hanna. Only he was there for different reasons than we were and I can think of a thousand reasons why those who weren’t there shall live to regret their reasons for not being there. Elliott’s reason for being there was to entertain us and we were there to be entertained and, even by his standards, what he provided for us was SUAVE.

SCINTILLATING UNBELIEVABLE AMAZING VITALIC EMOTIONAL

I don’t know what the boys had eaten for lunch but, whatever it was, the Boxing scene was a hilarious cracker on steroids. Starting off with Small Boy Lewis raising the roof (and himself) with a series of (well, three) sinew-destroying press-ups followed by an earthquake-inducing collapse all accompanied by three earsplitting J’s and a final groan of total submission. Meanwhile Todd and Tall Boy Fred were hamming it up to the full. Bemused Howard was more than a casual observer of this gross disrespect to the art and, when dismissed, Lewis took his oversized bag and proceeded to, eh, waltz might be a good way of describing it, around them all and doggedly head for the red door before unleashing his immortal line on an unsuspecting audience. With Fred also summarily dismissed the way was clear for Elliott and Todd to destroy the reputation of boxing in all of one minute. Elliott’s outrageously funny shape-throwing was going very nicely, thank you very much, until he ran straight into a left (or was it a right, it doesn’t matter) punch from Todd that dropped him like the proverbial lump o’ lead to the boards. It was then left to Todd to emphatically deliver the usual sucker punch and bring the scene to a chaotic conclusion. Anyone watching whose adrenalin didn’t flow during all that must have been comatose. After this electrifying start there was no going back.

…and so it progressed from scene to scene with hardly time to draw breath. Every second of it engrossing and emotional. Ruthie, Kyria and the Ballet Girls came on to Shine and bathed the full width and depth of the stage in a gloriously, crazily and energetically choreographed spectacle of colour and movement. If this routine is actually written down somewhere it must run to a thousand pages. Solidarity provided similar but the bright and cheerful colours were soon joined by dour navy blue and black coming together at odds, a foretaste of things to come. In between, Gillian’s superb nostalgic Grandma had her say.

Soon, though, people were being shocked and dreams were being damaged when the definitive Iratus Pater, in the form of the now iconic Deka Walmsley, set foot inside the hall. This was such a powerfully acted rendition of this seminal moment which is that point in the story where things get down to serious business. The degree of tension went from 0-100 in double quick time.

Never fear, though. A “chap” by the name of Michael (note the correct spelling there, Roy) is about to cheer us up and who pops in to do just that? Todd Bell, who is ready to lecture us on expressing ourselves, in such a nice way, of course. We never got lectures like this when I was at school. Over the next five minutes or so we were treated to a joyful and fulfilling duet of fun and dance, every bit as colourful as Shine with the ever willing Elliott and a host of daintily dressed Ensemble members at Todd's command.

The tension returned with the first altercation between Dad and Tony (Chris Grahamson in no mood to be pushed around). An already emotional Letter with Ruthie and Claudia was pushed to the limits with Elliott’s plaintiff cry of, “Don’t Go”. An abundantly energetic and colourful B2B with Ruthie and Mr. B (David Muscat) relieved the tension for a while. Elliott is so quick on his feet that he could almost have had a four course meal as he was ready and waiting on top of the piano for the somersault.

The short but beautifully paced and acted Toilet scene with Kyria at the forefront momentarily eased the tension again but boiling point was finally reached in the kitchen after a torrid and totally convincing exchange of passionately held views. It was time for Elliott, with a licence to thrill, to burst into physical action. Employing every trick in his considerably sized dancing bag he stretched every muscle to its extremities in delivering a classic that forced this viewer’s jaw to the floor in admiration. Sizzling feet, body contortions and a most extraordinary, instantly achieved, stylish levitation to about four foot off the ground towards the finish. Add the red mist and the synchronised thumping batons to the mix and you have the personification of Iratus Choro.

I will pause here to bring up the subject of Dream Ballet. In the Billy Live show the Swan Lake music, to my ears, is slightly different than usual and some short phrases are at a slightly quicker tempo. I was reminded of this during yesterday’s performance where the music, as heard, was definitely a bit different than usual. Significantly, the legendary Spencer brought it up for discussion afterwards. Not that it mattered. With Elliott and Barnaby in charge it made synchronised swimming look like aquatic mayhem.

Before this Todd had played out a very moving tender moment in the Winter scene followed up by his unique tutu extravaganza.

Electricity and Deka’s accompanying reaction to HIS son’s talent as it unfolds before his eyes never fails to immensely move me. As the two sit on their chairs answering the echoing, probing questions of the RBS audition team I feel the emotion building up. It becomes further heightened as Billy ponders the final question. Elliott’s Electricity is already preserved for posterity on blu-ray and DVD and, most likely, pirate websites but seeing it live has that extra special dimension. My jaw plunged into the deep recesses of the Victoria Line below.

When he came home from school as the family stood behind the table with the RBS letter poised for special attention, Elliott did have that four course meal before turning around, much to everyone's amusement.

The final stages of the show, filled as they are with partings and farewells, keep the emotional adrenalin flowing. The impact and images of the miner’s lament, Once We Were Kings, with their womenfolk and children standing by their sides in support, is a powerful reminder of what happened to so many ordinary people in Easington and elsewhere all those years ago. No matter what side you were/are on it is heartbreaking. Todd’s solemn observance of Billy’s departure was no less so.

On a freezing cold day in London the entire cast led by the mercurial Elliott and supported by Mark’s Musical Magicians deep under the stage warmed the cockles of our hearts and sent us home glowing with satisfaction and with a multitude of magnificent memories.

It was, indeed, SUAVE.

Pat
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