How I Will Miss Billy Elliot, the Musical

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eaglegray
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How I Will Miss Billy Elliot, the Musical

Post by eaglegray »

How I will miss Billy Elliot the Musical, let me count the ways:
I'll miss the opening scene, Billy's gentle, reflective, 'Take Me Up and Hold Me Gently,' and sassy Michael tearing across the stage on his bike. I'll miss the boxin' and the dancin' class. I'll miss Mrs. Wilkinson's exhortations to 'Shine.'
I'll miss 'Grandma's Song' and the defiant 'Solidarity' chorus. And how terribly I'll miss Michael's 'Expressing Yourself' show-stopper — Dillon Stevens' wonderful cheeky little face, looking every bit like the cat that swallowed the canary, lighting up the stage.
And ohh, 'The Letter.' I'll miss the deep and delicious sentiment it makes you feel, even with the heartache.
I'll miss the unrestrained joy of 'Born to Boogie,' and the heart-in-mouth business of Billy's back-flip off the piano.
I'll miss 'The Angry Dance' in all its passion, and its righteous, innocent, poetic anger.
I'll miss the hilarious 'Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher'; the poignant 'Deep Into the Ground'; the gorgeous 'Dream Ballet.'
I'll miss 'He Could Be a Star' with the touching anguish of Billy's dad, and the miners' sacrificial offerings.
I'll miss 'Electricity,' of course, the amazing summation of his passion for dance, where Billy finds his words, beautifully expressing the inexpressible. I'll miss the achingly wistful 'Once We Were Kings.'
I'll miss the happy-sadness of Billy's leaving; the 'Oy...Dancin' boy!' and the rending, compassionate farewell to Michael.
Ultimately, I'll miss Billy Elliot The Musical because, for me, and, I suspect, thousands of others, it is the most perfect musical comedy/drama. Perfect, not only because of the brilliance of its dancing, its music, and its lyrics, but because it is about every facet of life, and love, and death, and loss, and the whole damn thing. It is about the anguish of growing up, facing conflicting values --those of your own heart, and those of the people you love. It is about the agony of a motherless child; the stress of pressures to conform; the deep bonds of childhood friendships, and their tragic, often inevitable terminations. It is about social injustice; the pride in work; the pride of community.
Most of all it is about one wonderful, charming boy, his powerful talent, his undaunted dream, and his ultimate victory over every obstacle to its realization. And it's about how the love (often tough love) of family and friends helped him overcome those obstacles and realize that victory.
I'll miss Billy Elliot the Musical, because the stage production, which compelled me to multiple viewings, is now no longer in Toronto, no longer nearby. I'll achingly miss Billy, Michael, and all the Everington gang, because they bewitched me with this magnificent work of art. Yes, art! It is musical theatre's high art. It is a beautiful thing; and now that it is gone (for too long, I suspect, from our Toronto stages) it is, for me, almost too painfully beautiful to remember. Almost.

L. George Eaglesham
Owen Sound, Ontario
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porschesrule
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Re: How I Will Miss Billy Elliot, the Musical

Post by porschesrule »

shimmyshimmy wrote:I just clicked on the Billy Elliot Toronto website and got this:


Sorry, this site no longer exists.

Yes. They took the site down a couple of days after the show closed. They haven't removed the Toronto production's link button from the other official BETM websites yet, however.
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porschesrule
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Re: How I Will Miss Billy Elliot, the Musical

Post by porschesrule »

Read an expanded version of eaglegray's "lament" about the closing of the Toronto production of the show:

http://www.theskykid.com/billy-elliot-m ... e-musical/
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