Drury Lane Reviews

kport
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by kport »

MusicFan posted this observation in his splendid review:
I also liked that they stuck close to the original script from the West End edition, with the character/period-appropriate swearing by Billy and others, rather than “cleaning it up” for an American audience. (However, I did overhear some people at intermission talking on their cell phones about the inappropriate language, and that “there were children in the audience hearing this.” I wonder whether the script will stay as is.
Theater critic Chris Jones also commented upon the choice of leaving the profanity in this show, in his review in the Chicago Tribune:
I was dreading that Rockwell would cut the kid-spoken profanity (as they eventually did downtown and on Broadway), an essential part of the verisimilitude of the piece. She does not. She doubles down on the edge and grit, which took some guts on the part of her suburban producer.

You should support them in that endeavor. Billy is as pro-child a musical as one can ever see. It is about freedom of expression and has no place for a censor.
.............................
And it's about how as a parent, one thing matters most of all: that you get behind your kids.

And by the way, bring 'em. So they'll see kids swear. You'll just have to explain why.
'Nuff said. Full marks to Rachel Rockwell and the production team for staying true to the spirit of BETM.
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

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How do I even begin to write this review of Drury Lane's production of BETM? Perhaps the following series of words might suffice in getting me started.

WOW...WOW...WOW! THUNDEROUS!!! RIVETING!!! RELENTLESS!!! SPELLBINDING!!!

Drury Lane has long been revered for their reproduction of major Broadway musicals, albeit, I was not convinced that they could do an adequate job of representing Billy Elliot to the extent many of us would best appreciate. Could a regional interpretation of the musical deliver the goods given given what I have viewed across the globe from the Tour, Chi., NYC., CA., and the VP?

What I witnessed yesterday, my friends, was a production of sure genius. Seeing the matinee with Kyle Halford in the lead, followed by the evening performance [full house] with Nicholas Dantes carrying the load, was nothing less than a "shock to my system." Frankly, I could not take my eyes off the stage to record all the untold number of nuanced changes to the original musical to which we are all familiar. Just allow me to say, Drury Lane remained true to all
aspects of the original, but thoroughly enhanced an otherwise exciting, unbridled and thrilling new energy to the musical I would never have thought possible.

There's a lot of hyperbole recorded here, all of it will richly be deserved. This production was a mind blowing experience I honestly believe every lover of this musical should see. I left the theater totally renewed, totally joyful, with such a feeling of revivaled spirit by the story and the meaningful episodes therein, the refreshing manner in which they were delivered left me ragged. "Lordy be," in my excitement, I frequently found my foot on the gas pedal approaching 85MPH on the Tri-State as I was returning to my home in Indiana. Even as I attempt to make sense of this review, my hands are shaking from the thrill I witnessed from the shows yesterday.

I repeat my original thought..."I never thought such a reaction would at all be possible."

From the get-go it should be stated that the Director and especially the Choreographer deserve "other worldly" kudos for their imaginations and the final decision which resulted in this production. The show is an exercise in the highest level of energy I've ever witnessed by an ensemble, all of it due to a colorful cast of characters which seemed perfect in interpreting their roles. Jackie, Tony, Mr. Braithwaite, George, even the clip-board lady, never overplayed their parts as I've often experienced in the past. Just the name of Susie McMonagle speaks for itself as Ms. Wilkinson. Maureen Gallagher played an extraordinary robust Grandma which almost defied her age. One unique aspect of "We'd Go Dancing" was she sang to Billy across the dining room table, while a couple dressed appropriately in decades gone by, danced in perfect unison to her lyrics. Add to the mix a gorgeous voiced "Mum" and what you have is a cast which is nothing less than a "bulls eye."

The men's ensemble of police and miners all had remarkable singing voices which reverberated throughout the theater. They were aided by a clear and distinct audio system which when combined by truly imaginative lighting effects throughout the show, left the entire audience extended in a "Billy Elliot wonder world."

And, "Imaginative" is the operating word here. The difference in the staging and scenery nuances from the original are far too numerous for me to mention much less to say remember, but wow, it presented a whole new take on the performance and was utterly satisfying visually, I just said to myself, what they've done here is produce an absolute "perfect fit," in totality. Two to four tall wall or window panels befitting a particular scene served as back drops throughout the show, between which the cast could move when appropriate. The dining table, kitchen, and Billy's bed were all on stage level and when moving from one to the other they would simply just disappear behind a panel and reappear when necessary. It may sound strange, but it worked, believe me. It worked perhaps despite my inadequacy in trying to explain it.

Chairs were used as a very minimum throughout the show, as the cast was busy subtly moving scenery or partitions when needed. The dual gym and meeting hall was also framed by four large window panels which gave the hall a distinctive look. Most impressive was a tall and stage length panel of mirrors [a la ballet studios] which provided the back drop to "Electricity" and which allowed Nick and Kyle to visually glance as they performed their iconic dance.

I can't say enough about Kyle, Nickolas, and Michael Harp. This was only the third performance for the two Billies, [Michael has appeared in all performances] and as best I could sum up in words as I expressed to Kyle and his parents following the evenings performance, the two of them can easily join a "world class" group of Billies. I thought they were magnificent in their interpretations, and showed flawless technique in their voices, their tap, and their combination mixture of some contemporary and classical dance maneuvers.

Two really spell binding inclusions; in "Expressing Yourself," my god, Michael Harp stole the show with his truly "girlish" presentation. Together with Billy, they brought the house down. The whole scene was set up differently than you'll remember from the original, as Michael would go behind a curtain to gather Billy's clothing. It would also be the point of entry used by the individually dressed "in drag" of six members of the male ensemble joined in to finish the scene with Billy and Michael.This interpretation of "Expressing Yourself" was an extraordinary highlight of the show not to be forgotten.

Also, the "Dream Dance." As with every scene in the show, this was imaginatively choreographed with some moves which defied description. there was a minimal amount of chair spinning, and most particularly, the descending clip attached to Billy's rear belt line, was lowered for all to see at the very front of the stage, no more than a dozen feet from where I was sitting. This was where the entire scene would begin with Billy seemingly flying almost over our heads as compared to center or back stage. The "Dream Dance" was stunningly presented with nuances in lighting and flight too difficult to explain here.

Trust me, I'd like to carry on regarding so many unique interpretations involved in every scene but it would exhaust me to do so. Suffice it to say, it was the same BETM we all know, but with so many imaginative variations it provided a whole new color and life to Billy's and Micheal's transcendence the likes of which also carried me to a new appreciation of this magnificent musical. Someone commented in the Forum that the foul language remained intact throughout, which indeed, it did. And with the perfect audio system, you never missed for one moment an appropriate "F" word...amongst others. So clear and distinct was the audio system you also never missed a beat of the dialogue, however presented.

One thing which may disappoint Forum regulars if they see this show is the fact there is no "Audition" scene such as we have known it. All the dialogue and antics between Billy, Jackie, the clip lady, and adult ballet dancer takes place in front of the fire curtain, but immediately following Billy's aggression towards his contemporary, the curtain is lifted and you find the mirrored panel and the two chairs for Jackie and Billy. For me, this was a partial disappointment since I thoroughly loved the VP interpretation of the Audition. But if this was a disappointment, it proved small in comparison to what visually struck me throughout the performances. I'm booked to see a few more shows before their tenure at Drury Lane is completed. I'm so excited to return to take the whole thing in again and to ascertain some of the special effects I may have missed. There are plenty, because as the story remains the same, this whole presentation comes at you in record speed and energy and in an entirely different focus the likes of which you can't imagine.

Even if you're 7000 miles away from Oak Brook Terrace, you won't go wrong traveling a distance to see this performance. You'll love and relish it. As much of a critic as I am, Drury Lane humbled me beyond anything I expected because it was a performance of such class, enthusiasm, and such high powered non-stop energy and imagination, you couldn't leave the theater without the broadest smile of total satisfaction on your face. That smile remains even as I recall and write this. Just can't help it.

Kindest Regards,

Colin
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porschesrule
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

What a wonderful review, Colin. Thanks so much for taking the time to put your thoughts about the Drury Lane production into words.

From all that has been written so far, both by Forum members and in the press, this truly is a magical production of BETM that is another example of how regional presentations of the show are keeping BETM alive and well here in the US.

As Billy Whiz would add: "Keep 'em coming!"
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CJ-Rochester
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by CJ-Rochester »

Thanks for the review, Colin. It was a real pleasure to read this over breakfast. I can't wait to see it for myself in a couple of weeks. See you then!
--Chris
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by kport »

Thank you, Colin, for your fantastic review! Every nuance that you have described indicates that this show is a winner. I hope to see it in a few week's time.
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by kport »

Here is a glowing review, from the blog SuburbanScrawl:
Drury Lane’s “Billy Elliot”: Effing Amazing!

Hey you, Chicagoland.

Pay close attention to what you’re about to read:

GO SEE THE DRURY LANE PRODUCTION OF “BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL”!

http://suburbanscrawl.com/2015/04/drury ... ly-elliot/
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by ERinVA »

It seems that the locals really LOVE their local production. Here's another glowing review:

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2015 ... 150418786/
Ellen



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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by angelenroute »

kport wrote:Theater critic Chris Jones also commented upon the choice of leaving the profanity in this show, in his review in the Chicago Tribune:
I was dreading that Rockwell would cut the kid-spoken profanity (as they eventually did downtown and on Broadway), an essential part of the verisimilitude of the piece. She does not. She doubles down on the edge and grit, which took some guts on the part of her suburban producer.

You should support them in that endeavor. Billy is as pro-child a musical as one can ever see. It is about freedom of expression and has no place for a censor.
.............................
And it's about how as a parent, one thing matters most of all: that you get behind your kids.

And by the way, bring 'em. So they'll see kids swear. You'll just have to explain why.
'Nuff said. Full marks to Rachel Rockwell and the production team for staying true to the spirit of BETM.
HUGE applause from me on this as well! Thank you for sharing that quote and mentioning it here. I couldn't agree more!

Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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porschesrule
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

Here's another very positive review from the Chicago Critic:

http://chicagocritic.com/billy-elliot-the-musical-2/
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews

Post by kport »

A collection of production photos that may or may not be new have been posted on something called The Local Tourist:


http://chicago.thelocaltourist.com/gall ... ne-theatre
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