Okalahoma City Reviews

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ERinVA
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Okalahoma City Reviews

Post by ERinVA »

Here's the thread for reviews of the Oklahoma City Production.
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kport
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

Post by kport »

Here is a wonderful review:
“Billy Elliot” is a risky proposition for any company to consider, but Lyric Theatre’s production more than does it justice. Ashley Wells’ splendid direction and Amy Reynolds-Reed’s innovative choreography make this a must-see experience.
http://newsok.com/article/5438330
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porschesrule
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

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And yet another glowing review from the local press in Oklahoma City -- this one from The Journal Record:

http://journalrecord.com/2015/08/05/aro ... ill-stage/
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

And yet another very positive review -- this one from the website Oxford Karma:

http://www.oxfordkarma.com/art/billy-el ... ce-review/
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

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After seeing the you tube video of the Oklahoma City show , twas with a bit of trepidation that I hopped in my car and ventured across the Red River into Indian Territory yesterday. (Interestingly, the casino moguls of the Chickasaw Nation are large patrons of the performing arts in Oklahoma City )

The video linked on these pages did not bring much confidence as to the quality of the presentation, but I thought, it’s a regional and it IS BETM and the hotel has a nice swimming pool so why not.

The Civic Center Music Hall surprised me when I arrived, it looks like a municipal building, maybe a library or county courthouse, but inside it’s a really grand and huge (2500 seats) theatre .Built by the WPA, It was remodeled in 2001 and it is very impressive today, and it was really full last night.

The set is cleverly designed, the stage is wide which enabled the designers to have several “pull outs” from each side. The Elliot’s home from the left complete with kitchen and Billy’s upstairs bedroom; Michael’s room from the right, and the toilet stalls also from the right.

Brooks Landegger is a very talented and graceful ballet dancer, he has a wonderful voice. There were a few acting hiccups, but nothing that most observers would notice. Considering the limited time that Brooks had to rehearse compared to the other Billys I have seen, he had a marvelous performance

Christopher Bloch plays a rather low key Dad, not much yelling and screaming. Even in the fight scene with Tony he barely raised his voice, at least compared to Deka or Rich. He also appears a bit long in the tooth to have a son of Billy’s age.

The ballet girls were delightful, and Mrs Wilkinson (Lyn Cramer) also did well.

Of course, Evan Lennon as Michael was great, and garnered the most laughs in the show
.
The language was definitely toned down, no F bombs in this presentation, but still plenty of the other choice phrases we all expect.

The dancing dresses in Expressing yourself were replaced by several men of the ensemble in full drag with sequined dark glasses, very camp, and the audience loved it.

As a regional production, this was well done, not even close to the polish of long running shows I have seen, or even Ogunquit or The Muny, but those shows had veteran Billys with many shows and rehearsals under their belts, of course, a great advantage. What a daunting task this, but the Oklahoma cast and crew pulled it off well.
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

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tankntonic wrote:After seeing the you tube video of the Oklahoma City show , twas with a bit of trepidation that I hopped in my car and ventured across the Red River into Indian Territory yesterday. (Interestingly, the casino moguls of the Chickasaw Nation are large patrons of the performing arts in Oklahoma City )

The video linked on these pages did not bring much confidence as to the quality of the presentation, but I thought, it’s a regional and it IS BETM and the hotel has a nice swimming pool so why not.

The Civic Center Music Hall surprised me when I arrived, it looks like a municipal building, maybe a library or county courthouse, but inside it’s a really grand and huge (2500 seats) theatre .Built by the WPA, It was remodeled in 2001 and it is very impressive today, and it was really full last night.

The set is cleverly designed, the stage is wide which enabled the designers to have several “pull outs” from each side. The Elliot’s home from the left complete with kitchen and Billy’s upstairs bedroom; Michael’s room from the right, and the toilet stalls also from the right.

Brooks Landegger is a very talented and graceful ballet dancer, he has a wonderful voice. There were a few acting hiccups, but nothing that most observers would notice. Considering the limited time that Brooks had to rehearse compared to the other Billys I have seen, he had a marvelous performance

Christopher Bloch plays a rather low key Dad, not much yelling and screaming. Even in the fight scene with Tony he barely raised his voice, at least compared to Deka or Rich. He also appears a bit long in the tooth to have a son of Billy’s age.

The ballet girls were delightful, and Mrs Wilkinson (Lyn Cramer) also did well.

Of course, Evan Lennon as Michael was great, and garnered the most laughs in the show
.
The language was definitely toned down, no F bombs in this presentation, but still plenty of the other choice phrases we all expect.

The dancing dresses in Expressing yourself were replaced by several men of the ensemble in full drag with sequined dark glasses, very camp, and the audience loved it.

As a regional production, this was well done, not even close to the polish of long running shows I have seen, or even Ogunquit or The Muny, but those shows had veteran Billys with many shows and rehearsals under their belts, of course, a great advantage. What a daunting task this, but the Oklahoma cast and crew pulled it off well.
I am so glad you were able to attend. I find it almost incomprehensible that a show, so hard to create from nothing, should last for such a short run.

That the audience was of a large size indicates that this production is very special.

Re: language. At The Gateway (Patchogue) I have noticed that Mitchell was full on with the usual profanties, but Brandon is not ('flipping' seems to be the word of choice). Which is fine. There were plenty of 'f bombs' elsewhere. In many ways, I could imagine Billy as being adverse to using the profanity all around him - as though he realises that the bleakness of his surroundings does not define him.

These little interpretations are what make regional theatre so exciting.
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Re: Okalahoma City Reviews

Post by kport »

It hardly began...and here they are talking about its ending:

http://newsok.com/billy-elliot-closes-a ... 31/?page=2
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