North Shore Reviews

[kport]

That is a very good review.

One point: Nic's performance (and Brooks') is not as 'fiery' as some others I have seen on conventional stages, but in this context (the intimate setting of this theatre) it is just about right. In fact, the entire sound system (and accompanying music) is less raucous than some (Ogunquit could be painfully loud) and the lighting effects are far more intense - and used very creatively. The speakers at NSMT are located in the light rigging above the stage, and are positioned facing down and out in six directions, to feed the six audience sections. The speakers/mic are geographically linked, so that as an actor moves acoss the stage, so does the apparent location of that actor's mic. This means that the sound comes from 360 degrees of the stage, and not blasted out at the audience from two towers. The effect is that the sound level is lower, and (in the front seats) you can clearly hear the actors' unmic'd voices. It is another way that the audience is drawn into the scene, rather than having the scene projected toward them. If I remember correctly, Nic was mic'd much louder at the (conventional stage) Drury Lane show. Despite yesterday's audience of 1500, this show-in-the-round can be accurately described as relatively 'intimate'.

[kport]

Brooks played Billy for this evening performance, which was enthusiastically received by an audience of about 1000 (Tuesdays in theatreland tend to be 'low days', in terms of audience size). He delivered a flawless performance and the audience loved it.

Theatre in the round allows us an enhanced opportunity to witness the dramatic intensity of a story that may be harder to observe in a tradition stage show. Besides the 360 degree visuals, and the directional 360% audio, to be able to watch actors move, turn, interact and so on from a circular vantage point vastly strengths the impact of each scene, from the poignancy of 'The Letter', to the powerful impact of 'Once We Were Kings'. Dream Ballet takes off in a new way; and Solidarity becomes a maze of intricacities that simply cannot be seen the same way from a conventional theatre. Experienced fans of BETM will find the first minutes of seeing it in this format somewhat unfamiliar and even disconcerting; but will soon see that it creates a much more intimate (in a theatre of 1500 seats) experience than they could ever have imagined. The intensity of the fight and reconcialtion between Dad and Tony in He Could Be A Star is remarkable.

There are seven more performances to go. I would strongly recommend trying to see this before it disappears forever. The cast and musicians are among the best anywhere, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house!

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's another glowing review, this one from Joyce's Choices, who refers to Brooks as "adorable and talented":

"The show will make your heart break and sing at the same time!"

http://joyceschoices.com/theater/theate ... lly-elliot

[atreyu]

Tuesday evening was the first time I got to see Brooks perform and I'll comment on that shortly. First, though, please excuse a brief digression.

For many in the general public, engineers have a strange approach to expressing likes or dislikes. On the job, an engineer always has to recognize both pro and con and then draw a conclusion based on the facts. Very, very rarely is an issue 100% positive or 100% negative. It is a mixture of both and an engineer is remiss in his or her job if only one side is expressed without the other and also if a detail is missed in the process of investigation. And that tends to carry over to such things as reviews.

With that background, I can paraphrase a conversation that occurred after Tuesday's show that probably will be as amusing for some as kport found it to be. The question put forth to this engineer was what I thought about my first viewing of Brooks' performance. "Quite good," (pro), "just a couple minor items to quibble with" (con).

"Such as?"

He missed a hat in Solidarity.

Seriously?!? Well yes, he missed one hat and a ballet girl had to reach across and grab it instead. I can see many of you shaking your heads the same way as kport.

But now in this space I can elaborate further on another significant aspect of what it represents, which we did not get to last night. It means Brooks got every one of the other 1,048,575 details exactly right and that is really impressive at this early stage in his career. Dance steps were on beat, every line was delivered appropriately, the Geordie accent was good, singing was nice, I could go on and on. The few things that were just a bit off were merely of the level of missing a hat in Solidarity. That was it.

As always, there are levels of skill with Billy that naturally get better with experience and with growth. I am not going to call it the best performance I've ever seen. But it is one of the best performances I've seen from someone who had yet to perform the role 10 times. Brooks exhibits a strong confidence on stage and comes across as natural. He smiles a bit more than a lot of Billys and I suspect part of that represents the fun he is having with the role.

One highlight for sure is Brooks' Electricity. He has a few more expert twirls in place of other moves in a couple places and the series of pirouettes to finish the number are absolutely fantastic!

The one final qualification I have to mention - sorry, engineer thing again - has nothing to do with Brooks. The key segments that are chock full of emotion tell a lot about a Billy and it so happened that my seat for this performance had a vantage point mostly from behind for both Letter scenes, the jumping into Dad's arms and the final scene with Mrs. Wilkinson. Although I was close enough to the stage, I could not see Brooks' facial expression. Such is the nature of theatre in the round, some scenes are excellent, others are less so.

Which means I'll have to attend another Brooks performance from a different section and complete the picture.

[porschesrule]

But it is one of the best performances I've seen from someone who has yet to perform the role 10 times.

Despite what I'm about to say, your point still stands atreyu. But since we're looking at this as through the eyes of a precise engineer, I feel I must point out that Tuesday night's performance WAS his 10th as Billy (6 in Oklahoma and 4 in Beverly [actually 5 now in Beverly with today's matinee]).

[CJ-Rochester]

The great press reviews keep coming in! Here's one from Boston Events Insider:

'Billy Elliot' Shines at NSMT (4.5 Stars)
http://bostoneventsinsider.com/2015/10/ ... mt-45.html

[jdmag44]

Another nice review

http://www.pmpnetwork.com/ReviewsData/Play_Reviews.htm

[tomtorfan]

Early October is a special time in New England.

The air is crisp. Squadrons of geese honk their way south. And the trees don their fiery finest before tucking in for the winter.

In short, a not-to-be missed spectacle which lasts about two weeks……

You can see where this analogy is heading: The North Shore Music Theatre’s production of BETM is the same kind of “don’t miss” spectacle.

You’ve read many reviews attesting to the prodigious talents of those on stage, so I will merely confirm what has been written so far. This cast is uniformly strong.

This time, however, my attention was especially drawn to the staging. Doing BETM in the round is an idea that would seem to border on madness. But somehow, Adam Pelty pulls it off!

I must admit that after Tuesday night, I wasn’t at all convinced that this was such a good idea. Where I was sitting (low in Section D - which stands for Don’t go there), my view of several crucial scenes was largely blocked. The single lavatory stall, which gets wheeled on and off twice, was almost directly in front of me. So no view of Mrs W., Debbie, or Billy...at least until the stall gets wheeled off for the “hoo-hoo” scene. There were a number of other occasions when either a desk, or other actors, blocked my view of principals’ faces -- a shame, really, because you are so close to the actors.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, and a different seat and section, and the lack of obstructions allowed the full glory of this production to reveal itself.

Here’s a for instance:
How would you stage Angry Dance in a theatre that has six aisles and a VOM radiating out from a circular stage? Sound impossible? Perfect, says Pelty! He has the police, the miners, and the rest of the ensemble...running down all the aisles and onto the stage...shouting...yelling...cursing. It’s a scene of almost frightening chaos...but expertly choreographed so no one runs into each other. And how do you use this stage to showcase Billy’s frustration? You have him try to run off the stage...but at the first exit he tries, he’s met by a single policeman with riot shield to block his way. Billy tries an exit across the stage….another policeman and another blockage. He does this at each exit, only to face the same no-way-out scenario. If there’s a better staged version of how this scene can be a perfect metaphor for how trapped and hopeless Billy feels at this moment, I have yet to see it.

Random notes:
Tim Gulan’s Dad is notable in a couple of respects -- both outstanding. When he first sees Billy dance at the end of Dream Ballet, he doesn’t shout out the first “Go Home BIlly.” It’s delivered in a low-key, very emotional tone. Works so well. And in the “Take this and this” scene, when he is handed his first bit of change, he mutters “No” and shakes his head repeatedly. When more and more come up to him doing the same thing, he begins quietly weeping. That scene had never brought tears to my eyes...until Tim.

Alec Shiman’s Michael and Ashley Lanzoni’s Debbie also deserve three cheers for bringing new dimensions to the roles. Alec has this kind of “You’ll never guess what I’m going to do next” vibe going. Wildly entertaining. And Debbie’s got acting chops well beyond her years.

Brooks Landegger delivers a joyful and confident BIlly to the stage, despite having fewer than a dozen shows under his belt. Very good dancing and singing. Watch this one in the future.

Nicholas Dantes is another tremendous triple-threat find by the BETM team. His ability to portray Billy’s anguish is peerless. The audiences in Jupiter are in for a real treat.

And as for Brian Padgett’s Mr. Braithwaite…. Well, his transformation from lumpen oaf to dancing phenom is a small miracle. Has to be seen to be believed.

After Tuesday night’s show, there was a talkback with the cast. Almost everyone showed up for another half hour of questions, despite having just done a show and a two-show day was looming the next day. And what quickly became clear is what a tight family this group has become. A few of the veterans spoke of that too. This show creates amazing bonds among the performers and it somehow shows up on stage. Sure did here.

Well done all.

[kport]

Bostonians (North Shore is effectively within the Beantown conurbation) tend to react slowly, with noted caution and reserve, but when they do embrace something, they do it for life (the same can be said about the British culture. Having been raised in Boston and having lived in the UK, I can safely comment that they are very similar in this regard). The audiences at NSMT have built in size slowly but with certainty, although the warmth and response they have bestowed upon each performance have been extraordinary. Last night saw a sold-out house, and it was an audience whose reaction I have rarely seen in all the many performances of BETM I have experienced.

It was Nic's night, in a number of ways. He delivered a performance the likes of which I have seen matched by only a few Billys, and surpassed by none. He was on fire, and the look on his face as he 'became' Billy was unparalleled in terms of determination to produce his finest performance yet. And, judging by the roar of approval and long, long standing ovation at the end of Electricity, and again as Billy descended, waving, down the pit for the last moment of the finale, the audience was in agreement: this was Nic's moment.

Alec delivered another wise, witty and emotional portrayal of Michael, one in which he seems to accept that Billy would escape and he would not, but he still wants the best for his bestie. (In a sense, Alec makes it clear that both Michael and Billy discover their true destinies.) Ashley (Debbie) yet again had the audience laughing loudly with lines such as 'I wouldn't listen to her' and 'You look a right dickhead, to me'. The ballet girls were on cracking form - sitting so close to the stage gives one an opportunity to examine each one's character, for they all are playing a particular ballet girl, each of whom has 'a story'. There were several moments of audience applause where I have never heard it happen before: one example being in the middle of 'Shine', when the BGs leave the stage to put on pink while Mrs. W asks Billy if he is coming back; Janet handles such moments brilliantly, and picks up as the applause dies down as though nothing happened. I counted six such moments last night.

New England hosts awards for theatre, called the IRNE Awards; and if Timothy Gulan (Dad) and C.J. Eldred (Tony) are not in contention, I will forever wonder why: their performances are without question the most intense I have seen, anywhere. I have watched them grow into their roles, I have heard them describe how they have grown as firm friends sharing the same dressing room, and you can sense that they have worked out every nuance in their roles together. The fight scene (in 'He could be a star') MUST be videoed for posterity!

In fact, every show has seen the cast try new ideas, develop them, and perfect them, to the point that this show has matured into the finest vintage possible, in just eleven days. Yet it ends in two....

Bostonians may be described as cold as wet cod (who can blame them, after this year's desultory Red Sox fiasco), but inside the NSMT last night they were passionate about their new found love for this story. I sat next to two charming ladies, two rows back from the stage, next to the VOM (imagine hearing a set trundling up the VOM and stopping five feet from your seat, and realizing that the bedroom scene and toilet scene were being played out right next to you), both season ticket holders, who knew nothing about BETM, or even the film. They left as ecstatic devotees of this great production.

Really, Bill Hanney (owner of the NSMT), you have a great success on your hands, here. Let it run another week or two! And phone up Boston's WGBH to come and film it for posterity. This 'theatre in the round' lark is a winner; and in this case the audience wins the prize!

[atreyu]

But it is one of the best performances I've seen from someone who has yet to perform the role 10 times.

Despite what I'm about to say, your point still stands atreyu. But since we're looking at this as through the eyes of a precise engineer, I feel I must point out that Tuesday night's performance WAS his 10th as Billy (6 in Oklahoma and 4 in Beverly [actually 5 now in Beverly with today's matinee]).

I appreciate your attention to detail, porschesrule, and have clarified the statement to match its intent. (now reads someone who had yet to perform...)