October 2010 Reviews - NYC

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angelenroute
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by angelenroute »

ERinVA wrote:Sean, we love your reviews. Don't think for a minute that they aren't appreciated. Of course they are!

I myself am guilty of not commenting about enjoyable reviews as often as I should, but I am thanking you now for past AND future ones. Okay? I really enjoy reading them. :D
LOL thanks Ellen! Actually you and David post SO many responses to SO many people, you are the last people I was thinking of. Thank you so much for your constant encouragement!!!

Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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Review of October 21, 2010, Act 2

Post by Billy Fanatic »

As promised, this review is of my first ever seeing of Billy Elliot the Musical; this part is Act 2, Act 1 was posted on November 7. My reviews of the other performances I saw during my inaugural Broadway Billython October 20-25, 2010 will follow next week if the creek doesn't raise and time permits.

Please understand that what follows are solely my personal opinions, observations, interpretations and reactions based on my experiences and perceptions during the show. For the most part, but not always, they represent my spontaneous thoughts at the time I was viewing the particular scene or bit I'm commenting on.

Thursday Evening, October 21, 2010 (my first ever performance of BETM)
Imperial Theatre, NYC, Orchestra left, row N, seat 3
Jacob as Billy; Neil as Michael; Seth as Small Boy
Ben as Tall Boy/Posh Boy; Georgi as Debbie

Act 2

Intermission ends and the second act starts, but not in the traditional manner of lights dimming, curtain rising, and we're off to the races. Instead, a clever, innovative and completely unexpected approach is taken; with the house lights up, Joel Hatch in character as George, decked out in Christmas regalia, comes out from behind the curtain to welcome us to the "Second half." Many simply think he's signaling that intermission is ending, and in reality, he is. But, after a suitable pause for everyone to quiet down, he lets us know that he's actually welcoming us to the second half of the coalminers' "Christmas Pageant."

As George finishes his welcome, the lights dim, the curtain rises and the sound of young boyish voices shouting Christmas greetings fills the theatre. It's Jacob and his boys Neil, Ben and Seth, all in Christmas garb of their own, making their noisy entrance onto the stage as respectively their characters of Billy, Michael, Tall Boy and Small Boy for "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher." I'm deliberately using the term "Jacob and his boys" since, as I discovered at my subsequent performances, it's only when Jacob is on as Billy that the boys shout out their Christmas salutations when making their way onto the stage. It was not the case with Alex, Peter, or Joseph. I can't speak of how they enter when Dayton has the role, as unfortunately he was the only Billy I didn't see.

"Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" is absolute pure theatrical magic; an extremely fun delight from start to finish. The audience, including your not so intrepid reporter, is being highly amused by Tall Boy Ben and Small Boy Seth's many varied antics and costume changes. Once again, as in the first act, we see subtle hints that perhaps like Billy that Small Boy will someday blossom into a fine dancer making the town proud. As they had all evening, throughout "Maggie Thatcher" the audience finds Seth as Small Boy to be absolutely cute and adorable and every other adjective with the same meaning that's in the Thesaurus. (While all this is going on, I'm surmising that the various little movements that Small Boy engages in when not actively part of the primary action on stage serves a practical purpose. It's an old director's trick to give young performers not directly involved in the immediate bit of action something to do; it helps to keep them focused and to not become fidgety and bored.) The audience absolutely loves the moment when the Ballet Girls turn to reveal they're wearing "Maggie" masks. The giant Maggie Thatcher puppet was a big hit. Even though I knew that wonderful caricature of a puppet was coming, it was still a surprise to me when it suddenly made its appearance; one second it isn't there, the next it is. Overall, the entire "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" number was a joyful piece of theatrics putting the audience into high spirits immediately before the show takes on a much "darker" tone.

Dad's singing of "Deep Into the Ground" marks the start of that darker tone. Billy's "Angry Dance" at the end of Act 1 is a precursor of the darkening and more somber mood overtaking Billy, his family, the coalminers, and the other townspeople. To me, Greg Jbara's rendering of the number strongly captures Dad's frustration, regret, anger, and utter sense of hopelessness at what his life has become and the situation his family and mates are in. Then, singing Billy's portion of the number, Jacob makes powerfully real, at least to me, Billy's vulnerability, sensitivity, feelings of lost, and yearning to fill the void within himself. I'm absolutely amazed that this still diminutive (in stature, not talent) thirteen year old can emanate such palpable heartfelt emotional pathos from his five foot or so tall body. For any performer to achieve this, let alone a child, requires willingly completely unconditionally exposing one's own vulnerability and sensitivity, fully opening up one's inner most self to the watching audience. It's astounding and very moving when any actor achieves that level of performance; it's almost inconceivable that a child performer can. But the superbly amazingly impressive Jacob does, in such a natural way that it's as Jacob's immense acting ability is an infused part of his being. To borrow a phrase Greg uses in some of his interviews, Jacob's performance throughout the show is very "organic and instinctual." (And, he's only the first of the Billys I'll be seeing during this Billython; I'm left wondering how the others can possibly equal what I'm seeing from and in Jacob tonight.)

As played by Jacob and Neil, the scene where only Billy and Michael are left in the hall after the Christmas pageant, was, to steal a line from Mary Poppins over on 42nd Street, "practically perfect in every way." The whole bit with the beer can just felt right and real, with just the right touches of subtleness and exaggeration. Michael's kissing of Billy, Billy's reaction to it, and Michael's subsequent reactions, are all very much how I would expect middle school age boys in real life to act and react to such an occurrence. The boys timing during the comic bits, especially Michael's "no one will notice" bit with the tutu was precisely right to garner the maximum laughs. Once again, Jacob's vast range of talent couldn't be contained within him; his Billy's melancholy and sadness was almost a living breathing entity of its own. At this point, I couldn't see how Jacob's performance could possibly get any better than it already was; but, of course, as the show's Broadway regulars know, it could and did.

During the Dream Ballet, Jacob's beautifully done routine had the astonished audience, including myself of course, in a high state of wonderment; the word flabbergasted comes to mind. We already knew this boy could act and sing with the best of them; now we also knew he was a very accomplished dancer. While ballet is not an art form I regularly view, Stephen Hanna's dancing as Older Billy was certainly on a par, if not more so, than the best of the best male ballet dancers I have seen (live or filmed) over my many decades of life. Much has been written here on the forum and elsewhere about the Dream Ballet sequence; I feel that I don't need to comment much further on it least I risk repeating what many others have already said about this showstopper. And a showstopper it was, the applause long, loud and almost, but quite, evolving into a standing ovation for our boy of the night, Jacob.

With "He Could Go and He Could Shine" Dad, Tony, and Billy let their rubbed raw and frayed emotions hang out for all to see. Tony has reached the boiling point, needing to lash out at anything and everything, including his father and his young brother Billy as well as the Scab who only wants to donate to Billy's audition travel fund. Dad has reached an epiphany, realizing that Billy's gift for dance is his son's best ticket to a way out to a better future and that he as Billy's father has not only a parental duty but a strong inner need to help Billy attain his dream and that better future. Billy badly wants to go to his audition, but he also wants his family to be happy and not constantly fighting with each other. The various comic bits such as Small Boy putting coin after coin in the coalminer's hat being used for donations and Billy's announcement that the count includes "12 pesos" are welcome respites that keeps this immensely and almost overwhelmingly emotionally charged scene from becoming unbearable for the audience to watch. Throughout the scene, Jacob's talent is still very much a presence, adding even more dimension and depth to this critical and very intense part of the play.

At the Royal Ballet School audition, the interaction of Dad and Clipboard Lady, Dad and Posh Dad, and Dad and Scottish Dancer are one of the comic highlights of the second act. The audience is constantly laughing, no doubt being partially fueled to a higher degree of merriment by the relief these bits provide from the intensity of the just completed "He Could Go and he Could Shine." Once more, for it seems the thousandth time this evening, Jacob makes Billy's emotions a palpable living entity clearly perceived throughout the theatre. This time, that emotion is his frustration as to how badly, in his mind, he believes the audition to have gone. To me, his hitting (or pushing, as he later claims to Michael he did rather than hitting) of Posh Boy is Billy's way of saying, as Peter Finch's Howard Beale does in the 1976 movie Network, that "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Again, Ben Cook stands out and somehow makes the small role of Tall Boy/Posh Boy seen somehow bigger. Of the three boys in supporting roles tonight, Ben is my favorite as an actor. Seth is, of course, cute, adorable and lovable; your natural instinct when he comes out the stage door is to want to hug him a time or five. I do love his performance; the show would be so much less without its Small Boy performers with their big hearts, bigger smiles, and huge personalities. Neil is, quite simply, a very enjoyable entertaining riotous bundle of comic genius that I suspect in a competition would outdo many an adult professional comedian. I was absolutely enthralled with his performance; so unexpectedly funny from one so young. It's easy to see why prior to being Billy Elliot's Michael he was Michael Banks in Mary Poppins. But Ben, there's something intangible about his performing that even minor as his role is makes him standout, a viable discrete presence rather than just another face among the many up on stage. As many others have said before me, I do hope he gets the opportunity to regularly play Michael; I feel he'd be brilliant at it.

Pure and simply, "Electricity" has to be by anyone's standards one of the most important signature pieces in theatrical history; a remarkable solo masterpiece made even more remarkable considering that whatever boy is performing it at a given show is only middle school aged, or in some cases, barely old enough to be a high school freshman. Jacob's overwhelming expression of Billy's feelings when he's dancing pours powerfully out of this thirteen year old to wash over the audience with the full force of a Tsunami induced tidal wave. Jacob's dancing is once again both sublime and exuberant, a perfect complement to the words he's singing, both the song and dance portions performed with all the emotion and feeling he can muster, and more. I can only describe Jacob's "Electricity" as "it was grand, it was magnificent." To me, it's as if the very talented Jacob is fusing his deeply profound and perceptive interpretation of Billy's feelings about dancing with his own, and then some. Truly, a very personal, vulnerable and open performance deep from the heart and soul of this young man who on stage is so magnificently personifying and giving life to Billy. Words simply fail me to adequately convey my feelings about Jacob's "Electricity" other than to see that for me it was by far the greatest and most moving experience I've ever had at a performance of any kind, live or filmed. The audience's rousing ovation, forcing Jacob to hold his final Pirouette pose for long moments, is testament that they too were finding this a strong experience. Unfortunately, Jacob did not receive a much deserved standing ovation; you could sense that there were people, including myself, who wanted to give one but were hesitant to be the one to start it. I fear that when I return in the Spring for another Billython that at the risk of making a fool of myself I just might have to be the first to stand and applaud that performance's Billy's "Electricity."

Carole, Greg, and Will outdo themselves with manically comedic mayhem during the scene where Billy's letter from the Royal Ballet School arrives. The antics of Carole's Grandma is again bringing the house down with laughter. Billy's eventual announcement that he didn't get accepted to the school predictably saddens and momentarily shocks some of the audience, especially those not familiar with the story or movie; some reactionary gasps are clearly audible. Of course, what we'll really seeing and hearing is Billy's uncertainly and insecurity about leaving the known of his family, friends and small community for the unknowns of the school and the big city of London. Fortunately, before the morass can settle too deeply over the audience, big brother Tony in a fine piece of acting by Will Chase sets the record straight by fishing the letter out of the trash bin and after reading it letting everyone know that indeed Billy made it into the school.

As Jacob and Emily play it, Billy's and Mrs. Wilkinson's goodbyes to each other poignantly captures each of their insecurities, doubts about the future, and feelings of their fates being out of their hands. Another moving moment in a performance that's full of them.

"Once We Were Kings" in its own way proves to be a moving number; full of hope, regret, sadness, and acceptance while simultaneously conveying the unity, pride, and brotherhood of the coalminer's. It is my understanding from Greg Jbara's online postings that it's not unheard of for a Billy while standing, back to the audience, facing the men descending in the mine elevator to have tears in his eyes. That again reveals just how much of their innermost selves these boys put into their performances; when they are on stage they are Billy and not Jacob, Alex, Peter, Dayton or Joseph. And, these boys do it show after show, only getting better and better with each performance. There's many an adult performer who'd love to be able to reach that extraordinary level of performance; it's no wonder that much of the Broadway community considers the Billys to be bona fide stars or that the original three Broadway Billys of Trent, Kiril, and David won the 2009 Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a musical.

"Dear Billy (Billy's Reply)" is very moving on many, many levels. Billy's promises to his dead mother to always do his best, to make her proud of him, and to always be true to himself. Billy's clearly felt deep love for his mother, a love that he will always have. Billy's letting go and finally accepting that his mother is gone while at the same time realizing that his love for her will always be with him. Billy's finally being ready to move on, with trepidation and uncertainly, to his new life in London at the Royal Ballet School. So much is conveyed in this short member that's so beautifully rendered by the very emotional almost crying Jacob and Laura Marie Duncan.

After "Billy's Reply" I can't imagine things becoming any more moving, but they do with to me the most moving and touching moment of the whole show. Billy's kissing Michael in reciprocation of Michael's earlier kissing of him when they were alone after the Christmas Pageant. To me, this is Billy's way of saying that no matter what, we're friends; I accept you for who you are; it's okay to be yourself and to be different; it doesn't matter what others think; and, I'm my own person doing what I want. All that conveyed by one little gesture preceding the end of the show.

As Billy walks off into the audience with his "See you Michael" answered by Michael's "See you Billy" the applause starts and then just grows and grows and grows as the curtain lowers. Some people are already rising to leave, apparently planning to forego the curtain call. To me, this is very rude and extremely disrespectful to all the great performers, including the many children, who've just given their all for us for almost three hours of fantastic theater. I'm also wondering if those folks bothered to read the list of the musical numbers in their Playbill as we still have "Company Celebration" to go, the show's imaginative version of a curtain call.

When the curtain raises for "Company Celebration" and Jacob rushes from the aisle back up onto stage, the first of his two standing ovations of the evening instantly starts. He's beaming from ear to ear, understandably so. Jacob shouts "lights" and the celebration starts. It is, as the title implies, a true "Company Celebration" of the show and the cast members, joyous to behold. The visual of various cast members of both sexes and all ages wearing tutus is a wonderfully imaginative way of reinforcing and reiterating several of the show's key messages of being true to who you are; don't be afraid to express yourself; and don't be concerned about what others think of your choices. The sight of Greg and Will in their tutus communicates, at least to me, Dad's acceptance of his son's, and Tony's of his brother's, choice to be a ballet dancer. When Jacob leads Carole out in her own tutu, as I've noted before, it's obvious the affection and caring he has personally for his onstage grandma. (All the other Billys I saw, especially the veterans Alex and Peter, and to an understandably lesser degree the brand new Joseph, also conveyed this feeling.)

The curtain drops to conclude "Company Celebration" and then almost immediately rises for Billy's and the cast's final bow. (It's amazing to me how quickly they manage to clear the stage of everyone and get the giant lighted "Billy" sign in place; it seems to me the curtain is only down for seconds before its back up.) As soon as the audience sees Jacob standing with his back to them, they're on their feet giving him his second standing ovation; everybody I could see was standing and applauding before Jacob had finished turning to face us. Again, we're treated to Jacob's beaming smile, a very happy and undoubtedly tired boy. When he signals for the rest of the cast to enter the stage, Small Boy is noticeable by his absence. Then, separately, Jacob waves our Small Boy Seth on, whom, smiling broadly, takes his place next to the star of the show, Jacob. It appears to me that these two share a genuine affection for each other, much like a big brother and a many years younger small brother would, even though they're not related other than both being in the cast of the same superb show. (I speculate that giving Small Boy a separate entrance serves two important purposes. It gives him his own shining moment to be singled out; I don't recall, perhaps incorrectly so, either Seth or Tall Boy Ben Cook being on stage during "Company Celebration." Just as importantly, it provides a margin of safety for this smallest and youngest member of the cast. I clearly remember noting that throughout the show that whenever Small Boy was on stage when sets were moving, traps being used, or more than one performer being involved in energetic movement that a cast member was always with Seth, sometimes even holding him or his hand.)

Eventually, the applause dies down and the curtain falls one last time to mark the end of an unbelievably staggeringly exhilarating evening of inspiring mind expanding theatrical entertainment that is Billy Elliot the Musical. As I exit to head to the stage door, I'm already eagerly anticipating what new wonders tomorrow's performance will hold for me.
Billy Fanatic
"Normal not to be normal"

BROADWAY - 19:
Billy: Alex K. x3, Giuseppe x1, Jacob x2, Joseph x5, Julian x2, Myles x1, Peter x4, Tade x1
Michael: Cameron x7, Jack x5, Jake S. x2, Neil x5
Debbie: Georgi x5, Lilla x14
Small Boy: Alex D. x10, Seth x3, Zachary x6
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Ben x12, Giuseppe x1, Joseph x2, Julian x2, Myles x1, Tade x1

TOUR - 3
RICHMOND, VA:

Billy: Ben x1, Drew x1, Noah x1
Michael: Jake K. x1, Sam x2
Debbie: Samantha x3
Small Boy: Cal x3
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Jake K. x2, Sam x1
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porschesrule
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by porschesrule »

Billy Fanatic -- Wow! Just Wow!

Thanks so much for not only taking the time to write out all of your impressions of your first show -- but I'm in awe of your ability to remember all that detail!

Just a superb bit of writing and analysis of this great show.

I'm looking forward now to your future reviews of the other shows you saw on your "Billython".
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by CJ-Rochester »

I echo that Billy Fanatic, wow!!! Not only is it a great review but your writing style makes it like we are all there experiencing the show with you. I have yet to post the reviews from my recent Billython but hope to very soon. Reading your review helped me relive my own experiences from last week. Thanks for taking the time to write this. --Chris
:/
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Billy Fanatic
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by Billy Fanatic »

Everyone,

Thank you!
Billy Fanatic
"Normal not to be normal"

BROADWAY - 19:
Billy: Alex K. x3, Giuseppe x1, Jacob x2, Joseph x5, Julian x2, Myles x1, Peter x4, Tade x1
Michael: Cameron x7, Jack x5, Jake S. x2, Neil x5
Debbie: Georgi x5, Lilla x14
Small Boy: Alex D. x10, Seth x3, Zachary x6
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Ben x12, Giuseppe x1, Joseph x2, Julian x2, Myles x1, Tade x1

TOUR - 3
RICHMOND, VA:

Billy: Ben x1, Drew x1, Noah x1
Michael: Jake K. x1, Sam x2
Debbie: Samantha x3
Small Boy: Cal x3
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Jake K. x2, Sam x1
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by Musical Fanatic »

Billy Fanatic wrote:Everyone,

Thank you!
Keep em coming Billy Fanatic. Love the reviews.

Sam
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by Billy Fanatic »

Musical Fanatic wrote:Keep em coming Billy Fanatic. Love the reviews.

Sam
I'll be posting my review of Friday October 22, 2010 with Alex Ko as Billy and Jake Evan Schwencke as Michael tomorrow evening, Friday, November 19, 2010.

Now, if I would only in my postings start spelling Small Boy Alex's last name correctly as Dreier instead of Drier!
Billy Fanatic
"Normal not to be normal"

BROADWAY - 19:
Billy: Alex K. x3, Giuseppe x1, Jacob x2, Joseph x5, Julian x2, Myles x1, Peter x4, Tade x1
Michael: Cameron x7, Jack x5, Jake S. x2, Neil x5
Debbie: Georgi x5, Lilla x14
Small Boy: Alex D. x10, Seth x3, Zachary x6
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Ben x12, Giuseppe x1, Joseph x2, Julian x2, Myles x1, Tade x1

TOUR - 3
RICHMOND, VA:

Billy: Ben x1, Drew x1, Noah x1
Michael: Jake K. x1, Sam x2
Debbie: Samantha x3
Small Boy: Cal x3
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Jake K. x2, Sam x1
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Friday, October 22, 2010

Post by Billy Fanatic »

Friday Evening, October 22, 2010 (performance 2 of my 5 performance Billython)
Imperial Theatre, NYC, Orchestra right, row L, seat 10
Alex Ko as Billy; Jake as Michael; Seth as Small Boy
Ben as Tall Boy/Posh Boy; Georgi as Debbie

Adult cast substitutions: David Larsen as Tony; Michaeljon Slinger as Older Billy/Scottish Dancer, Cara Kjellman as Lesley

After dinner at the Westway Dinner (9th avenue between 43rd & 44th Streets, good food at reasonable prices) I'm walking north on 9th Avenue toward 45th Street having serious doubts about the wisdom and sensibleness of seeing at least three consecutive performances of Billy Elliot. How can these repeat performances possibly even remotely match the literally life changing, immensely inspiring, massively moving, tenderly touching and extremely entertaining extraordinary experience of the night before of my being a Billy virgin seeing the show for the first time?

However, as I come closer and closer to the Imperial Theater my hopes for an excellent encore raise dramatically. This is a result of reminding myself of some salient facts that I had realized when I first began planning this trip and booking my tickets. This is a show with five boys rotating in the lead role of Billy, two boys rotating the role of Billy's best friend Michael, two boys rotating as Small Boy, one boy as Tall Boy/Posh Boy and one girl as Debbie. That makes for twenty different combinations of Billy-Michael-Debbie-Tall Boy-Small Boy, each combination likely to have a different chemistry and interaction than the others, not only with each other but also with the Ballet Girls, and the adult cast members. Just as importantly, children aren't robots engineered to mechanically perform precisely the same every time. By their very nature they're unpredictable in how they perform and react; even the same child in the same situation on separate occasions. (Anyone who has been in youth sports, as I have, can attest to this.) In terms of BETM, this is why at one performance, a particular Billy becomes so emotional during "The Letter" or "Once We Were Kings" that he openly shed tears, at another performance he visibly struggles not to cry, and at yet at another while still very emotional doesn't cry or quite need to struggle to hold back the floodgates. The same boy performing exactly the same portion of the script each of those times but having somewhat different but still equally valid powerfully moving reactions. The adult cast members aren't machines either; their performances aren't going to be exactly the same show after show. To me, all this means that each performance of Billy Elliot has strong potential to be its own unique engaging experience, whether it’s the first time seeing the show or the hundredth.

When I do get to the Imperial and check the lobby cast board, I know without a doubt that tonight's performance is going to be an excellent experience that will come close to, and possibly match or even exceed, last night's. Alex Ko is our Billy and Jake Evan Schwencke is our Michael, the two boys that going into this odyssey that I most wanted to see in those roles. We, of course, again have the irrepressible impressive Ben Cook as Tall Boy/Posh Boy and the stridently effective Georgi James as Debbie. I'm somewhat disappointed that Alex Dreier isn't on as Small Boy as I'm anxious to see how he differs in the role than Seth Fromowitz. But having Seth performing again as the Small Boy is in its own way icing on the cake, since I'm familiar with his abundant adorableness and onstage antics and I'm almost certain that little Alex with his million dollar smile will have the role at my next show tomorrow afternoon.

And, a most excellent experience it was; all doubt that it would not be was gone within ten minutes of the show starting. It was as if I was again seeing it for the first time.

The night before I had been very impressed with Jacob's performance, especially the emotional range he demonstrated in his acting. Tonight, I am again very impressed by a Billy; this time its Alex's dancing. All the Billys are, of course, superb dancers. But, somehow, to me, Alex manages to singularly stand out amidst this pool of super talented dancing boys. A stupendous feat when you consider that all five are very capable of eliciting long applause and even on occasion standing ovations at the conclusion of their "Electricity" performances. To see Alex dance is to leave no doubt in one's mind as to why he was the youngest person ever to be admitted to University of Iowa's prestigious dance program, earning college credits at the tender young age of twelve.

Early into the show, I had already noticed several things about Alex. As with all the Billys, his acting was natural and unaffected, very competently portraying the wide range of emotions experienced by Billy, happiness, humor, joy, melancholy, sadness and anger. His singing voice was equal to many an adult singer and superior to some, albeit as a boy soprano rather than an adult male tenor. He was wearing knee braces, presumably a legacy from his rehearsal accident that had kept him out of the show for five long months. And he seemed somewhat restricted in some of his moves, to me, most noticeable in the jump rope portion of "Born to Bogie" especially compared to Jacob's jump roping the night before. Perhaps this was another artifact of his injury, or possibly Jacob was simply the night before "more on his game" with the jumping than Alex was with his tonight. This goes right back to the heart of my observation of children not being robots repeatedly repeating the same precise movements; it's entirely plausible that at other performances Alex's jump roping will be different, or Jacob, or any of the Billys, will have an off night doing less than the best they've previously done. And, of course, as I've also noted, that kind of unpredictable variability contributes to making each show a fresh experience.

Restrictiveness of movement and knee braces notwithstanding, nothing can hinder the brilliance of Alex's dancing from shining through to the dimmest corners of the theater; especially his exquisite ballet and gymnastics so explosively igniting the stage simultaneously with energy, verve, artistry, substance, and beauty. During "Dream Ballet" and "Electricity" Alex is a brightly burning supernova dominating and overpowering the night sky, or more aptly in this case, the stage and the entire Imperial Theater.

Without question, Jake was another bright star in the sky; his Michael an absolute joy to behold. Hilarious, sad, happy, tender, vulnerable, confused, defensive, or manic, Jake expertly and seemingly effortlessly naturally and realistically performs all aspects of this more complex than it appears role. The night before, Neil was a most excellent and entertaining Michael more than worthy of the role. But Jake's Michael has to be in a league of its own; just the right nuances of overstatement and understatement in just all the right places, executed with a wonderfully perfect sense of timing and pacing. His dancing, especially in "Expressing Yourself" is excellent and more than up to Broadway standards. As others have also noted, he possesses the best singing voice of any child performer I've ever heard. From his hilarious "Expressing Yourself" with an equally amusing Alex to his emotionally charged final goodbye to Billy, Jake was a very strong presence on the stage, second only to Alex. (Sorry adult cast, you've again been upstaged by a pair of amazing young boy performers; such is simply the price that must be paid to be in Billy Elliot.)

Speaking of stage presence, Ben Cook is again a stand out in his small role of tall Boy/Posh Boy. I don't know how he does it, but somehow when he's on stage, your eye is naturally drawn to him. Apparently, that's an inherent ability he's possessed from a very early age. I came across a March 2009 newspaper article where his mother Jill says of his first ever stage performance: “It was his first time to, as his sisters say, ‘show off’ in front of a big crowd. And he just wowed them. You could not take your eyes off of him,” mom Jill Cook said. The article can be found at
http://connectionnewspapers.com/article ... 81&cat=104

For the second night in a row, little cutie Seth as Small Boy gives an enormously adorable and entertaining performance. If anything, he's more hilarious in the boxing scene than the night before; I find his antics during the Christmas Pageant to still be highly amusing. As I said at the beginning of this "review" going in I had a feeling that Seth wouldn't disappoint, and he didn't, not in the least. No disrespect to his replacement Zachary Maitlin, but I do have to agree with many others that Seth will be missed.

As the night before, everyone else in cast that I didn't mention in this review from Georgi as Debbie to the Ballet Girls to all the adults turned in top of the shelf performances that I can't fault. From the youngest to the oldest cast members, Billy Elliot unquestionably has the most stellar, and most certainly the hardest working, cast on Broadway.

After the show ends and I make my way to the stage door, I'm already eagerly looking forward to tomorrow's matinee and the new joys and wonders it will bring.
Billy Fanatic
"Normal not to be normal"

BROADWAY - 19:
Billy: Alex K. x3, Giuseppe x1, Jacob x2, Joseph x5, Julian x2, Myles x1, Peter x4, Tade x1
Michael: Cameron x7, Jack x5, Jake S. x2, Neil x5
Debbie: Georgi x5, Lilla x14
Small Boy: Alex D. x10, Seth x3, Zachary x6
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Ben x12, Giuseppe x1, Joseph x2, Julian x2, Myles x1, Tade x1

TOUR - 3
RICHMOND, VA:

Billy: Ben x1, Drew x1, Noah x1
Michael: Jake K. x1, Sam x2
Debbie: Samantha x3
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liberavieve
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by liberavieve »

Excellent review, Billy Fanatic, as I think we're all coming to expect! It's so nice to hear such in-depth feedback on these talented performers, and having seen your take on Jacob and Alex, I'll be waiting on baited breath to hear what you thought of our two newest Billys, Peter and Joseph. :]
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porschesrule
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Re: October 2010 Reviews - New York

Post by porschesrule »

Another great review, Billy Fanatic. I, too, love your in-depth observations. As another learned member of the Forum would say "keep 'em coming!"
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