Manchester reviews - June

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CJ-Rochester
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Manchester reviews - June

Post by CJ-Rochester »

Here's the thread for reviews. Hoping we get some good ones! :D
kport
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Re: Manchester reviews - June

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Friday June 3rd - p.m. opening show
Saturday June 4th - matinee
Saturday June 4th - p.m.
Sunday June 5th - matinee


The Palace Theatre is a well known theatre with something of an extraordinary reputation in this city of 110,000, some 60 miles north of Boston. Manchester is a former mill town, with rows of Victorian brick textile mills lining the Merrimack River, that could be Bradford or Manchester UK upon first sight (we forget that the mill system was invented by Frederick Cabot Lowell in nearby Lowell, Mass., and then spread to the UK). The Palace Theatre just celebrated its centenary in 2014, where it began as a vaudeville theatre on the Keith-Orpheum circuit, before becoming a cinema and eventually falling into disrepair and fire in the 1970s. Like many other such theatres, it was then restored through local efforts, and today stands as an excellent venue for musicals, plays and concerts. It is wider than it is deep, so that no seat is more than 100 feet from the stage. The balcony is steeply pitched like the upper tier at the VPT, with new seats that are wider (at 21") than the usual theatre seats, with good knee room. It seats 880 and the stage is about as wide and deep as the Victoria Palace Theatre's was.

This production opens with a full width net screen upon which is projected a modified newsreel about the strike. This is a little longer and helps provide a useful taste of the political strife in 1984. It is immediately made clear that the cast sings very well, and the sound levels are such that an immediate impact is created. Instead of the girls running around the stage, a group of boys - Billy's mates - do the honors (and will do so at several other points). I have long wondered why Billy's mates are left out of the story. Aside from that, everything is as one expects, right through the kitchen scene.

Billy's mates reappear for the Boxing Scene, with seven boys doing press ups ( Small Boy Luke Gold is expressively convincing in his role) before five depart when George dismisses them. William Hartery is an especially voluble and convincing George, reducing the audience to fits of laughter, along with outstanding performances by Billy (Jamie Mann), Michael (Shane Boucher) and a walk on by Peter Murphy (Tall Boy).

With Shine, we meet the Ballet Girls who are absolutely perfect in their roles (as are indeed all of the children, most of whom are part of this theatre's famed programs for theatre youth). Debbie (Hailey Ramundo) is perfection with a sass that is endearing (she says 'f**ny' instead of 'hoohoo'). Mrs Wilkinson (Christine Negerbon) is a slightly younger Mrs W, not quite so angry or bitter as the usual Mrs W, but she is extremely persuasive as one woman well on the way; and wow! does she deliver those lines! The wail of fear/anguish from one small BG, as Mrs W enters, has the audience in fits of laughter. Shine then follows, performed as we have come to expect.

Grandma (Kerry Schneider) then appears, to perform a lovely Grandma's Song. The choreography here is quite new: there are five dancers, in white, including one who is Grandma's younger self, and they play out the experiences described in the song. It is remarkably effective, and moving.

Solidarity is perfection; while there are some changes to the choreography, it remains close to the original. The 'authentic' language is maintained throughout. I was told that a coach was employed to instill the Geordie accent, and the results are very credible.

Expressing Yourself is a delight and a triumph, for two reasons. (I love the moment when Billy pushes the loo away, ponders, and says to himself in revelation: 'Michael!'.) The first delight is the pairing of Jamie Mann and Shane Boucher; sheer perfection on every level. (I immediately thought back to the famous pairing of David Alvarez and David Bologna on Broadway.) The second triumph comes when, instead of adults in big dresses (and yes, there were two in the background), on come the five Ensemble Boys (Cameron Fitzpatrick, Parker MacIntyre, Peter Murphy, Garrett Olsen, and Kyle Reynolds), a new concept I first saw in the Mendham production. They were 'dressed in women's clothing' and it made so much more sense than having adults, or ballet girls, do this, as they tapped with Jamie and Shane. This is an idea I would commend to any regional that has a youth dance program: use the kids in these scenes!

Next comes an outstanding Mr Braithwaite, Phil Sloves, who has the role down pat, right to the full splits, in Born to Boogie. The three skip rope. For all intents and purposes, this scene is straight out of the Darling design.

For Angry Dance, the focus is more upon Billy and less upon miners and police. There are five police and five miners, but their roles are very much in the background. At one point, the miners are holding five large slabs of 'wall' which is turned, to create a white screen upon which newsreel footage of the strike violence is shown, with Billy floodlight in red as he dances against the images. This is very effective, and gives Jamie a chance to shown his tapping flair.

Act 2 begins before the half the audience are in their seats, making them scurry back to the second half, just as in the story. Dad's (Mark Nichols) rendition of Deep into the Ground is beautifully sung, leading into a moving encounter between Billy and Michael (the doll here is Sindy the Nurse). What follows is perhaps my only quibble with this production: Dream Ballet begins with both Older Billy (Layne Kunce) and younger Billy, as we expect, before Billy pirouettes off stage and on comes a ballerina (Rachel Ferretti) to take his place (there is no flying). This is the same couple who danced so effectively in Grandma's Song, and they do so equally well here, but I greatly miss the point of this number, which is when Billy and his Older Self decide not to pack in the ballet, but to commit to it, whatever happens. Perhaps the idea is for us to see what Billy's future will become, but it leaves the present unresolved. Just one simple change might provide a fix, without changing what has been added: for Billy to remain on stage to observe 'his future', and then to finish his final pirouette in front of Dad (who has been watching, as is the custom) rather than have Dad enter from behind him, after the dance. It is beautifully performed but, in my opinion, misses a key point of the story.

I like the way regionals move more quickly through He Could Be A Star, and this one is no exception. Tony (Trey Harrington) provides a powerful and commanding performance. The Scottish Dancer (A. J Ackleson) is excellent, as is the Clipboard Woman (Megan Quinn) (rarely have I heard these scenes receive applause). Once We Were Kings is moving, and Billy not only leaps into his Dad's arms, but after hugs his Dad again. Dead Mum Megan Bussier's endearing reprise of The Letter leaves many in tears; if that did not do it, then it most surely will happen during Billy and Michael's farewell, in which Michael's pose, as Billy leaves, is a revelation.

The final company dance omits the opening 'taps' and employs just the adult ensemble, leaving the children to enter for the final bows.

My final observations are these: this cast developed into a well oiled and confident one over these first four perfomances. This is a production that is as good as any of the regionals I have seen so far. If you are able to come to New England over the next three weekends, do not miss this one. The first four shows were, or were nearly, sold out. This show, in this very northern British-like former mill town that has undergone a high-tech renaissance, feels authentic. And this city, and its restaurants and pubs within it, are more than worthy of a visit!

And a final, final thought: You will never see a funnier, or more eye-watering, rendition of the 'Nutcracker' joke than you will see in Shane's interpretation!
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Re: Manchester reviews - June

Post by jdmag44 »

I must say Kports review was spot on! Having seen the first few shows, I agree with every observation and comment he made. ( how's that Bill?) So I have chosen to only make a few observations here and concentrate on reviewing the extraordinary cast individually in their own thread. Because he was so awesome, I have reviewed Shane (Michael) already -the rest will follow in the next few days.

The creation and use of the boy ensemble was wonderful and enhanced the experience of the show. They added so much to the boxing lesson and using them in express in dresses demonstrating amazing tap skills was a real highlight for me.

Express was FANTASTIC -Shane and Jamie had wonderful chemistry
The entire scene a total joy to watch. It was as good as it gets!!!!

The elimination of flying and the insertion of an adult ballerina and the exiting of Billy for most of dream ballet seemed to me to be an odd choice and very out of context. It looked beautiful and the audience loved it -but it just did not set well with me.

This is a great production on every level - so try to see it if you can. It will be well worth the effort.
mikey2573
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Re: Manchester reviews - June

Post by mikey2573 »

I saw this show last night (final performance) and I am pretty sure it was my first non-equity production of BILLY ELLIOT. There were three Equity cast members and the rest were all non-equity and I am assuming, local talent. That being said, this was a really good production of BILLY ELLIOT. The cast and creative team did an exceptional job at putting this show together. Jamie Mann was a very appealing Billy and Shane Boucher (who I just saw in April as Oliver Twist in OLIVER! at the Newport Opera House) was very good as Michael (so why did his curtain call seem like an after-thought?).
As someone who has seen the show as many times as I have at a variety of different venues and levels, the one thing that really could have been better was the timing. Those long moments of silence serve a purpose and should not be rushed. As two examples, the scene right after Born To Boogie between Mrs. W. and Billy did not have that long pause where mrs. W. starts to walk away, then realizes that Billy has not responded to her comment, then she turns and looks at him, he turns to her and she slowly realizes how vulnerable and frightened this little kid is. She then walks over and starts to button his jacket which leads to the hug. All of those beats were, unfortunately, gone. But still, the hug was very effective.

Also, the timing in the final goodbye between Billy and Michael needs to be worked out with the Music Director so that Billy's kiss occurs right when the music (playing "The Letter") plays "Billy". Otherwise, Michael ends up sitting on stage for a real long time as we wait for the music to finish playing out so it can ascend to the big finish as the curtain falls. These are relatively minor points but things that should not be overlooked.

I understand what they were going for in the Dream Ballet and it was a nice effort, but it didn't work. The Ballet needs to be about young Billy, and as soon as he exits the number the stakes are gone. Thankfully, he is only off stage for about 90 seconds so the number quickly recovers.

I think it was nice to see a production with a very simple set --I always wondered why the original production needed that turning and rising platform for Billy's bed. I mean, it was nice to have but not all that necessary. I think when I saw the show at NSMT last summer I realized how unimportant the set really was. This production at the Palace had a nice set but not one that overwhelmed the material.

The lighting and sound design were perfect in every way. I practically grew up on the stage of the Palace Theater in Manchester and the upgrades they have made in those two area alone (not to mention the expansions in the front box office area) are truly wonderful. I can only hope the dressing rooms are not still in that long hallway under the stage, with that one little toilet. It was like a dungeon down there! Still, the Palace holds a lot of memories for me and it was nice to go back for a visit. And to see such a wonderful production of one of my favorite shows too.

(I have to say I am not too excited about their next season. Maybe HAIRSPRAY is something I would like to see. And then there is that one "mystery" show. I hope they pick a good one.)
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Re: Manchester reviews - June

Post by kport »

mikey2573 wrote:I saw this show last night (final performance) and I am pretty sure it was my first non-equity production of BILLY ELLIOT. There were three Equity cast members and the rest were all non-equity and I am assuming, local talent. That being said, this was a really good production of BILLY ELLIOT. The cast and creative team did an exceptional job at putting this show together. Jamie Mann was a very appealing Billy and Shane Boucher (who I just saw in April as Oliver Twist in OLIVER! at the Newport Opera House) was very good as Michael (so why did his curtain call seem like an after-thought?).
As someone who has seen the show as many times as I have at a variety of different venues and levels, the one thing that really could have been better was the timing. Those long moments of silence serve a purpose and should not be rushed. As two examples, the scene right after Born To Boogie between Mrs. W. and Billy did not have that long pause where mrs. W. starts to walk away, then realizes that Billy has not responded to her comment, then she turns and looks at him, he turns to her and she slowly realizes how vulnerable and frightened this little kid is. She then walks over and starts to button his jacket which leads to the hug. All of those beats were, unfortunately, gone. But still, the hug was very effective.

Also, the timing in the final goodbye between Billy and Michael needs to be worked out with the Music Director so that Billy's kiss occurs right when the music (playing "The Letter") plays "Billy". Otherwise, Michael ends up sitting on stage for a real long time as we wait for the music to finish playing out so it can ascend to the big finish as the curtain falls. These are relatively minor points but things that should not be overlooked.

I understand what they were going for in the Dream Ballet and it was a nice effort, but it didn't work. The Ballet needs to be about young Billy, and as soon as he exits the number the stakes are gone. Thankfully, he is only off stage for about 90 seconds so the number quickly recovers.

I think it was nice to see a production with a very simple set --I always wondered why the original production needed that turning and rising platform for Billy's bed. I mean, it was nice to have but not all that necessary. I think when I saw the show at NSMT last summer I realized how unimportant the set really was. This production at the Palace had a nice set but not one that overwhelmed the material.

The lighting and sound design were perfect in every way. I practically grew up on the stage of the Palace Theater in Manchester and the upgrades they have made in those two area alone (not to mention the expansions in the front box office area) are truly wonderful. I can only hope the dressing rooms are not still in that long hallway under the stage, with that one little toilet. It was like a dungeon down there! Still, the Palace holds a lot of memories for me and it was nice to go back for a visit. And to see such a wonderful production of one of my favorite shows too.

(I have to say I am not too excited about their next season. Maybe HAIRSPRAY is something I would like to see. And then there is that one "mystery" show. I hope they pick a good one.)
The 'mystery show' will be Million Dollar Quartet.
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