August 2010 - Reviews - London

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Billy Whiz
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August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Billy Whiz »

A place for August's reviews. Keep 'em coming.
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Deanfan5
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Deanfan5 »

Monday 2nd Billy: Rhys, Michael: Connor,Debbie: Emily, David B as Dad, Phil S as George.

You somehow felt that it was going to be a good night a with the audience applauding small boy Aaron Lynch who stole the opening scenes with some perfect acting. I have to agree with KeefyM (see July reviews) that Isaac Gryn (tall boy) also carries a very effective presence throughout. The whole cast especially Ann (another age defying performance) seemed refreshed and up for it.
Overall though this was another stunner of a performance from Rhys. Grace and subtlety throughout with great acumen over line delivery showing a discernment of interpretation that was excellent considering his tender years. There is a stagecraft from Rhys that makes his shows eminently watchable. A good example of this was The Letter and Letter reply conveyed with great emotion that had many around me in floods. The final parting from Michael was also done in a very moving way. In these reviews we often comment on dancing, singing, and acting but rarely gymnastic ability. Having avoided strenuous exercise for most of my life and having had an aversion to gyms since childhood, what I know about gymnastics could fit on a postage stamp. Last night however I was sitting next to a group of 38 Americans with little knowledge of the storyline (I soon remedied that for them) but with a detailed knowledge of gym work and athletics coming as they did from a club. I could see how Rhys therefore captivated them (as he did the audience) by the sheer poise and elegance of his movement. From the opening moves in Electricity to the final cartwheels they sat in awe. I could palpably sense their appreciation of Rhys as a fellow gymnast. If you see the neatness of his half cartwheel with the chair in dream sequence you can see that this Billy has a style and flexibilty of body movement that is so ideal for the role.
Rhys was once again well supported by Connor who with his curls (in the nicest possible way) is begining to stretch gender boundaries in one's imagination. Connor was once again top notch displaying a creative and wide range of acting and vocal skills amazing for his years. Where Connor's wardrobe is concerned I am still confused by the gloves which are irrelevant as he has not opportunity to act with them as previous Michaels had. Poor Connor also had a right royal fight with the 'small' tutu so much so that he and us were left wondering what was coming up or going down. Maybe there is a case for slimming down his wardrobe underneath otherwise everybody might see 'what my underpants' can do which would be most unfortunate. So nice to see him applauded off at the winter scene after a very funny and captivating cameo. There is also a case for bringing back the old Billy bag hat as the new one never seems to work.
Well done to Emily for a solid performance and getting 'the right dickhead' lines paced very well.
I am a great fan of David Bardsley as Dad and last night he did not disappoint. David has his own touches and the feeling of this Father hewn from granite slowly realising the genius of his son was a credit to superb and believable acting and interplay between him and Rhys.
Overall then a very satisfying show led by a cultured and discerning Rhys. No wonder the V.P. staff had great difficulty afterwards clearing away the photographing throng blocking the Billy bus from leaving. They clearly could not get enough of the ever smiling and waving Rhys in the front seat. Thumbs up all round I say based on last night's showing. :D
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athadj
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by athadj »

Thank you for the wonderful review Deanfan5. I am turning into a very big fan of this talented young man so it was great to hear that Rhys had another amazing performance last night.
Deanfan5 wrote:There is also a case for bringing back the old Billy bag hat as the new one never seems to work
Yes, about this, I attended 3 shows last week and the bag hat failed to work in all of them! Since it had worked perfectly in all the other shows I had seen I was wondering about it. I didn't notice it being a new one though. What is different about it??
Athina

London
Liam x 1, Ollie x 4, Dean x 11, Rhys x 8, Aaron x 4, Scott x 9, Josh x 10, Ryan x 10, Adam x 6, Kaine x 7, Harris x 6, Harrison x 2
New York
Peter x 1
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*Lottie*
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by *Lottie* »

Really need to see Rhys. The only current Billy i havn't seen, really feel like i am missing out :)
Charlotte

The Musical Vs The Film - " there's more depth & passion to it" - Scott Mckenzie 9.3.11
Deanfan5
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Deanfan5 »

*Lottie* wrote:Really need to see Rhys. The only current Billy i havn't seen, really feel like i am missing out :)
You are!. The young lad is amazing at the moment. Hope you see him soon.
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burtond
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by burtond »

Tuesday 3rd August 2010 – UK – London - Evening

Billy – Ollie

Michael – Jake

Debbie – Francesca

Dad – David Bardsley; Tony – Craig Gallivan; Mrs W – Caroline Deverill ; Mr B – Sean Kingsley; Grandma – Anne Emery; George – Phil Snowden; Dead Mum – Rhona McGregor; Older Billy - Barnaby Meredith; Ballet Dancer in cream tights – James Foster ; Big Davy - John Coates: Musical Director – Matt Malone
I feel like I’m going to go off on one – so here goes. We should remember what this show is about. It is about the terrible days of the miners strike in the 80’s, the struggle of the miners against the system and most importantly, the story of a boy who felt there was much more in life than becoming a miner; who loved to dance and who had an opportunity through his extraordinary talent of tuition with the infamous Royal Ballet School. It not about life at the Ballet School, it is not about Classical Ballet its about people and relationships. Why am I going on – well, I hear stories of people who critisise the show and the young actors in the show because their Ballet skills (in their view) are less than great (I’m being careful about the choice of words here, note!). In my humble everyday, opinion (and I am NOT a Balletomane!!!) surely, the Billy’s are not expected to be perfect in their Ballet skills after all, what does Mrs Wilkinson say ‘they’re not looking for someone who has lept from the brow of Zeus, they’re looking for potential – they’ll teach you the Ballet’ I take this to mean, that as far as the show goes, all that is important is that the boys demonstrate that they have POTENTIAL to learn the Ballet NOT that they are already proficient at it and ready to lead in Swan Lake at Covent Garden. So yes, we have a mixture of boy Billys’ at the moment some of whom have better ballet skills than others BUT all, and I mean all (new and established alike) have an absolute right to be up on that stage because each one has an extraordinary and exceptional talent. I also hear people talking about the Ballet Billy future for BETM. This to me is ludicrous – why? What damage has the combination of Ballet, Street, Hip-hop and Acro done to the role and the show. None. I would suggest that conversely, it is these elements that have made the show a huge success. It is these elements that have made the role of Billy cool and it is these elements that have opened up the world of dance to boys coming to see the show who would have normally been utterly turned off by the thought that dance is just Ballet. No, this show and the way in which it speaks to people has had a very positive impact on dance and both boys and girls taking up dance. So, if I were allowed to offer advice to the powers at be, it would be to remember the importance of the variety of dance that is undertaken by Billy. Remember how boys coming to see the show can feel totally cool about the dance and remember that these same boys could be your future Billy’s.

So whats all that got to do with the review? Well, we had a fabulous performance from Ollie, Jake Francesca and the whole team last night. It has to rank amongst one of the best shows ever seen. It was bright and animated, it had great pace and it was hilariously funny. But the show wasn’t great because Ollie is ready to perform at Covent Garden, it was great because like it or not, he, Jake, Francesca and all the children performing put their heart and sole into their performance 150% and coupled with their boundless energy and enthusiasm, singing, dance (all types) and acting skills they are really enjoying what they are doing and do you know what – it rubs off on me and judging by the people around me and the rest of the audience – it rubs off on them too. So don’t think for a minute that we expect perfection – we do not – and neither do we expect the show to delver perfection from the kids albeit, we often get it as part of the deal.

It has been said before (but not necessarily by me) but Ollie’s dancing to Michael during the boxing scene is just the best. Also tonight, we had Phil Snowden as George which made for a scene even funnier than normal. Phil seems to have absolutely no inhibitions – he doesn’t seem to care that he looks a total nutter with an odd arrangement of sports/wear come jumper and an exposed tummy bigger than mine! He comes on the stage and it’s just like Tommy Cooper, he doesn’t have to utter a word – you just have to look at him and you cannot help but laugh. Small boy (sorry don’t know his name – but he’s very small with blonde hair) was stupendous with his pathetic press ups to the immortal line ‘je---sus!’ to his exit with ‘see ya George’ said with all the feeling of a young toddler as he wondered off and then in a complete change of character, and to the shock of George, Billy and Michael, a thunderous shout of ‘wa*ker’ as he runs through the door. Incidently, this is the same small boys that sings everything at anytime he is on the stage and at the end of the opening number last night whilst he was on top of Big Davey’s shoulders he had the very final word at the end of the song as he put up his left arm into the air and shouted ‘Yeh’ or something like that. It took us all by surprise but what an umpact to the end of the song. Great work small boy!.

The ‘Shine’ scene has to be one of my favourites. The Ballet girls are extremely effective. It goes without saying that they are all competent dancers and I find it hilarious when they have to pretend that they are hopeless particularly when Tracey Atkinson and Debbie do their tap duet, when Tracey Atkinson pirouettes almost into the Orchestra Pit and when the girls are shouting and screaming and pushing poor Billy all over the place. What is the name of the little girl who wears the NHS Specs and always wears here hair up in to buns at the side of her head? She is spectacular. Love her to bits = ever so funny.

Jake and Ollie in express always provide me with stomach ache from laughing. This is one scene where I start laughing as soon as Billy has pulled out the dresser etc., to the point where the two lads end the song with the words ‘Finish!’. Of note tonight was Ollie at the very beginning of this scene, the ‘fu**ing hell’ line was delivered quite quickly and not over loud rather than the usual ‘feeeerrrkkiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggg –heeeeeeelll’ which we usually get. I’ve seen one or two of the other Billy’s do this from time to time and I personally think it has much more impact that the e-longated version. The new patchword hat and new dresses that Billy and Michael mess around with are a big improvement on the old dresses etc and look even more ridiculous than the old white and yellow wedding dresses. As an experienced Miachael, Jake is very comfortable with this role. One particular touch which is exclusive to Jake is the kiss of the photograph that he takes of Billy in the skirt. This is totally appropriate and should be adopted across all the Michaels as it definitely lays the foundations for later in the show with regards his sexuality and his very real feelings for Billy.

What a masterpiece of creativity Solidarity is. I live for this particular number. I love the way in which virtually every member of the cast is involved in it. I love the way in which the clever writers and creative team use costume change and complex choreography to move time along. I particularly love watching Billy develop his skills and perform them in front of the girls. I thought that Francesca was being a little devious tonight as she kept Ollie far longer than normal in the ‘top of the cake’ stance – he was struggling to keep the pose still and usually, Debbie comes in quickly with the words’ Can we do it miss?’ tonight however, she left it a while. I could sense Ollie thinking ‘Not funny Debbie!’

B2B still fails to excite me although I am slowly warming to it. However, I don’t think that it is one of Ollie’s favourite dances. Ever since Ollie had the skipping rope in the eye problem, the difference between the speed of the standard pace and the fast pace has been pretty marginal – not that the guy can be excellent at everything. Mr Braithwaite does come out of his shell for this dance and performs a number of comic dance moves culminating in a full on splitz for which he received a well deserved round of applause. In terms of that hand gesture, of all the Billy’s, Ollie is the one who does the most streetwise and faithful rendition of it (not that I am in favour you know!) as the others tend to have their hand waving around their chests or head rather than their hips. I am working on the basis that for Ollie, the offending hand gesture is not aimed at Mr Braithwaite at all as suggested by many, but at the actual dance itself – in which case, I am certainly with you on that Ollie!

Loved Ollie’s Angry Dance – it seems to me that the guy is despatching pure frustration and pent up anger with his Father and Family as he knocks ten barrels of sh*t out of the bed, the bedroom and the rising hut. The air is full of expletives, the tap is excellent and the use of the atmospheric lighting during this intense scene is amazing.

Dream Ballet – I do not know whether the Ballet provided by Ollie in this scene is good bad or indifferent and I really couldn’t care (I would suggest it is probably very good indeed but hey, what do I know?) as I love the scene, the sheer enjoyment it gives both Older and young Billy and the interaction that takes place on stage between these two inspirational characters. What comes across for me is the whole out of body experience that this scene brings and the fact that I love the music and I love the way in which Ollie and the other Billy’s dance the sequence. It is delightful to watch, it is moving it is breathtaking and each of the guys including Barnaby and Sergio put so much into it. For me, sat as close as I do to the stage, I am in there with both of them living the dream. Excellent work Ollie and Barnaby.

Electricty – marvellous Ollie. Loved it. Love all the moves, the Ballet, the Street the Hip-hop and the Acro, and mate, to me, each one of these elements is performed just brilliantly. I know I am right about this because it is always so well received by your appreciative fans and the rest of the audience.

Loads of missed audio cues last night and in places the band was barely audible ....!

Really had better stop now – it’s turning into a Keith style dissertation (only joking Keith – love the reviews mate).

Suffice it to say, me and my girls had a wonderful evening. Ollie, Jake and Francesca were totally amazing throughout as were the very talented supporting cast including David Bardsley and Caroline Deverill as Dad and Mrs W. And we definitely got the thumbs up at the end of the Finale which pleased me because Gracie my youngest Daughter, sat next to me had brought her exclusive Ollie / Billie pillow which she proudly held aloft for him to see.
An ex-Regular and someone who was Passionate about the show but who has now found the rest of the WEST END.
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athadj
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by athadj »

Thank you for the review David. Sounds like another great show! How nice that your girls were there to enjoy it as well. I wonder what went through Ollies mind when he saw the pillow Gracie had made for him!
As for your comments, even though I am a fan of ballet Billys myself, I can find nothing wrong with Ollie's performances. His dancing skills are exceptional, no matter what the dance style might be called, and his electricity, as the standing ovations prove, are one of a kind. I think all of the current boys are amazing but at 12-13 years old no one can call them professional dancers-and that's just fine with me, that's the way I prefer it actually.
Athina

London
Liam x 1, Ollie x 4, Dean x 11, Rhys x 8, Aaron x 4, Scott x 9, Josh x 10, Ryan x 10, Adam x 6, Kaine x 7, Harris x 6, Harrison x 2
New York
Peter x 1
Barry Appleby
George
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Barry Appleby »

Hi
I totally agree with you, the one thing you know is that they will give you 100 per cent effort and you can't ask for anything more, it's just amazing, it comes from 12-13 year olds. I't would be interesting to know actually how long the Billy's, are on the stage throughout the performance.

Barry
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Westletonion »

It would be interesting to know actually how long the Billys are on the stage throughout the performance.

The longest period that Billy is absent at any one time is a mere eight minutes and this is in the 'snow scene' in the second half.
Barry Appleby
George
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Re: August 2010 - Reviews - London

Post by Barry Appleby »

Hi
Thats incredible isn't it, thanks a lot for that info, thats really demanding, makes you appreciate their performances even more.

Barry
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