Is there any part of the show you don't like?

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Bridget40
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Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by Bridget40 »

So, we all love the show right, we would not be here otherwise would we? I don't think anything is 100% perfect though, and Billy is no exception, at least not for me.

I'm going to come right out and say this............. I really don't like Angry dance! :lol: For me, it doesn't work most of the time. I don't think that I'm the only one either because the last time I attended the VPT (I wont say when) the end of Angry dance was greeted by that awkward, before applause pause, and then the loquacious couple in front of us whispered this verbal exchange.........

Husband.... What the f :o :o :o was that!
Wife......... I know, weird!

It was less Angry dance, more kind of whinging, whimpering, slightly annoyed dance. When they roll around on the stage floor it brings back nightmarish memories of when my son was four and he would pull a tantrum in The Co-op because he couldn't have his third Mars bar of the day. I think parts of the choreography in the dance are terrible. Everyone I have taken to the show has enjoyed it, but the most common complaint is how they didn't like "The bit before the interval," or that "The ending is not like the film!" I disagree on the second point, but agree most of the time about the first. I have seen six different Billy's, and for me, only one has been able to convey the anger needed to really pull it off in a truly effective convincing way.

So, are there any parts of the show that you are not that keen on, or do you think all of it is cush?
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OliverWaters
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by OliverWaters »

Re Angry Dance, I guess it depends on the performer. Screaming in anger can, at times, sound unintentionally funny. So rather than venting anger at an unfair[*] world, it could sound like whinging. And as you say, thrashing around on the ground can look like a demand for more icecream.

In the two times I've seen the show, luckily the above did not apply.


[*] did one of the CD versions have Liam Mower say "it's not fair!" ? In my mind's ear, I can hear his voice saying it before the guitar kicks up, but on my CD, and one of the tracks someone put on youtube with the cover art don't have it, so god knows where I picked it up...
Occam's razor: The simplest answer is the most probable.

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MsRF
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by MsRF »

This thread has the potential to be really interesting!

I personally love Angry Dance - there's nothing else in the theatre quite like it. Admittedly it does have to be done properly - Harrison was perfection (he would scream and sound like he was crying at the same time) and Elliott is great too.

I too dislike the rolling on the floor part in the middle, but I think the ending - the attacking the riot shields and the jerky movements is an amazing piece of choreography. The jerks have to be done properly tho - some Billys merge them together into a more flowing movement but they look better if done as separate 'poses' if you like.

I don't like grandmas song. She is a good character but not so main that you need her backstory. You can see her relationship with billy without it. Not to discount Anns contribution to it though!

I also don't like it when billy first returns to see ms wilkinson after he has been accepted. I know in the film she treats him in a very stand-offish way, but I don't think it translates so well onstage.
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jmh2014
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by jmh2014 »

Angry Dance is one of my favourite parts of the show. But it does depend on the performance.

It works when they go for it, but not when they "act" angry.

First time I saw the show, I didn't like Grandma's song. I just didn't see the point of it. It has grown on me considerably since then.
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Darth_Revan
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by Darth_Revan »

jmh2014 wrote: I didn't like Grandma's song. I just didn't see the point of it. It has grown on me considerably since then.
Same here. Grandma's song is a slow piece I thought it does not fit, but now I really like it, so I can't name any part of the show that I don't like :)
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rob_hanson1979
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by rob_hanson1979 »

MsRF wrote:I also don't like it when billy first returns to see ms wilkinson after he has been accepted. I know in the film she treats him in a very stand-offish way, but I don't think it translates so well onstage.
I know what you are saying about that, and I agree. I wish their last meeting was a little sweeter as well. I also don't like how the line "you're very f***ing special" tends to be said as though it's a funny line. To me, it should be one of the most raw, sincere moments of the show.

Angry Dance is a tough one. It's not really pleasurable to watch or listen to. I rarely put on the album and go to that song. Dance-wise though, it's actually every bit as technical and difficult as Electricity. I remember in an online chat, the choreographer said it actually tends to be the hardest dance for the Billy's to learn.

On the DVD or CD, I always skip the letter. It's sad and it always makes me tear up.
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Billy Whiz
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by Billy Whiz »

My "unfavourite" part of the show is when Jackie goes to see Mrs W about getting an audition. I know it is an important part and the show would not be right without it, but it does seem to drag a little.

With regard to Billy going to see Mrs W after getting accepted. In the film I always thought it was sad that she was not there to see him perform right at the very end. I remember reading somewhere that Julie Walters was busy when they filmed the ending. It would have been so much better if she had been there :(
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OliverWaters
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by OliverWaters »

I think Grandma's Song is pretty important; she regrets not having gone dancing while she had the chance, something Billy could have fell victim to!
Occam's razor: The simplest answer is the most probable.

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onceagain
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by onceagain »

Billy Whiz wrote:My "unfavourite" part of the show is when Jackie goes to see Mrs W about getting an audition. I know it is an important part and the show would not be right without it, but it does seem to drag a little.
Same here. I don't know what it is about that part, but something about it just doesn't work for me.
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ERinVA
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Re: Is there any part of the show you don't like?

Post by ERinVA »

OliverWaters wrote:

[*] did one of the CD versions have Liam Mower say "it's not fair!" ? In my mind's ear, I can hear his voice saying it before the guitar kicks up, but on my CD, and one of the tracks someone put on youtube with the cover art don't have it, so god knows where I picked it up...
There is only one cast recording CD. While the vocal tracks are all Liam, I have always understood that the tapping and shouting you hear in Angry Dance is George Maguire.

There is one line delivery in the show that I have always felt was just wrong: When Mrs. Wilkinson says to Keely Gibson, "I don't care if your mother HAS got cerebral palsy. You have to bring your shoes!" It is delivered with the emphasis on HAS, which means the mother actually suffers from the disability. I don't think that is what the intention of the line is supposed to be. I think it's supposed to be an example of the use of hyperbole as an insult, and should be delivered with the emphasis on the word PALSY: "I don't care if your mother has got cerebral PALSY. You have to bring your shoes!" This means that the mother is not actually disabled, and there is no excuse for Keely to have left her shoes at home.

The one Mrs. Wilkinson I have heard consistently deliver the line in what I consider the correct way is Janet Dickinson. Ruthie Henshall was delivering it that way when I saw her last May, and I was very pleased that somebody finally figured out what the line is supposed to mean. But now, as evidenced by the Billy Live recording, she has been told to revert to the first version. So poor Keely's mum is back to being disabled again. :cry:
Ellen



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