Themes and sub-plots missed at first viewing

[accessmenj]

Not a new theme, but an even stronger presentation of the theme of acceptance is the acceptance of the Billies for who they are.

A California Billy with parents from the Ukraine.
A California Billy with Filipino parentage.
A California Billy with Japanese parentage.
Two Canadian Billies with Cuban parentage.
One Canadian Billy with African parentage.
Two Iowa Billies with Asian parentage.
One Swiss Billy with Brazilian parentage.
One Australian Billy with Macedonian parentage.
One Australian Billy with Indonesian parentage.
A British Billy with Chinese parentage.
A black British Billy.

Not to mention all the Korean Billies.
Billy Elliot The Musical not only talks the talk, but walks the walk when it comes to acceptance.

[dongringo]

Wow!

[CJ-Rochester]

Wow great one accessmenj!

[dongringo]

I completely agree shimmyshimmy.

Unlike some critics who have focused on this non-issue, I didn't even think twice about it when I saw Lex play Billy in Portland. His talent was undeniable and if that level of talent was denied due to a criteria of a white Billy only it would be a travesty in my opinion. I feel it a privilege to have seen Lex's incredible performance that day.

[Todd]

All one has to do is look at accessmenj's long list of ethnically diverse Billys to see what we would have missed out on if these talented kids had been excluded from the opportunity to play the part. I had fun trying to pick out who was who in the list, given the clues of their nationality and home state/country ! Some of my favorite Billys are on that list.

I do think there are times when ethnicity must be taken into consideration when casting a part in a show or movie, such as when race is one of the main themes of the story. For example, in "To Kill A Mockingbird," it would be very confusing if Tom Robinson was played by a white actor and Bob Ewell was played by a black actor since a main theme there is a white man's (Bob Ewell) prejudice against a black man (Tom Robinson). But as has been discussed here, race is not an issue in the story of "Billy Elliot," and the part is so difficult to play that narrowing the search to a Billy's certain "look" would result in a far more difficult task in finding people who were qualified to play the part.

[accessmenj]

But as has been discussed here, race is not an issue in the story of "Billy Elliot," and the part is so difficult to play that narrowing the search to a Billy's certain "look" would result in a far more difficult task in finding people who were qualified to play the part.

But gender is an issue. What do you think about a girl playing "Billie" and her friend "Michelle". Billie could be a large, acrobatic girl who does not want to dance "on pointe", but lift others and do acrobatic dance. She would be shunned by the community for being too masculine. Her friend Michelle would kiss her and receive the reply "Just because I like ballet, doesn't mean I'm a dyke, you know"

I love to get people to think!

[dongringo]

I think people are thinking too much to even respond to that.

[accessmenj]

If Matthew Bourne was able to change the gender of the swans in Swan Lake, anything is possible.

[atreyu]

But gender is an issue. What do you think about a girl playing "Billie" and her friend "Michelle".

As a main theme, it could play. But it's obviously much weaker than a boy surrounded by girls with the tension of Dad wanting him to box instead of dance. Hard to envision equivalent situations that an audience can easily relate to.

[accessmenj]

I agree, atreyu, that the show would be weaker if the genders were switched, but all the themes and sub-plots could still be used. Today, girls can be muscular, athletic and enjoy traditional boy's roles without receiving too much rejection. But in 1984, Dad, Brother and the whole community would be less liberal in their thought.

Billy Elliot The Musical is changing the way people think. Soon, it will not be unusual for boys to dance and attend dance school. Will BETM lose the power of its theme when the Royal Ballet School becomes about half boys and half girls? Sometime in the future, the next generation will turn to their parents and ask "Why is Billy's father mad at him because he likes ballet?"

The very success of the show weakens the future presentation, as having Billy and Michael performed by girls would weaken the show today.