Naples Reviews

kport
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by kport »

A better review. That paper is not from Naples, but the much larger Fort Myers/Cape Coral/Sanibel conurbation. That area would 'get' a story like that of BETM.

Which is why I would think a week in the Barbara Mann Center in Fort Myers next season would be a sell-out. Les Mis (another show being produced on Tour by NETworks Presentations) is there next month.
kport
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by kport »

Chris Silk's blog mentions a split of opinion, regarding the reviews of BETM, between himself and his fellow reviewer, Charles Runnells.

It seems the audiences are on Charles' side, too!

http://blogs.naplesnews.com/stage-door/ ... lliot.html
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ERinVA
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by ERinVA »

He says that the two of them had "basically the same reaction"????? Didn't seem that way to me.
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kport
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by kport »

He seems to have a tendency to contradict himself.....which, in my view, makes his judgment suspect.
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angelenroute
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by angelenroute »

kport wrote:Chris Silk's blog mentions a split of opinion, regarding the reviews of BETM, between himself and his fellow reviewer, Charles Runnells.

It seems the audiences are on Charles' side, too!

http://blogs.naplesnews.com/stage-door/ ... lliot.html
Just an aside, that picture is click-onable for a very large size too. (C) Kyle Froman.
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by kport »

Ty?
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by kport »

Am I the only Forum member to see BETM in Naples? I saw the final performance on Sunday February 24th at the Philharmonic.

The theater is stunning. A nice size (1500-ish) with excellent sight lines and fantastic acoustics. Driving through the neighborhood (my Mapquest directed me to Pelican Bay Blvd North - when in fact the theater is on Pelican Bay South! So much for modern technology) the drive took me through stunning gated homes and condo communities that would rival Mayfair or Beverly Hills or Canford Cliffs...

The audience was, shall we say, exceptionally well dressed, bejeweled and of a certain age. I wondered whether they would 'get' a story that takes place in an entirely different world, with a cast speaking a foreign dialect, peppering it with Anglo-Saxon invective, and on more than one occasion invoking the term 'socialism'. In fact, the audience, milling about before hand in the lobby with side rooms featuring exquisite works of art, looked more as though it belonged at that evening's Oscars. The theatre was virtually full, as it had been all week - I counted about two dozen empty seats, all in the back row, and at $135 a pop wherever one sat, I imagine that our bean counter friends back at head office are happy. I learned that most in the audience are season members; the lengthy list of benefactors in the program was eye watering; including over 100 names that have donated over $250,000 to the theater. A number have given over $5 million. My Camry looked very humble in that car park. At least it was clean!

So, would they get it? Would they understand the story? I am happy to report that they did.

In fact, I have never seen such an earnest crowd reading the miners' strike billboards in the lobbies. There was no gasp or groan about the politics in the story. There was mild, almost approving laughter during 'Expressing Yourself'. The biggest laughter - I have never heard it so big - came during the "'Billy is queer'.....'Esquire'" joke. That will go down well as it is retold at the yacht clubs today.

According to Noah's mom's blog, he was meant to be on. But, as things go, he wasn't. And while I was disappointed, I was elated to see that Drew was the man of the match. The one new Billy I had not seen as yet. I was told by another forum member that he is one Billy I must not miss. Well, now I can say that I have witnessed his performance, and let me say - 'Wow!!'. What an actor. Such confidence, and even an occasional bit of defiance, came from this small guy who simply commanded the stage. His Billy was not going to be dissuaded from chasing his dreams! And a big voice. I mean, BIG. He can Sing and He can Act.

But, can that young man Dance! I do not know how many performances he has given, but he is fairly new at this, yet his command of the stage was right up there with Mitch and Noah and Ben and, dare I say it, even Ky. There must be an advantage to being compact: I think he performed more pirouettes that any other Billy I have seen. I counted them, the first time in Electricity. 32 the first time. I thought - no, not possible. So I counted again at the end, right after the three flips - the musical director played at least one, if not two, extra bars, longer than normal - and he did 32 pirouettes, without hesitation. No question. It was just so stunning that I am sitting here, wondering how to express this performance to anyone who may read this. Take my word for it. It was stunning!

Naples' audiences respond very well, but in a polite, restrained way, so there was not a lot of the usual cheering and the only standing ovations came at the end of the finale. However, they know how to applaud, and the fact that the theater is compact, and the cast are so close to the audience, means that the positive vibes had to be felt by the cast.

There were a few points of interest: Mr Braithwaite (Patrick W.) did not do the usual splits; there is still no Billy flip off the piano; but Billy DID fly (and Chris Howard proved how great he is as 'flight commander'); and the pace of the acting was such that it flowed as fast as it does in London, yet the audience still understood what was being spoken (the perfomance lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes, including intermission). I did notice a less pronounced, slightly easy-to-the-American-ear Geordie accent. Jake Kitchen has added a few great new twists to his 'Michael'; Sam Poon's Posh Boy seemed to make something out of that small role; Cal is just the perfect Small Boy. I was not sure which new ballet girl was which, but they all fitted together seamlessly; Samantha still brings on the laughter with her 'hoo-hoo' (well, you know what I mean!); Cullen has just the right balance between loud angst and sensitive yet perplexed concern; Patti Perkins will always be my Grandma; just as Joel will always be George and Patrick will be Mr Braithwaite; and at the top of my list are Janet Dickinson and Rich Hebert, who just deliver and deliver so well. They are 'the gifts that keep on giving'.

But, without question, the Best Actor's Award last night has to go to the incredible Drew Minard. Sioux City had better turn out in force to support its Iowan Billy Elliot!

But first, there are two more weeks to go in sunny Florida, I thought, as I drove past the three Billy Elliot trucks, engines idling, in the loading bay. And I shall be there to see them.
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porschesrule
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Re: Naples Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

Great review, Bill. Glad to see someone from the Forum is there "holding the fort" in Florida. It sounds like your first experience seeing Drew as Billy lived up to your expectations. It's also nice to hear the show is continuing to fill the seats.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on yesterday's performance.
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