Costa Mesa Reviews

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WebmasterLK
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Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by WebmasterLK »

The show last night was brilliant! Everybody was so on their game and gave it their all. Noah Parets was wonderful. "Electricity" and "Angry Dance" were my favorite numbers of the night. Jake Kitchin was hilarious and adorable as Michael. The adults were all excellent. I could understand what the whole cast was saying in their accents.

"Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher" was a little awkward. I told my friends during intermission about the song to kind of prepare them, but still when we got to the song it was awkward. I only remembered the ginormous Maggie Thatcher at the end from the last time I saw it. Totally forgot about the Grim Reaper, puppets, man dressed as her, tombstones, etc. I was giggling throughout the number. I tried to cover it up but I just couldn't. The song probably could have been cut just temporarily, but it's appropriate to the time period, so I'm conflicted. :|

The preshow activities in the lobby were pretty cool. They had ballet barres set up and signs instructing you the five ballet positions. It was fascinating, especially since I've never taken ballet.

You would not have known that was Kilty's "Billy Elliot" debut (I certainly didn't until I got on the forum later!). He was great!

The cast members had an opening night party so not a whole lot of people came out of the stage door afterwards. BTW, if you go to "Billy Elliot" at Segerstrom Hall, it is a TREK to get over there. Basically head out of the front of the building, turn left, turn left on Avenue of the Arts and walk up a ramp. When you find the glass doors that say "STAGE DOOR", then congratulations, you made it. My friends and I actually saw Ben Cook waiting outside for Drew and Mitchell. I really wanted to meet him but I had no idea how to approach him for a picture (since he wasn't in the show tonight). Drew and Mitchell eventually came by and then the three went inside. I'm pretty sure I could've just told him I recognize them as the other Billys and ask to take a picture, but I didn't for whatever reason. Oh well. My friends were convinced that Mitchell was actually Cal because Mitchell is so tiny! I tried explaining to them that he was one of the rotating Billys, but they weren't buying it :) Noah Parets was the only one who came out of the stage door. He was so sweet! I couldn't believe how tiny he was. He went back inside to the party after meeting us. That was so sweet of him to do that for us!

You could totally see the entrance to the party from the parking structure. It looked really cool! I saw Brittany Nicholas, Carly Tamer, and a few other kids but I couldn't really figure it out.

Overall, it was a GREAT evening! I'm planning on a trip back next week (during dead week, ahhhhhh).
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ERinVA
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Re: Costa Mesa, CA

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for telling us about the show, Web. Glad you enjoyed it. :D Be sure to write a review of the next performance you see as well.
Ellen



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jakeu
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by jakeu »

The cast party looked pretty killer from all the Instagram photos they posted. I'm glad someone else also shares the hesitant nature of going up to cast members for a picture. I'm not a very social person and meeting people and such gives me some anxiety. It doesn't help that I usually go alone.
kport
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by kport »

Web, if it helps allay any questions about the suitability of MCMT, I have been listening and watching today the BBC reportage of MT's funeral; it was so fawningly praiseworthy of her that I think a bit of historical leg-pulling would not upset the order of things.
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WebmasterLK
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by WebmasterLK »

kport, that's interesting! I was telling my friends about how the UK cast took an audience vote as to whether or not MCMT should stay and it was an almost unanimous vote for "YES". My friends were like "I would have voted no". Hahaha.

Oh whoops, I probably should have clarified what "dead week" is. It's the week before finals. I just realized how dramatic it looked. Haha. Sorry.
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porschesrule
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

Here's a positive review from the blog Stage Scene LA:

http://www.stagescenela.com/2013/04/billy-elliot/
skkmercury
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by skkmercury »

Billy Elliot, welcome back to Southern California! It has been a year since your first visit when we got to enjoy you for a spectacular five-week engagement in L.A. I’m excited to have you back for two more weeks, this time in Orange County, immediately followed by another week just 90 minutes or so down the freeway in San Diego.

Opening night at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts was wonderful. The palatial house seats about 3000 patrons, and while not sold out, it was definitely quite a turn out for a Tuesday night.

First, let me say welcome to Kilty Reidy, the new Mr. Braithwaite. You’d never know it was his first go at it judging by the performance he gave. He is terrific. I love his facial expressions and his laid back demeanor. His response to Mrs. Wilkenson’s jab at him for “taking a class” at Sunderland (sp?) College during B2B was a new one for me. He nonchalantly pretends to light a cigarette using his middle finger as the lighter. Great stuff!

It’s also awesome to see so many in the cast who have been there since the beginning of this tour….. or at least for a very long time. Rich Hebert as Dad, Cullen Titmas as Tony, Patti Perkins as Grandma, Joel Blum as George, and many others are still strong as ever. I have much admiration for how they keep their performance levels as fresh and top notch as they do. Great to see Max Baud back with the Company too!

Last night was my first ever opportunity to see Noah Parets as Billy, and I have to say he was brilliant! I enjoyed every aspect of his performance. The kid can sing, he can act, and he can dance. Wow! He has a really nice, sweet voice, and there were a couple times I noticed that he holds a note and has more than just a hint of vibrato where I’ve never really noticed those qualities from other child actors. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the sixth row of the orchestra section, so I was able to see very clearly all of the facial expressions. You can tell from Noah’s expressions that he really is into character and IS Billy.

Noah’s dancing talent is phenomenal. Enjoyed every aspect! I was impressed with his Angry Dance, although not a lot of screams, he made the angry dancing look easy. He didn’t ever seem to run out of gas and made each movement clear and unrushed, yet still deliberate and angry. He gave a gem of a performance during the dream ballet too. I was enjoying his precise and seemingly effortless moves when suddenly it became apparent there would be no flying tonight. For someone who is expecting the flying sequence, this was a huge disappointment. I quickly got over it and realized just how well the scene still works. Those who hadn’t been aware that flying is supposed to occur, didn’t have a clue that anything was missing. The scene is, however, shorter. The Swan Lake piece of music is edited, but you’d never know because of how well everything still flows. I am glad I got to see how this type of thing is handled, but I do have to say I hope the flying sequence will be in place at all future performances! Perhaps the first night in town, the crew wasn’t able to get the flying rig setup safely? I don’t know.

Electricity was magical and well, electric. The large crowd may have been a bit on the subdued side up to this point (at least in comparison to L.A. audiences), but Noah’s performance here put a huge spark into the life of the onlookers. A thunderous and very long ovation ensued at the conclusion of the number. It was almost as though Noah got startled by the fan eruption because he didn’t hold his final position for any length of time. He definitely stuck the “landing”, so I don’t think that it was due to wobbling or anything like that. He finished his incredulous pirouettes, nailed his final position, held it for just a brief moment and then stood straight up with a kind of shocked or surprised look of bewilderment on his face, which he held throughout the quite lengthy ovation. Having never seen Noah before, I wondered if this was normal. Is it perhaps a creative choice? Maybe Noah stands up tall but a bit shocked at Billy’s defiance to being told he couldn’t dance at the audition and that he’s surprised he was able to unleash that amount of talent for the RBS officials to see? In any case, I loved it….. and so did the crowd!

The final touch on Noah’s night was a very moving and emotional goodbye to Mum during The Letter (Billy’s Reply). When a Billy can pull at the heart strings enough to moisten the eyes, especially considering how well I already know the scene, he has done something really special. There’s only been a small handful of times when I’ve been sucked into this scene enough to draw actual tears out of my eyes, and Tuesday night was one of them. Thanks Noah for a very memorable portrayal of Billy.

I am very excited at the prospect of catching Ben’s, Drew’s and Mitchel’s interpretations of Billy during their stay in Costa Mesa. As it was with Noah Tuesday night, it will be my first experience with each of them. Can’t wait!
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porschesrule
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

A review from a blogger at Social Thrills:

http://socalsite.socalthrills.com/billy ... good-form/
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

And here's another review, this one not quite so positive:

http://www.orangecounty.com/entertainme ... story.html
kport
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Re: Costa Mesa Reviews

Post by kport »

skkmercury wrote:Billy Elliot, welcome back to Southern California! It has been a year since your first visit when we got to enjoy you for a spectacular five-week engagement in L.A. I’m excited to have you back for two more weeks, this time in Orange County, immediately followed by another week just 90 minutes or so down the freeway in San Diego.

Opening night at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts was wonderful. The palatial house seats about 3000 patrons, and while not sold out, it was definitely quite a turn out for a Tuesday night.

First, let me say welcome to Kilty Reidy, the new Mr. Braithwaite. You’d never know it was his first go at it judging by the performance he gave. He is terrific. I love his facial expressions and his laid back demeanor. His response to Mrs. Wilkenson’s jab at him for “taking a class” at Sunderland (sp?) College during B2B was a new one for me. He nonchalantly pretends to light a cigarette using his middle finger as the lighter. Great stuff!

It’s also awesome to see so many in the cast who have been there since the beginning of this tour….. or at least for a very long time. Rich Hebert as Dad, Cullen Titmas as Tony, Patti Perkins as Grandma, Joel Blum as George, and many others are still strong as ever. I have much admiration for how they keep their performance levels as fresh and top notch as they do. Great to see Max Baud back with the Company too!

Last night was my first ever opportunity to see Noah Parets as Billy, and I have to say he was brilliant! I enjoyed every aspect of his performance. The kid can sing, he can act, and he can dance. Wow! He has a really nice, sweet voice, and there were a couple times I noticed that he holds a note and has more than just a hint of vibrato where I’ve never really noticed those qualities from other child actors. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the sixth row of the orchestra section, so I was able to see very clearly all of the facial expressions. You can tell from Noah’s expressions that he really is into character and IS Billy.

Noah’s dancing talent is phenomenal. Enjoyed every aspect! I was impressed with his Angry Dance, although not a lot of screams, he made the angry dancing look easy. He didn’t ever seem to run out of gas and made each movement clear and unrushed, yet still deliberate and angry. He gave a gem of a performance during the dream ballet too. I was enjoying his precise and seemingly effortless moves when suddenly it became apparent there would be no flying tonight. For someone who is expecting the flying sequence, this was a huge disappointment. I quickly got over it and realized just how well the scene still works. Those who hadn’t been aware that flying is supposed to occur, didn’t have a clue that anything was missing. The scene is, however, shorter. The Swan Lake piece of music is edited, but you’d never know because of how well everything still flows. I am glad I got to see how this type of thing is handled, but I do have to say I hope the flying sequence will be in place at all future performances! Perhaps the first night in town, the crew wasn’t able to get the flying rig setup safely? I don’t know.

Electricity was magical and well, electric. The large crowd may have been a bit on the subdued side up to this point (at least in comparison to L.A. audiences), but Noah’s performance here put a huge spark into the life of the onlookers. A thunderous and very long ovation ensued at the conclusion of the number. It was almost as though Noah got startled by the fan eruption because he didn’t hold his final position for any length of time. He definitely stuck the “landing”, so I don’t think that it was due to wobbling or anything like that. He finished his incredulous pirouettes, nailed his final position, held it for just a brief moment and then stood straight up with a kind of shocked or surprised look of bewilderment on his face, which he held throughout the quite lengthy ovation. Having never seen Noah before, I wondered if this was normal. Is it perhaps a creative choice? Maybe Noah stands up tall but a bit shocked at Billy’s defiance to being told he couldn’t dance at the audition and that he’s surprised he was able to unleash that amount of talent for the RBS officials to see? In any case, I loved it….. and so did the crowd!

The final touch on Noah’s night was a very moving and emotional goodbye to Mum during The Letter (Billy’s Reply). When a Billy can pull at the heart strings enough to moisten the eyes, especially considering how well I already know the scene, he has done something really special. There’s only been a small handful of times when I’ve been sucked into this scene enough to draw actual tears out of my eyes, and Tuesday night was one of them. Thanks Noah for a very memorable portrayal of Billy.

I am very excited at the prospect of catching Ben’s, Drew’s and Mitchel’s interpretations of Billy during their stay in Costa Mesa. As it was with Noah Tuesday night, it will be my first experience with each of them. Can’t wait!
What a great review. skkmercury! I look forward to reading your next ones.
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