Another BETM production led by Liam Redford, another astounding triumph! Such was the Opera House Theatre Company's production just concluded and it was a thrill to catch a couple shows this weekend. I confess being a bit wistful initially for a little more strenuous choreography that more fully utilized Liam's skills. But then, understanding the need to keep the sole Billy safe from harm and then upon further study recognizing how this production made a central focus on sheer graceful movement, the wistful feelings disappeared. After all, graceful movement is a Liam hallmark, particularly with his arms and hands. Along the way I had a thought (engineering mind at work, apologies), if Liam were to have motion capture sensors attached to his fingers, what perfect arcs they would form. And how that could be a fine example for training less-accomplished dancers, of the child or even adult variety.
Anyway. One small quibble (as is my obligation). Expressing Yourself featured excellent tap dancing between an athletic NoahAyden and Liam although it felt like it built to an early climax that then tailed off with the appearance of the dresses. But here again Angry Dance largely made up for that, featuring Billy fully expressing through dance being trapped by cops and shields.
Nancy Allen was brilliant as Mrs. Wilkinson. She had the sass to stand up to Jackie and Tony as well as the tenderness to nurture Billy. Along with a clear enunciation of the Geordie dialect that was still easy to follow. At the end of Shine, not only did she hold the final note for the full duration, she brought it up a third. (or whatever the span was). Same thing at the end of Born to Boogie. A top-notch performance, right up there with the best of Mrs. W portrayals.
The enunciation was an important element seeing as how this production moved snappily through a lot of scenes and scene changes. Billy departed the stage before the end of Born to Boogie even. Several jokes were lost either because a line was rushed or just not spoken clearly enough. But that was never the case with Nancy or with Liam. In addition, this production used a bit more of the London script than many US interpretations - Debbie's offer was to show her f**ny, Tony stops Dad before he enters the mine and He Could Be a Star among them.
Speeding up some sections of the work allowed time for other scenes to develop more fully. The Letter was the greatest beneficiary. It normally is a strong scene but it was even more potent in this production. Another smart move was to turn the chairs to face the audience more. That way the audience has a full view of Liam's remarkable ability to communicate precisely what Billy is feeling through his expressions. The number of people dabbing their eyes as the scene concluded testified to just how incredibly powerful Billy's and Dead Mum's interaction was. Bravo, Liam, Kendra Goehring-Garrett and Nancy!
Taking a step back, a brilliant innovation occurred in Grandma's Song. Although her young husband was still part of the scene, the focus instead was on Grandma's younger self. Young Grandma mirrored or complemented Grandma's every move, neatly anticipating the Billys in Dream Ballet. Worked fabulously well.
And speaking of Dream Ballet. Wow. I've seen this number done a multitude of ways, but even without any flying in Wilmington, this was one splendid spine-tingling rendition. Billy and Older Billy were so well matched, so perfectly synchronized and so ... wonderfully artistic in their pas de deux. Dad arrived on the scene about 2/3 of the way through, as best as I recall, in time to see back-to-back aerials, a couple pirouettes and then a few traditional closing chaines turns. A true tour-de-force.
To some extent it did not leave too much room for Electricity to knock even more socks off the audience. It matched Dream Ballet and wasn't quite the clear pinnacle it traditionally is, but so what, we got to enjoy two equally high-calibre numbers.
Not 100% sure but I believe there was one more notable innovation in Once We Were Kings. Instead of the usual new jacket that Billy receives, this time he got a garment that was clearly oversized which strongly suggests it was Jackie's jacket from earlier. And that was a nice touch.
It was announced at the start of the closing show that it would be Liam's 100th performance as Billy. Even if the tracking thread has the number at 97, this still marks a marvelous achievement of Liam's. And with that I say Thank You to the Opera House Theatre Company for a wonderful production. And Thank You to the Redford family for continuing to make what can be sacrifices at times in order to share Liam with the theatre world.
And of course, Thank You to Liam for continually striving to improve an excellent Billy portrayal and for giving 100% of yourself in every single show. Thank You for pushing through the extra challenges of musical key choices that don't make the role any easier to perform. 99% of the Wilmington patrons likely just take it for granted that this is how any BETM show is. But those of us here on the forum especially know how much work is actually involved, the weeks and months of practice and endless rehearsals to get every detail just right. We notice and we greatly appreciate that high level of craftsmanship and I have no doubt your performances will continue to inspire the next generation of dancers. Wishing you great success wherever your future endeavors lead you.
