February 2011 Reviews London

[*Lottie*]

Friday February 4th. Scott McKenzie, Connor Lawson & Francesca Mango

Grandma: Romy
Mrs W: Caroline Deverill
Tony: Steve Hutchinson
George: David Bardsley
Small Boy: Blond curly hair

So the time finally arrived, I got to see Scott! I was convinced I would have seen him before now, but it never occurred. But it was worth the wait and my expectations were met and actually he went beyond them. This was the first time I had seen the show since cast change, therefore the first time I witnessed all the changes and the new cast.
I was sat in B17. Perfect.
For me Scott portrays a very innocent Billy which caused me to be constantly ‘willing’ him on. He captured the doubt of his ability very well in my opinion. I think (and hope) this also caused the audience to get behind him. Such a small and sweet boy but wow can he knock out an angry dance.
I LOVE new express. I always got the impression the old dancing dress costumes were difficult to see out of, the new ones look great and created much neater patterns! The silver curtain jazzes everything up a notch too. Not sure about the changes to the breakfast scene, I missed the whole throwing the toast and passing it between the placards etc.
I think the ballet girls were having the time of their lives knocking Billy about in Shine, I’m surprised Scott remained on his feet.
One of my highlights was Dream Ballet, even despite a slight mishap on the wire when Barnaby and Scott missed hands, but they recovered fine. I thought they made a very good partnership with lots of eye contact, and their movements were fluid and synchronized. Scott had a permanent grin across his face for nearly the entire sequence. Perhaps a lighter chair could be provided for it seemed too heavy for him at times, he is only small
Electricity, I believed every single word he was singing. Dance sequence was flawlessly done complete with neat acro. The applause at the end was very long and he kept settling back to his position only for it to continue.
Scott seemed to muster up a huge extra spurt of energy for the finale, letting out regular ‘whooops’ every so often. Amazing. Received a huge wave from Connor Lawson, who I have to mention I found to be such a established performer, so I’m not surprised he was singled out at the BYT.
Caroline Deverill as Mrs. Wilkinson; I liked her genuine bewilderment towards Billy and she showed the side of Mrs. W finding it tough to know how to handle it all through the hard exterior really cleverly. Martin as Dad, is very different to Joe! His emotion is much more internal and controlled; his inner turmoil is much more suppressed. I found his fresh interpretation to posh dad and the male ballerina hilarious.



Scott's Unique Touches
I enjoyed all the little added Scottish details.
The way he mimes the words to the letter just before Dead Mum sings them.
Hiding behind his bag when Mrs. W comes in when he is late for meeting her.

Alpolgies for the illogical order !

[Deanfan5]

Wednesday 10th. Scott with Joe and Emily S. David B as Dad and Craig Armstrong as George and Spencer Cartwright as Big Davy. Romy was Gran. Sergio as Alternate Older Billy.

This was a first time for me to see Craig and Spencer in the key roles and also Hamish Debnam-Sharp as Tall boy. All equipped themselves very well and I thought Craig came across as a very strong George.

Scott remains a very impressive Billy. The standard of his acting and dancing excelled throughout and his skipping in BTB was fast and completely faultless. A smallish audience (no Grand Circle for 2nd night running) really took Scott to their hearts and he wowed them in return. There is an inner maturity to Scott's performances nowadays which belies his size so one really feeels one is totally going along with him in spirit on Billy's journey of personal discovery as he portrays it.
Emily has an interesting take on Debbie which is at times borders on the very 'matter of fact'. It works well but I felt the developing 'attraction' of Debbie to Billy was slightly underplayed as a result.
This was my first viewing of the changes to the 'confrontation ' scene between Mrs W and the family. There is no Gran now for this scene having been replaced by assorted miners. This does not bother me as I never felt Billy's family to be 'Guardian' readers anyway The word changes work well and Billy trying to go out to see Michael makes more sense than the milk and sugar.
All in all a very compact and moving show. The Cast and Scott totally deserved their standing ovations at the end.
Nice also to see so many Forum members there.

[Barry Appleby]

THURSDAYS MATINEE 10th FEB

The audience were a bit quiet at first, I think they'd had a good soaking from the foul weather outside but the cast worked hard sure enough the audience soon responded.
It was Scott 2nd show in a row, he was again, up for it, love the jig in the Boxing Scene,also the smirk when he walks away with the chair after telling his dad Tony wants him, in Solidarity, Reece looks so mischievous as Michael. Fantastic ovation for the finale, I like all the changes that have been introduced "Well done" cast and the production team.

THURSDAYS EVENING 10th FEB

This was a little special for me as I would be the last time I would see Aaron again, I'm so sorry I can't get to his final performance, I "Wish him all the best" in the future. well he certainly gave it all he had, so strong throughout, Connor Kelly was on top form also, a good blend with Aaron.
It was the 1st time I've seen Emily Williams, hasn't she settled in well , very impressed with her.I really do enjoy Chris McGlade's banter before the opening of the 2nd half, mind you he got more than he bargined for with from a couple or so, in the audience. A good house with the top balcony open. Sorry my review is short tonight but my broad band etc is playing up,it driving me mad, this is my 3rd attempt. Down again 2/3rd March, Keep missing Rhys though, as we say in East Yorkshire "lartle hound".

Barry

P.S my corny joke - Someone actually complimented me on my driving today. They left me a note on my windscreen. It said, Parking Fine, wasn't that nice.

[Deanfan5]

Saturday 11th evening show: Rhys, Joe, Emily S with Romy as Gran and Sergio Older Billy.

This was without a doubt a real high octane stella show to a packed audience that really thrived on it and laughed and applauded their way through it. In consequence the cast were really up for it. Rhys really captured the imagination with acting, singing, dancing and faultless skipping of the highest order. The Letter as delivered by Rhys was certainly one of the most moving I can recall in a long time. Rhys was ably supported by Joe and Emily who I thought gave one of her strongest performances. For me (now a veteran of many Billy shows) it was made more pleasurable by the obvious delight of the little girl sat next to me in A6 (day seats) who turned out to be the red team Matilda from the hit musical that has just concluded in Stratford. ( I think her name was Adiana). I was really pleased to see Rhys sign a few programmes later including one for her as she was desperate to meet him having been totally enthralled throughout by his performance as were her sister (also in Matilda) and her family.
George (Chris McGlade) really gets 'worse' at the curtain scene. Key 2 of his Saturday evening jokes :
1. Looking down at Chris H (MD) he opined; 'Nice to see a pit that is working'.
2. Turning to Tony: 'Did you know that when they shower 60% of men play with themselves while 40% sing a song? Do you know the song?
Tony 'No'
George 'I did not think you would'.
Tony (Tom Lorcan) I thought had an absolutely outstanding show. A performance of great depth, passion and vision. It was so nice to see the fun and rapport betwen him and Rhys especially in the party scene during Dad's song. Rhys could not stop laughing. Later when the true nature of the ballet school letter was revealed Tony ticked Billy unmercifully calling him a 'little sxxt'. You really felt that they were two brothers who had real sibling fondness for each other. Superb acting by Tom and Rhys with complete respect for each other as fellow professionals.
All in all a thoroughly entertaining evening which showed why BETM is such an everlasting triumph which will live in the minds of many for a long time.

[ElizFred]

Thanks DeanFan for keeping us up to date and keeping the magic alive. Much appreciated especially by those of us who have not seen the new cast or changes. Just need to get me a ticket now!

[patc]

Thursday Matinee 17th Feb

Aaron
Joe
Emily Williams

This was yet another breathtaking Aaron show. Now that the post-Christmas period has gone by today's matinee audience was right back to size and form and got themselves involved from the moment Small Boy arrived. When he got caught in the falling black curtain the crowd were in absolute hysterics, something I can't say I've ever heard before. But, back to Aaron. This was his penultimate performance and it was right up there with all the others. But there was even extra value. At the interval some of us were discussing his spins at the end of Solidarity just before Dad arrives and we were agreed we had never seen anything quite like it before. And the applause went on for ages, almost like after Electricity. I even spotted a little smile briefly breaking out as Aaron held that pose which must be pretty hard on the limbs. Very graciously, Martin, realising that something special was going on here, held off for a while before interrupting. Thanks to Martin. He let us have a very special golden moment today. If Aaron does this on Saturday the roof will cave in.
I was very, very impressed with the manner in which Aaron controlled his singing voice. The mark of a true professional.

Once again Angry Dance was an explosion of energy and ire. Aaron's tapping was such that, if the stage floor was metal, we'd all have been rushing for the fire exits. It was only the professionalism of the Ensemble that kept them from running scared. In this form Aaron would have taken them all on and won hands down.

In the absence of Barnaby, Sergio danced an absolutely brilliant and polished Dream Ballet with Aaron. One special extra moment was at the point when he crouches down and Billy has to roll across his back. He looked to be crouched just slightly higher than usual but Aaron rose to the challenge in a most spectacular roll of his athletic body that was gasp-inducing.

When the time came for Electricity I could hardly sit still in my seat in anticipation. I've never been ashamed to say that this particular scene takes me out emotionally every time but I hadn't bargained for the extra emotion brought about by this being the second-last one from Aaron that I will ever see. It was superb. It had everything. It was magnificent. I wish it was on DVD to watch for ever but it will remain in the best storage system of all, the memory.

Next Saturday evening will be something else. When it's time for the goodbye to Mrs. W scene and the Letter reprise I expect it will be almost unbearable to watch.

This review, naturally, is mainly about Aaron but let us not forget that this entire greatly talented cast were involved in delivering to a massive audience a truly memorable afternoon's entertainment. By a quirk of scheduling I've hardly seen Joe much recently (only once since November) but it was worth the wait. Whether it was in Expressing or the Winter Scene or the final curtain he had the audience in his pocket and you could have heard a pin drop as he stared in anguish after the departing Billy. (Although, for once, the audience began the applause just a tad too early).

Romy continues to delight as Grandma and afterwards she confirmed that she does actually do 8 shows a week.

Aaron's parents were present in the audience and they must have been bursting with pride. Afterwards, we had a rare but wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation for which all of us were very, very grateful.

Pat

[athadj]

At the interval some of us were discussing his spins at the end of Solidarity just before Dad arrives and we were agreed we had never seen anything quite like it before. And the applause went on for ages, almost like after Electricity. I even spotted a little smile briefly breaking out as Aaron held that pose which must be pretty hard on the limbs. Very graciously, Martin, realising that something special was going on here, held off for a while before interrupting. Thanks to Martin. He let us have a very special golden moment today. If Aaron does this on Saturday the roof will cave in.

Thank you so much for this review Patc. This scene has been one of my favorite ever since seing the show for the very very very first time back in 2005. I only wish I had been there to see Aaron perform it perfectly, the way you describe it.


.

Next Saturday evening will be something else. When it's time for the goodbye to Mrs. W scene and the Letter reprise I expect it will be almost unbearable to watch.

I'm almost crying just by reading this review. Can't even begin to imagine how I'm gonna react tomorrow....

Romy continues to delight as Grandma and afterwards she confirmed that she does actually do 8 shows a week.

Don't you think maybe it's time to actually put her in the programme and in the internet cast info as grandma? I can't believe she's brilliantly been doing 8 shows a week for so many months and she's just another swing!!!

[AJ HOLDEN]

Thursday 17th February matinee and evening

Aaron/Joe/Emily W

Rhys/Connor L/Francesca

I was privileged to see Aaron’s debut and since then I have been delighted to see his name on the board when I enter the theatre. You know you will get a damn good show. Aaron has given nothing but total dedication over the past 8 months (plus all the other years of rehearsal) and every minute has been well spent and worthwhile. When I will reminisce over the show in the future Aaron will feature highly among a glittering list of names. Many thanks for many fantastic shows. I am only sorry I can’t see the show on Saturday (will be watching the Aurora in the Arctic) but I know which dazzling spectacle I would rather be watching.

The show itself was brilliant. I noticed early on it was going at a fast pace and I definitely suspected something was up when Aaron took just 5 seconds to respond to the “f*nny” question (By contrast Rhys took 26 seconds to respond in the evening show – was that a record slow response)? Rhys did it very well and kept the audience laughing which is exceptionally difficult to do. Aaron was gracious enough to admit to me after the show he was going for Ollie’s record of 2 hours 53 mins. I clocked it at 2 hours 51 mins myself but Aaron reckons it was a tie.

It is strange how the forum members can disagree. I was not alone in thinking that the matinee audience were really good, laughing out loud from the time small boy got caught in the dropping curtain and excellent responses to all the best jokes and dances. Yet others disagreed and felt the audience were slow. Aaron said it was a good audience.

Tonights show was every bit as good as the matinee (if at least 10 mins longer). Rhys on his usual top form, faultless through out, great singing voice and naturally dancing out of the top drawer. Can I just say I love that look Tracey Atkinson gives Mrs W when she has to put down the pie. If looks could kill. And also I love those staring almost maniacal eyes from Ashley Cousins as he asks Billy if he is alright at the audition. It just makes me laugh out loud. I posted a while back that Shaun Henson has made the role of the tape man in the audition his own, well I think Ashley should have the same accolade for the tall boy in this scene.

Quite nice to see Tom Lorcan hand out fliers in the foyer after the show for votes for the Olivier Awards. Could you only imagine the response if the kids were allowed to do the same, plus pose for pictures and sign autographs. I imagine Billy is in with a good chance but it is to the eternal shame of the company that they keep the kids away (and yes I know why). There was a vast group of girls at the Billy Bus when the kids departed last night. They all completely failed to get a single decent snap between them of any one, although I think one did manage to photo the back of my head – that’s one for the album!

Hope everyone enjoys Saturday show
Alex

[Billy Whiz]

Thursday, February 17th – evening

Billy – Rhys
Michael – Connor Lawson
Debbie – Francesca

I do not have the writing skills of angelsenroute or the knowledge of the show like porchesrule but I will try my best to write a review.

I saw the new cast on their first night at the end of November last year and this is my second time of seeing them. What a difference a few months make. I thought they all did very well on their first night but last night they were fantastic. It was nice to see David Bardsley as Dad as I have not seen him perform for a long time. Romy is also an excellent Grandma and is doing a sterling job performing 8 times a week – I bet she does not need any rocking when she gets into bed at night.

Rhys is at the top of his game. His acting, singing and dancing are all wonderful. I love the little touches like when he says to Grandma “mam left it (then a pause) for me”. It sounds so much more poignant when there is that little pause. Rhys’s Electricity was excellent and it was nice to see Damien Jackson, the resident Ballet Teacher, in the Billy Box. He applauded Rhys loudly at the end as well as shouting words of encouragement to him. Rhys has grown since he first started on his Billy journey but I can see that there is a “lot of life” left in him yet. Long may he reign as Billy.

I noticed in the scene when Billy counts the money from the scab and Tony walks off stage that Rhys called out “Tony”. I’ve never heard that before. Now either that is relatively knew or I’ve been asleep during this scene in all my previous visits

This was my first time seeing Connor Lawson and I can see why he was picked from the Youth Theatre. He is very, very good. He has some nice mannerisms and his nutcracker delivery was excellent. The one thing I found surprising is that he does not use his glasses as a prop like Jake used to do to great effect.

Francesca is an excellent Debbie. Her timing and acting are excellent. I also watched the way her pigtails fly round all over the place. They could be classed as a dangerous weapon.

I mustn’t forget the unsung heroes of the show – The Ballet Girls. I recognised a couple of “old” faces in them but most were new to me. They were, as always, brilliant. Loud, bossy and totally useless (all in character of course).

Now on to the show itself. I like the new breakfast scene. It flows very well. I also like the new Express but I do miss the lines “Michael, the dresses are dancing” “That’s nothing, you should see what my underpants can do”. I must say though that after seeing the New York and Chicago shows I wish the company had gone the whole hog with the set and dressing table mirror. I still do not like the skipping in Born to Boogie but I can see how Billy would have a skipping rope in his bag.

At the start of the second half George was very funny in front of the curtain. It is the first time that I have heard the “F” used there. I’m not sure that that was necessary actually.

As I have already mentioned, the new cast have settled in wonderfully. There are no weak links and everybody should be proud of themselves for the results of their hard work. We only see the 3 hour production – we don’t see the years of dedication that these people have put in to be where they are now. Thankfully they do do this as without them there would be no BETM or any other show for that matter.

I managed to have a few words with ex Tony Craig Gallivan outside after the show. He told me that he is just starting filming a show for Sky TV. He did tell me what it was called but, unfortunately, I’ve slept since then and forgot

Billy Whiz signing off.

[Barry Appleby]

Hi
"THANK YOU" everyone for your great reviews, they are really appreciated.

Barry