May 2011 Reviews - London

[AJ HOLDEN]

Saturday 21st May matinee

Ryan/Joe/Emily W/Harry/Ashley

I took some 10 year olds to the show. One had his first ever theatrical experience, thus quite an introduction and I just hope that he doesn’t expect every theatre show he subsequently attends to be as good.

It was fun to get the youngsters take on the show. I asked one who had seen the film and thus was the only one who had any idea what was coming, what he remembered about the film. A man had a wee against a snow man was the reply. Ahh, I think they cut that out the stage play, although the floor has been strangely slippery for a while! The look of disappointment. One of them could not understand why the orchestra was under the stage and how they knew when to play the music. The language got some sniggers and I suspect will be liberally used in the year 5 play ground on Monday and I’m not talking about the word cush. It was rather amusing to watch the kids “play” Billy Elliot once back at home. It mostly consisted of jumping on to tables and kicking things, thus I suspect Angry Dance had an impact especially after I later found a suspicious tear in the wallpaper, though not quite Eliot Carrington size proportions re holes in walls. I dread what the school will think tomorrow if the “games” continue, especially if the lads start asking the girls to see their f**ny or ask a teacher the same! The biggest talking point was Ryan’s street Electricity which was of course was simply breath taking. I had to curb their enthusiasm to try and copy some moves.

They didn’t all understand the story and when I was telling then about the miners’ strike it was like I was taking a history lesson, quite depressing since I remember it so well on the daily news.

It was interesting that the kids all wanted to go onto the stage and be Billy or Michael, and their reaction when I mentioned the years of hard work involved. I don’t think they could appreciate how much hard work the actors put in. But that is completely the fault of the actors because they were all so good, they made it look so easy. I was most impressed when one lad did point out, with surprise, that the actors still play their part even when they are hidden at the back – referring to Mr Braithwaite playing the piano and then taking a drink from the bar during Shine but many very astute observations too when telling me about all the little things going on in the background, one example being Susan Parks bumping into the boxing bag, something I know happened but have repeatedly fail to spot.

It was also funny to watch the kids waiting for something to go wrong. They had expected something to go wrong after I told them about the naughty bed that wouldn’t come up through the floor last week whilst I also regaled them about the sound system fault at “Love Never Dies” last month where the actors kept a straight face despite the loudest and longest raspberry you have ever heard coming over that faulty sound system during an aria. I was in stitches (and in row A)! Would any Billy have kept a straight face? Probably.

After the show I showed the kids this forum and particularly the You Tube area and they found the BE Brothers (courtesy of the cast in Toronto on their blog) where a tannoy heard in their dressing room reveals a missing pair of shoes prior to Angry Dance. The look on the casts faces is a picture, firstly speculating on impending doom for one of the cast as they will no doubt have to improvise or more likely the show will briefly stop and secondly no doubt some relief that it wasn’t them on stage when that happened.

So just to sum up, another great show, breathtaking in parts as usual, top acting and dancing by all concerned, but a little disappointed it was absolutely faultless. I think the show has some new fans. And can I bill the show for my wallpaper?

Alex

[Billy Whiz]

Thanks Alex. That was a good read and so nice to hear that the youngsters enjoyed the show.

[Todd]

The language got some sniggers and I suspect will be liberally used in the year 5 play ground on Monday and I’m not talking about the word cush. I dread what the school will think tomorrow if the “games” continue, especially if the lads start asking the girls to see their f**ny or ask a teacher the same!

I think you just pinpointed the concerns some people have over the coarse language in the show . . . .and why some of the productions have felt the need to tone it down.

[BILLYFAN]

Sat 21st May 2.30pm mat.show

BILLY===RYAN
MICHAEL=JOE M
DEBBIE==EMILY W.

Another very good show,and no problems with the stage this time
First time seeing RYAN as Billy and he was brilliant, there were several changes to the show since my last time of going, mainly in the way the shows "put over" rather then the lines,although some of it could be "Billy-isms and Michael-isms"
In the kitchen scene the beans seem to be on ration,but the salt is certainly not!
in the boxing, after the press ups, when George tells Michael to fight, Joe was having a job to stop giggleing,and Ryan's "tea dance was very entertaining
Shine and solidarty was very good, Ryan wasn't very emotional in the letter scene, but there was a lot of hankies out in the audience!
The skipping in Born to Boogie seems to be a little shorter but Ryan was good at the skipping, and his angry dance was also very good
In the toilet scene, when Debbie invites Billy to see her ****** Ryan's facial expression was fantastic, holding his mouth open in shock for several seconds,then quiet before saying no you're all right
Electricy:- I like the ballet version the best, but that doe's not mean that I don't like the street version , and Ryan was fabulous, mainly street with a little balletin it
Overall a very good show, but I was a little disappointed that the dancer who plays Billy's older self didn't do his dance after the final,I hope this has'nt been cut out
the theatre was busy,but there were plenty of empty seats about
Thank you Alex (or Allan?) for taking the trouble to speak to me on Saturday, I did look out for you at the end of the show, but the ladies sitting next to me was speaking to me after the show, and I missed you, I hope your cousin's enjoyed the show, one of them telling me he had seen it 32 times--1 more then I have!'
the ladies sitting next to me said that it was one of the best show's the've seen and hope to see it again latter this summer
I was asked what is the reason or significant of the small boy climbing up on the stage at the start of the show to watch the film,I thought it was to get the audience the "feel" of the mineing village-any other ideas?

[ERinVA]

I think you're right about the small boy because when the scrim drops and he enters the scene, everyone looks after him, which is a kind of foreshadowing of how they will look after Billy also. But I also think he is a sort of equivalent of the small girl in blue who appears in the film, seemingly for no good reason.

However, on further thought about the small girl in blue, it occurred to me who she may be. She could be Alice Liddell, or Alice in Wonderland, to be more exact. Not many people are aware of it, but Alice's family roots were in County Durham.

Perhaps the most famous Liddell of all was Alice Liddell, whose great grandmother lived in the South Bailey in Durham City. Little Alice's family were friends of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who immortalised the young girl under his pen name Lewis Carroll as 'Alice in Wonderland'. The surname Liddell also occurs in the forms Liddel andLiddle.

http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/Surnames.html

[BILLYFAN]

Thanks for that information.ERinVA,that solves the mistery of the little girl in the film for me
I forgot to mention in my review, that in the pantomime, the line "are you enjoying the show, etc" hasn't been used for a time, but it was last Saturday, and as I was sitting in seat B15, I was the victim. All in good taste, though, and no offence caulsed

[Barry Appleby]

THURDAYS MATINEE 26TH MAY
A pleasant suprise to see it was Scott & Emily Smith's name on the board, who I haven't seen for about 3 months, also my only 2nd time to see Connor Lawson.
Scott gave another outstanding performance throughout, my knowledge of ballet is nil, but he has converted me, two very!! friendly Amercian Ladies were sat next to me, they said this little guy is brilliant, how right they were. Also with me, I love Scott's facial expressions. Disbelief and bewildament in "Shine" those ballet girls don't half knock him about, the shock on his face in "Expressing Yourself" and the horror when Mrs Wilkinson walks in the "Kitchen Scene". Scott got a great laugh from the audience for his little wiggle when putting on his tutu in the finale.
Good cover up by Connor when the radio was not on the table before "Dream Ballet", a stage hands nightmare but everyone is human, great expression on Connor's face on the finale curtain, very poignant to the final scene.
Tom & Martin's performances get stronger, I thought "He Could be a Star" was the best I've ever seen, so emotional, also loved the jig in the final kitchen scene, the family bond stands out it such difficult circumstances.
Now I've got to write about the ensemble, to me the unsung heroes of the show, I would like to know how many costume changes they do during the show, these guys and gals are incredable.

Barry

My corny joke- Two young boys were in a school classroom, one says to the other, I've just found a contraceptive behind the radiator, the other says, what is a radiator.

[Barry Appleby]

Hi
Sorry about the wrong date on the above review should read 26th May

Barry

[ERinVA]

I just changed the date for you.

[patc]

Saturday 28th May

Matinee: Josh, Connor K, Francesca
Evening: Scott, Reece, Emily S

David Bardsley as Dad
Craig Armstrong as George

And on the 6th day the multitudes (and the Forumites) journeyed to the temple of Victoria to pay homage to their deity. It fell to Josh(ua) and Scott(icus) to provide the inspiration and by late sunset all had been uplifted beyond their wildest dreams.

The VPT is the only place on Earth where the days and weeks after the Big Event are not anti-climactical and Saturday's double-header was proof positive if it were needed. At this point I have a confession to make. I was probably the only one at the matinee that didn't notice that Michael's bike that Connor K rode out on is now a banana coloured machine. I thought they (the Forumites) were winding me up at the interval.

Anyway, let it be recorded that both Josh and Scott provided two great audiences with scintillating entertainment that had everyone standing to express their appreciation at the end of the shows. How proud the boys' wonderful parents must have been to be there to witness this. I know that the multitudes (and Forumites) who were at the stage door afterwards were truly delighted to be able to thank them personally. Their happy smiles of acknowledgement were the finishing touches to complete what was another one of those great days at the Victoria Palace. The only downer was the sad news that the Ballet Girl Teams were having their last nights all last week and there were lots of tears. They may be gone but not forgotten.

The King Billys still reign supreme but beware ye the false gods at the Apollo Victoria and the Palace, Shaftesbury Avenue.

Pat