Review for Friday 8 July
It happened Wednesday, it happened today
A technical hitch,this time after Ballet
The show resumed after a five minute break
But to the cast no difference did it make.
The dancing from Ryan was as always sublime
Both he and Joe had a great old time
During Expressing Yourself,with lots of laughter
I sat there enthralled at what came after
David Bardsley was Dad and was on top form
Emily Smith as Debbie stomped around like a storm
Tom and Genevieve always put on a good act
And Lucinda's great as Grandma,now that's a fact
Ryan screeched and screamed throughout Angry Dance
So much so you could have heard him in France
His face lit up as the applause rang out
The best show in town of that there's no doubt.
dancingboy
July 2011 Reviews - London
-
dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
-
dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Review for Saturday (eve) 9 July (Not in rhyme this time)
Managed to get to the show after all (my sixth in nine days) and saw Josh as Billy and Connor Kelly as Michael. There was a slight hitch during the Breakfast scene when David Bardsley (Dad) was unable to find the glove with which to put out the flames of the burning pan,so a stage hand/manager had to take the pan away. Other than that the show went very well with Josh's dancing going like clockwork. As usual lots of laughter between Josh and the wide-eyed Connor Kelly during Expressing yourself. We also had Connor's French accent again as he says to Billy to''Look in ze mirror''. Later,during the scene with Billy before Dream Ballet,Connor waited for absolute silence before delivering his 'nutcracker' line.
David Bardsley always puts on a slightly different Dad to Martin and Saturday was no exception and his performance was excellent.
I thought the audience was a bit flat during the first half of the show and were very slow to respond to the corny gags at the start of the second half , but after this they seemed to warm to the story and the dancing,of course, and Josh received an excellent ovation (all sitting,I think) after Electricity.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable evening once more.
dancingboy
Managed to get to the show after all (my sixth in nine days) and saw Josh as Billy and Connor Kelly as Michael. There was a slight hitch during the Breakfast scene when David Bardsley (Dad) was unable to find the glove with which to put out the flames of the burning pan,so a stage hand/manager had to take the pan away. Other than that the show went very well with Josh's dancing going like clockwork. As usual lots of laughter between Josh and the wide-eyed Connor Kelly during Expressing yourself. We also had Connor's French accent again as he says to Billy to''Look in ze mirror''. Later,during the scene with Billy before Dream Ballet,Connor waited for absolute silence before delivering his 'nutcracker' line.
David Bardsley always puts on a slightly different Dad to Martin and Saturday was no exception and his performance was excellent.
I thought the audience was a bit flat during the first half of the show and were very slow to respond to the corny gags at the start of the second half , but after this they seemed to warm to the story and the dancing,of course, and Josh received an excellent ovation (all sitting,I think) after Electricity.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable evening once more.
dancingboy
-
dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Monday 11 July
What can I say? A wonderful show this evening,the whole cast should be complimented. The audience too played its part and occasionally there was applause when normally none is heard.
I've seen Scott a few times now and have to say that is the best I have seen him,both in dancing and his acting,so well done Scott.
No technical hitches tonight,although I think Craig Armstrong (George) split his trousers towards the end of the show,certainly Scott was giggling to himself at this point.
All in all a good evening's entertainment.
dancingboy
What can I say? A wonderful show this evening,the whole cast should be complimented. The audience too played its part and occasionally there was applause when normally none is heard.
I've seen Scott a few times now and have to say that is the best I have seen him,both in dancing and his acting,so well done Scott.
No technical hitches tonight,although I think Craig Armstrong (George) split his trousers towards the end of the show,certainly Scott was giggling to himself at this point.
All in all a good evening's entertainment.
dancingboy
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Monday 11th July
Scott/Joe/Emily S.
Just to largely repeat dancingboys post and to say that it was a fantastic show on Monday.
It was one of the best audiences I can recall away from a special occasion such as a final night. We got the vibes straight away when there was a huge reaction to the small boy climbing on stage at the start. Many ohhs and ahhs and a fair proportion of the audience believing small boy was Billy. There was alot of additional applause throughout (particularly for Joe) and prolonged standing ovations at the finale. Biggest laugh was indeed Craig Armstong doing the little dance as he tells Billy "I always said you'd get in". A huge rip occurred in the trousers that could be heard in row Z. Scott was in hysterics as was much of the audience and it was impressive that he and Grandma got the next few lines out. PS Craig I wouldn't audition for White tights man's role!" Craig and Scott had a good laugh about it when they met in the finale.
Simply a brilliant show tonight
Alex
Scott/Joe/Emily S.
Just to largely repeat dancingboys post and to say that it was a fantastic show on Monday.
It was one of the best audiences I can recall away from a special occasion such as a final night. We got the vibes straight away when there was a huge reaction to the small boy climbing on stage at the start. Many ohhs and ahhs and a fair proportion of the audience believing small boy was Billy. There was alot of additional applause throughout (particularly for Joe) and prolonged standing ovations at the finale. Biggest laugh was indeed Craig Armstong doing the little dance as he tells Billy "I always said you'd get in". A huge rip occurred in the trousers that could be heard in row Z. Scott was in hysterics as was much of the audience and it was impressive that he and Grandma got the next few lines out. PS Craig I wouldn't audition for White tights man's role!" Craig and Scott had a good laugh about it when they met in the finale.
Simply a brilliant show tonight
Alex
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Great Reviews Alex, dancingboy, Pat and Barry, really enjoyed reading them. Loving the poems dancingboy and the joke Barry.
Following on from Alex's review here is another review of the simply brilliant & outstanding show
from Scott, Joe, Emily Smith and all the cast on Monday evening, supported by one of the best ever audiences at the VP.
Monday 11th July 2011.
Billy - Scott
Michael - Joe
Debbie - Emily Smith
George - Craig Armstrong
What can I say, an exceptional performance from a very dynamic Scott tonight, ably supported by Emily Smith stomping around the stage along with brilliant performances from all the Ballet Girls and the one and only Joe Massey who’s Michael performance’s at the moment are so perfect & hilarious that no matter how bad you are feeling, If Joe doesn’t make you raise a smile then there is something wrong with you.
A highly entertaining & great show with a fantastic up for it audience, with plenty of extra applause throughout including when Small Boy (Thomas) climbed on stage at the beginning (who as Alex has said, many people tonight thought was Billy), and immediate applause as soon as Scott got on the high wire in Dream Ballet and even Is Queer/Esquire got one of the best responses in ages. Although the best audience moment came when some woman (least I think and hope it was a woman!) wolf-whistled Ashley Andrews Scottish Ballet Dancer when he made his appearance in front of the safety curtain wearing those rather…. ahem… “revealing” white tights.
There have been some exceptional and fantastic Scott performances, but tonight he just blew them all away with a highly entertaining, uplifting and engaging performance from the moment he came on stage until he left at the end of another one his amazing Finales where quite clearly Scott is having a great time and really goes for it in his interaction with the cast and audience. A Scott finale wouldn't be complete with his constant smiling & brilliant and really enjoyable whooping and cheering throughout which really engages the audience and definitely makes you feel part of the show.
Yet again we were treated to Scott’s fantastic singing with great balance, pitch, tone & control in his voice especially in Electricity and the part of Deep Into The Ground that Billy sings when Dad breaksdown.
As I have said before, Scott’s Ballet skills and talent will certainly ensure he becomes a great Ballet Dancer and no doubt get his dream roles in the future, but a singing career is definitely another option as with a voice like Scott’s I would definitely pay good money to see Scott McKenzie – In Concert.
A really emotional Letter scene tonight from Scott with tears in his eyes and a great example how the Letter should be done.
You could have heard a pin drop as the performance certainly had a powerful & emotional effect on a lot of people, although everyone soon cheered up again during B2B with Scott’s great skipping and the return of the funky chicken (Hurrah!).
Thank you Scott - love your funky chickens!.
An exceptional & spellbinding Electricity from Scott tonight, where his dancing, ballet skills & technique really shine with perfect poise, spins & pirouettes complimented by his fantastic singing voice showcasing the determination & emotions of Billy at this point in the show. Unfortunately no standing ovation after Electricity despite a great audience, but Scott’s performance was certainly worth an ovation.
A Scott show wouldn’t be complete without his infamous grumpy faces especially in the Front of Curtain routine where Scott’s grumpy/pi***d-off face and quick attempt at smile say it all how Billy is trying to & pretending to enjoy all that is going on but obviously isn’t. Scott's grumpy faces are complimented by many smiles throughout the show especially tonight in Dream Ballet where he constantly smiled from beginning to end.
A spot on, powerful and emotional Dream Ballet with the one and only Barnaby where Scott once again showcased his perfect dancing and Ballet skills with great poise and grace and perfect synchronization with Barnaby. One of the best Dream Ballet’s I have ever seen which not only made the two woman next to me burst into tears but resulted as said earlier in lots of extra applause throughout the performance.
I have to say well done to the two 8/9 year old kids sitting behind us who immediately got who Barnaby is meant to be in Dream, because there are quite a few adults over the years I have witnessed who haven’t a clue what Dream Ballet is about and who Barnaby/Sergio and previous Older Billys are meant to be, as they have been “confused” by this taller guy, who is “wearing the same stripey top as Billy”. I'm sorry, but you don't need to be a Rocket Scientist to work it out especially when 8 year olds get it straight away.
During MCMT it looked like Joe was trying to make Scott laugh but Scott held it together, although Joe for some reason decided to start Michael’s dancing by doing a few....ahem..pelvic thrusts to the audience and then had his hat stolen by Emily who ended up wearing it and then losing it and Michael only managed to get it back when they were sitting on the floor watching the puppet show. (Which now has all the Tall Boys doing the old fake yawning and leaning back trick to sneakily put their arm around Debbie, which she quickly removes).
Yet again, Scott really went for it with a brilliantly aggressive Angry Dance with great tapping, swearing & shouting and you could really feel Billys anger & frustration in Scott’s powerful performance. Although I was disappointed that he didn’t tell the audience to f*** off as he has done in the past when Billy leaves the stage, but still a great Angry Dance proving anyone wrong who said that they think Scott is a bit of a quiet Billy. Quiet ???, his Angry Dance last week and tonight was anything but.
Great job Scott, loved it.
An exceptional Express tonight where Scott & Joes great partnership delivered a highly entertaining, engaging & hilarious performance where quite clearly the lads were giving it 150% with their singing and tapping and really enjoying themselves with little extra bits of dialogue here and there.
Joe once again had the place in an uproar with a very cheeky Boxing scene along with Michaels antics in Express and throughout the show especially with the Tutu, but even more so in some of the scenes where Joe was dying to laugh and made Scott laugh as well. Most notably the Winter Scene where the lines “I best be going”, “me dad ‘ill be after is(us)”, “your dad’s pi***d as a platypus”, “no he’s not” were delivered with a few chuckles and smiles from Scott and Joe, but the lads brilliantly just got on with it and it made the whole scene more endearing and loved by the audience, so much so that Joe got a great round of applause when Michael leaves wearing the Tutu at the end of the scene.
I have seen Joe 3 times in the last week and every performance has been remarkable (pity I missed him as Small Boy on Thurs evening) and just when you think he has hit a peak in his performance and can’t be any more hilarious, he goes and tops it again especially with his brilliant yapping away and improvisation when getting the Tap Shoes on in Express – and even when he gets beat and told to 'shut-up' by Billy, he still brilliantly claims that he is “the fastest in the north” or “the fastest in Easington”.
Which reminds me, Scott definitely seems to be the master of getting the Tap Shoes on quickest, as he got both shoes on last night before Joe had even started putting his first one on.
I have never seen any Billy get the shoes on as fast as Scott does in his performances.
Michaels – you have no chance of winning with Scott.
Joe’s Michael has certainly made his mark including initiating the now infamous “pi***d as a platypus” to describe Billys dad, as he was the only one that said it but now all the other Michael’s say it. I’m just hoping Joe starts doing a French accent during Express like Connor Kelly and Reece on “time for a look in ze mirror”.
Joe is certainly living up to his reputation as the constantly hilarious, cheeky and mischievous Michael on stage but also off stage, as last week at the Billy Bus he decided to pull cheeky faces to the crowd and blow kisses to everyone, and I mean everyone, not just the screaming teenage girls, but girls, women, men, boys, dogs & even pigeons (ha-ha). Talking about pigeons, I was about wetting myself laughing after last Thursday’s matinee, standing outside the Stage Door pub, we noticed Joe coming out of the VP Stage Door wearing a Panama Hat and he decided to run into a load of pigeons sitting pecking on the ground, as Joe ran into the pigeons they all scattered and flew into us and the large school party next to us, which resulted in a lot of screams & panic from the school kids and some of the kids running down the street scared.
Joe just brilliantly hid under the Panama Hat, gave the school kids a little cheeky smile and casually walked off as if nothing had happened and the chaos it caused wasn’t his fault (ha-ha). Love it Joe.
The sadness, hurt and emotion Michael is feeling in the final scene as Billy leaves is exceptionally well done by Joe with a brilliantly delivered & heartbreaking "See ya Billy" as the curtain slowly comes down.
Joe has managed to reduce me to tears a few times in the past few weeks in this scene, but I managed to hold it together tonight unlike the woman next to me who was not only crying but whispering to herself, “no, no, no, no, don’t leave, don’t leave him”.
Shine & Solidarity were outstanding tonight thanks to the great performances from the unsung heroes of the show – the Ballet Girls. Every single one of them were at the top of their game, with their acting a particular highlight along with the hilarious way they answered back to Mrs W & Billy and how they seemed to be really enjoying pushing and bossing poor Scott about the stage.
Special mention must go the girl who played Tracey Atkinson last night, unfortunately don’t know her name (has red hair), but her version of Tracey is really well done with some amazing acting and facial expressions and quite a lot of glances at the audience as well. (Unfortunately I don’t know the names of the girls or the names of the Ballet Girl teams (I think they should make the Performance Board bigger to include the Ballet Girl Teams or have something else that gives the girls the credit they all deserve for their hard work.), but needless to say if you were part of the Ballet Girl team tonight, then well done to each and every one of you for highly entertaining and truly great performances.
An exceptional show from all, but the highlight of the evening definitely has to be Craig Armstrong as George splitting his trousers when George congratulates Billy on getting into the RBS and Scott laughing away and trying to contain his laughter during the following scene with Grandma, but Scott like the rest of us couldn’t stop laughing & only managed to contain himself when the Ballet Girls and Mrs W come on for the following scene. Loved it Scott and we were all laughing away with you, along with Diane’s Grandma and the MD as obviously nobody expected it to happen and by the look on Craig’s face I don’t think he could quite believe it happened either. Another classic moment at Billy.
Was great to see Craig and Scott having a good laugh about it when they met in the Finale.
An outstanding show tonight from all the cast led by a very confident and dynamic Scott who’s natural dance ability and exceptional singing voice were a joy to witness and clearly much appreciated by the audience given the amount of cheers and “wows” that were shouted out from various parts of the Theatre during the show.
Particular highlights for me are Scott’s Highland Dancing in the Boxing scene which is still as funny as it ever was and once again had the audience in stitches, the excited way Scott says “there must be hundreds here” with a great inflection in his voice, and the brilliant excited “yeah” and proud smile he does when he brings out the TV Themes album to show Mrs W in The Letter and how he is then reluctant to bring out the Baked Beans after she has shot him down over the TV Themes album.
Other obvious highlights are Scott’s exceptional singing and dancing ability especially his Ballet skills, along with the infamous grumpy faces which perfectly sum up Billys feelings and emotions and his confusion, misunderstanding & annoyance at the actions of the people around him.
Well done Scott, thanks for a great evenings entertainment and another incredible performance that had the entire audience on their feet at the end of the evening & left everyone on a real high.
There have been some flat shows, some ok shows, some good shows, some great shows & some brilliant shows at Billy over the last 6 years, but tonight was a bloody exceptional, fantastic & highly entertaining show thanks to the remarkable talent of young Master McKenzie.
Yet another show from Dumbarton’s greatest talent that all his fans including us fellow Scots and indeed all of Scotland can be very proud off.
Great work Scott, you were cush!.
Cheers
Keith
Keep the reviews coming folks!.
Following on from Alex's review here is another review of the simply brilliant & outstanding show
from Scott, Joe, Emily Smith and all the cast on Monday evening, supported by one of the best ever audiences at the VP.
Monday 11th July 2011.
Billy - Scott
Michael - Joe
Debbie - Emily Smith
George - Craig Armstrong
What can I say, an exceptional performance from a very dynamic Scott tonight, ably supported by Emily Smith stomping around the stage along with brilliant performances from all the Ballet Girls and the one and only Joe Massey who’s Michael performance’s at the moment are so perfect & hilarious that no matter how bad you are feeling, If Joe doesn’t make you raise a smile then there is something wrong with you.
A highly entertaining & great show with a fantastic up for it audience, with plenty of extra applause throughout including when Small Boy (Thomas) climbed on stage at the beginning (who as Alex has said, many people tonight thought was Billy), and immediate applause as soon as Scott got on the high wire in Dream Ballet and even Is Queer/Esquire got one of the best responses in ages. Although the best audience moment came when some woman (least I think and hope it was a woman!) wolf-whistled Ashley Andrews Scottish Ballet Dancer when he made his appearance in front of the safety curtain wearing those rather…. ahem… “revealing” white tights.
There have been some exceptional and fantastic Scott performances, but tonight he just blew them all away with a highly entertaining, uplifting and engaging performance from the moment he came on stage until he left at the end of another one his amazing Finales where quite clearly Scott is having a great time and really goes for it in his interaction with the cast and audience. A Scott finale wouldn't be complete with his constant smiling & brilliant and really enjoyable whooping and cheering throughout which really engages the audience and definitely makes you feel part of the show.
Yet again we were treated to Scott’s fantastic singing with great balance, pitch, tone & control in his voice especially in Electricity and the part of Deep Into The Ground that Billy sings when Dad breaksdown.
As I have said before, Scott’s Ballet skills and talent will certainly ensure he becomes a great Ballet Dancer and no doubt get his dream roles in the future, but a singing career is definitely another option as with a voice like Scott’s I would definitely pay good money to see Scott McKenzie – In Concert.
A really emotional Letter scene tonight from Scott with tears in his eyes and a great example how the Letter should be done.
You could have heard a pin drop as the performance certainly had a powerful & emotional effect on a lot of people, although everyone soon cheered up again during B2B with Scott’s great skipping and the return of the funky chicken (Hurrah!).
Thank you Scott - love your funky chickens!.
An exceptional & spellbinding Electricity from Scott tonight, where his dancing, ballet skills & technique really shine with perfect poise, spins & pirouettes complimented by his fantastic singing voice showcasing the determination & emotions of Billy at this point in the show. Unfortunately no standing ovation after Electricity despite a great audience, but Scott’s performance was certainly worth an ovation.
A Scott show wouldn’t be complete without his infamous grumpy faces especially in the Front of Curtain routine where Scott’s grumpy/pi***d-off face and quick attempt at smile say it all how Billy is trying to & pretending to enjoy all that is going on but obviously isn’t. Scott's grumpy faces are complimented by many smiles throughout the show especially tonight in Dream Ballet where he constantly smiled from beginning to end.
A spot on, powerful and emotional Dream Ballet with the one and only Barnaby where Scott once again showcased his perfect dancing and Ballet skills with great poise and grace and perfect synchronization with Barnaby. One of the best Dream Ballet’s I have ever seen which not only made the two woman next to me burst into tears but resulted as said earlier in lots of extra applause throughout the performance.
I have to say well done to the two 8/9 year old kids sitting behind us who immediately got who Barnaby is meant to be in Dream, because there are quite a few adults over the years I have witnessed who haven’t a clue what Dream Ballet is about and who Barnaby/Sergio and previous Older Billys are meant to be, as they have been “confused” by this taller guy, who is “wearing the same stripey top as Billy”. I'm sorry, but you don't need to be a Rocket Scientist to work it out especially when 8 year olds get it straight away.
During MCMT it looked like Joe was trying to make Scott laugh but Scott held it together, although Joe for some reason decided to start Michael’s dancing by doing a few....ahem..pelvic thrusts to the audience and then had his hat stolen by Emily who ended up wearing it and then losing it and Michael only managed to get it back when they were sitting on the floor watching the puppet show. (Which now has all the Tall Boys doing the old fake yawning and leaning back trick to sneakily put their arm around Debbie, which she quickly removes).
Yet again, Scott really went for it with a brilliantly aggressive Angry Dance with great tapping, swearing & shouting and you could really feel Billys anger & frustration in Scott’s powerful performance. Although I was disappointed that he didn’t tell the audience to f*** off as he has done in the past when Billy leaves the stage, but still a great Angry Dance proving anyone wrong who said that they think Scott is a bit of a quiet Billy. Quiet ???, his Angry Dance last week and tonight was anything but.
Great job Scott, loved it.
An exceptional Express tonight where Scott & Joes great partnership delivered a highly entertaining, engaging & hilarious performance where quite clearly the lads were giving it 150% with their singing and tapping and really enjoying themselves with little extra bits of dialogue here and there.
Joe once again had the place in an uproar with a very cheeky Boxing scene along with Michaels antics in Express and throughout the show especially with the Tutu, but even more so in some of the scenes where Joe was dying to laugh and made Scott laugh as well. Most notably the Winter Scene where the lines “I best be going”, “me dad ‘ill be after is(us)”, “your dad’s pi***d as a platypus”, “no he’s not” were delivered with a few chuckles and smiles from Scott and Joe, but the lads brilliantly just got on with it and it made the whole scene more endearing and loved by the audience, so much so that Joe got a great round of applause when Michael leaves wearing the Tutu at the end of the scene.
I have seen Joe 3 times in the last week and every performance has been remarkable (pity I missed him as Small Boy on Thurs evening) and just when you think he has hit a peak in his performance and can’t be any more hilarious, he goes and tops it again especially with his brilliant yapping away and improvisation when getting the Tap Shoes on in Express – and even when he gets beat and told to 'shut-up' by Billy, he still brilliantly claims that he is “the fastest in the north” or “the fastest in Easington”.
Which reminds me, Scott definitely seems to be the master of getting the Tap Shoes on quickest, as he got both shoes on last night before Joe had even started putting his first one on.
I have never seen any Billy get the shoes on as fast as Scott does in his performances.
Michaels – you have no chance of winning with Scott.
Joe’s Michael has certainly made his mark including initiating the now infamous “pi***d as a platypus” to describe Billys dad, as he was the only one that said it but now all the other Michael’s say it. I’m just hoping Joe starts doing a French accent during Express like Connor Kelly and Reece on “time for a look in ze mirror”.
Joe is certainly living up to his reputation as the constantly hilarious, cheeky and mischievous Michael on stage but also off stage, as last week at the Billy Bus he decided to pull cheeky faces to the crowd and blow kisses to everyone, and I mean everyone, not just the screaming teenage girls, but girls, women, men, boys, dogs & even pigeons (ha-ha). Talking about pigeons, I was about wetting myself laughing after last Thursday’s matinee, standing outside the Stage Door pub, we noticed Joe coming out of the VP Stage Door wearing a Panama Hat and he decided to run into a load of pigeons sitting pecking on the ground, as Joe ran into the pigeons they all scattered and flew into us and the large school party next to us, which resulted in a lot of screams & panic from the school kids and some of the kids running down the street scared.
Joe just brilliantly hid under the Panama Hat, gave the school kids a little cheeky smile and casually walked off as if nothing had happened and the chaos it caused wasn’t his fault (ha-ha). Love it Joe.
The sadness, hurt and emotion Michael is feeling in the final scene as Billy leaves is exceptionally well done by Joe with a brilliantly delivered & heartbreaking "See ya Billy" as the curtain slowly comes down.
Joe has managed to reduce me to tears a few times in the past few weeks in this scene, but I managed to hold it together tonight unlike the woman next to me who was not only crying but whispering to herself, “no, no, no, no, don’t leave, don’t leave him”.
Shine & Solidarity were outstanding tonight thanks to the great performances from the unsung heroes of the show – the Ballet Girls. Every single one of them were at the top of their game, with their acting a particular highlight along with the hilarious way they answered back to Mrs W & Billy and how they seemed to be really enjoying pushing and bossing poor Scott about the stage.
Special mention must go the girl who played Tracey Atkinson last night, unfortunately don’t know her name (has red hair), but her version of Tracey is really well done with some amazing acting and facial expressions and quite a lot of glances at the audience as well. (Unfortunately I don’t know the names of the girls or the names of the Ballet Girl teams (I think they should make the Performance Board bigger to include the Ballet Girl Teams or have something else that gives the girls the credit they all deserve for their hard work.), but needless to say if you were part of the Ballet Girl team tonight, then well done to each and every one of you for highly entertaining and truly great performances.
An exceptional show from all, but the highlight of the evening definitely has to be Craig Armstrong as George splitting his trousers when George congratulates Billy on getting into the RBS and Scott laughing away and trying to contain his laughter during the following scene with Grandma, but Scott like the rest of us couldn’t stop laughing & only managed to contain himself when the Ballet Girls and Mrs W come on for the following scene. Loved it Scott and we were all laughing away with you, along with Diane’s Grandma and the MD as obviously nobody expected it to happen and by the look on Craig’s face I don’t think he could quite believe it happened either. Another classic moment at Billy.
Was great to see Craig and Scott having a good laugh about it when they met in the Finale.
An outstanding show tonight from all the cast led by a very confident and dynamic Scott who’s natural dance ability and exceptional singing voice were a joy to witness and clearly much appreciated by the audience given the amount of cheers and “wows” that were shouted out from various parts of the Theatre during the show.
Particular highlights for me are Scott’s Highland Dancing in the Boxing scene which is still as funny as it ever was and once again had the audience in stitches, the excited way Scott says “there must be hundreds here” with a great inflection in his voice, and the brilliant excited “yeah” and proud smile he does when he brings out the TV Themes album to show Mrs W in The Letter and how he is then reluctant to bring out the Baked Beans after she has shot him down over the TV Themes album.
Other obvious highlights are Scott’s exceptional singing and dancing ability especially his Ballet skills, along with the infamous grumpy faces which perfectly sum up Billys feelings and emotions and his confusion, misunderstanding & annoyance at the actions of the people around him.
Well done Scott, thanks for a great evenings entertainment and another incredible performance that had the entire audience on their feet at the end of the evening & left everyone on a real high.
There have been some flat shows, some ok shows, some good shows, some great shows & some brilliant shows at Billy over the last 6 years, but tonight was a bloody exceptional, fantastic & highly entertaining show thanks to the remarkable talent of young Master McKenzie.
Yet another show from Dumbarton’s greatest talent that all his fans including us fellow Scots and indeed all of Scotland can be very proud off.
Great work Scott, you were cush!.
Cheers
Keith
Keep the reviews coming folks!.
-
dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Tuesday 12 July
Wow,wow and three thimes wow!!!!! After marvellous Monday (with Scott) today we had tremendous Tuesday (with Ryan). The whole show again sparkled from start to finish. The whole audience was in raptures over Ryan's dancing with as usual a perfect Angry Dance,during which his timing with the beat of the number was absolutely spot on. Ryan's Electricity wowed the audience once more and there were some oohs and aahs as Ryans put his gymnastic skills out on show. Well done again Ryan for a wonderful performance.
During Expressing yourself Ryan seemed to have trouble tonight getting tap shoes on and Michael (well played by Reece) actually started the tap before Ryan,so that Ryan had to 'join in'. There were also one or two moments of giggling during the show which just added to the enjoyment tonight. At the Christmas scene when Billy and Michael are together there was something like a wolf whistle after Michael kissed Billy and this stopped both Ryan and Reece in their tracks and ended up with them giggling their way through the next couple of lines.
Then we again had George splitting his trousers at the end of the scene where Billy gets accepted into the Ballet School. Ryan was in fits of laughter and both he and Grandma had a job speaking the next few words.
A tremendous show ended with a well deserved standing ovation which 'overran' to the extent that Finale was delayed by a couple of minutes .There were quite a lot of young people in the theatre this evening and they showed their enthusiasm for the show throughout the performance and it made for an excellent evening's entertainment,so well done to each and everyone concerned.
dancingboy
Wow,wow and three thimes wow!!!!! After marvellous Monday (with Scott) today we had tremendous Tuesday (with Ryan). The whole show again sparkled from start to finish. The whole audience was in raptures over Ryan's dancing with as usual a perfect Angry Dance,during which his timing with the beat of the number was absolutely spot on. Ryan's Electricity wowed the audience once more and there were some oohs and aahs as Ryans put his gymnastic skills out on show. Well done again Ryan for a wonderful performance.
During Expressing yourself Ryan seemed to have trouble tonight getting tap shoes on and Michael (well played by Reece) actually started the tap before Ryan,so that Ryan had to 'join in'. There were also one or two moments of giggling during the show which just added to the enjoyment tonight. At the Christmas scene when Billy and Michael are together there was something like a wolf whistle after Michael kissed Billy and this stopped both Ryan and Reece in their tracks and ended up with them giggling their way through the next couple of lines.
Then we again had George splitting his trousers at the end of the scene where Billy gets accepted into the Ballet School. Ryan was in fits of laughter and both he and Grandma had a job speaking the next few words.
A tremendous show ended with a well deserved standing ovation which 'overran' to the extent that Finale was delayed by a couple of minutes .There were quite a lot of young people in the theatre this evening and they showed their enthusiasm for the show throughout the performance and it made for an excellent evening's entertainment,so well done to each and everyone concerned.
dancingboy
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Barry Appleby
- George
- Posts: 583
- Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:52 pm
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Hi
Thanks! all, for your great reviews, they are really appreciated.
Its really good when you have responsive audiences, seems as though everyone has had a splitting good time. Must go, see you all, 21st July.
Barry
Thanks! all, for your great reviews, they are really appreciated.
Its really good when you have responsive audiences, seems as though everyone has had a splitting good time. Must go, see you all, 21st July.
Barry
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dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Saturday 16 July (matinee)
It may have been a filthy day in London town,cloudy,cool,somewhat windy and extremely wet, but the audience at the Victoria Palace theatre forgot about that for three hours as they watched an exhilirating performance by the cast at the Saturday matinee. Josh was spot on with all his dancing and his singing,Joe had everyone in fits of laughter as Michael and,as usual,there was excellent support from the Ensemble and Ballet girls. Once or twice during Expressing Yourself Josh and Joe were giggling so much they were very nearly unable to sing their words. Josh received a well-earned ovation after Electricity,which he performed to perfection,so ''Well done' Josh.
dancingboy
It may have been a filthy day in London town,cloudy,cool,somewhat windy and extremely wet, but the audience at the Victoria Palace theatre forgot about that for three hours as they watched an exhilirating performance by the cast at the Saturday matinee. Josh was spot on with all his dancing and his singing,Joe had everyone in fits of laughter as Michael and,as usual,there was excellent support from the Ensemble and Ballet girls. Once or twice during Expressing Yourself Josh and Joe were giggling so much they were very nearly unable to sing their words. Josh received a well-earned ovation after Electricity,which he performed to perfection,so ''Well done' Josh.
dancingboy
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dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Monday 18 July
Yet another Monday,yet another visit to the VPT and yet another wonderful,amazing performance from Ryan. I was privileged to be in the audience at the beginning of last week to see exceptional performances from Scott and Ryan and again tonight Ryan was superb. There was a Canadian family sitting next to me and they were blown away by the whole show and just could not believe that a twelve year old could dance so fantastically well .Ryan was well supported by Connor Kelly as Michael and he 'milked' every minute of his two scenes. Once more I have returned home uplifted by the show .It seems to me that all the cast are on top form at present ,particularly the four Billy's, and going to the VPT on a regular basis,as I do, is such an exciting experience.
dancingboy
Yet another Monday,yet another visit to the VPT and yet another wonderful,amazing performance from Ryan. I was privileged to be in the audience at the beginning of last week to see exceptional performances from Scott and Ryan and again tonight Ryan was superb. There was a Canadian family sitting next to me and they were blown away by the whole show and just could not believe that a twelve year old could dance so fantastically well .Ryan was well supported by Connor Kelly as Michael and he 'milked' every minute of his two scenes. Once more I have returned home uplifted by the show .It seems to me that all the cast are on top form at present ,particularly the four Billy's, and going to the VPT on a regular basis,as I do, is such an exciting experience.
dancingboy
Re: July 2011 Reviews - London
Tuesday 19th July
Dean-Charles Chapman
Joe Massey
Emily Smith
Mrs. W: Caroline Deverill
George: Craig Armstrong
Older Billy: Sergio Giacomelli
Another memorable and amazing show led by the Captain himself and played to an audience that was in smashing form and really up for it. Can you hear it, can you sense it? Yes, you can.
After the introductory scenes we had a super-hilarious Boxing session with Craig in top form showing much bemusement and frustration with his hopelessly inept "trainees". As Dean carried out his outrageous "Tea Dance" routine watched by Joe with his equally outrageous facial expressions, impish mimicking and antics I nearly had to be carried out of the theatre with severe laughter strain - and we've not even really started yet. The pair of them were at it again in Expressing and left no stone unturned to reveal what a great comedy duo they are together. Roof destroying applause and cheers naturally followed.
In between this the mercurial Caroline, the Ballet Girls and the equally outrageous Emily Smith added to all the fun of the fair in a cracking Shine and Diane, as always, entertained us royally with her remembrance of how it was to be married to grandad for "33 yer".
Dean's superb spins across the stage in Solidarity were such that I'd back him any day of the week against even "Meteo L Drago" or "Cyber Pegasus".
Since quite some time ago, in the Angry Dance "battle", Tony was strangely barred from using his milk crate during his attack on one of the riot squad. I'm glad to see that fairness is now restored and the crate is now back where it belongs. Where Billy is concerned it didn't make any difference, though, and Dean practically ripped the polish off the floor in a raging but polished tap extravaganza. He walked off to mountainous applause.
Following a beautifully paced Winter Scene it was Sergio's turn to make Billy fly and, boy, did he do so. The audience saw the magic of this scene early on and there were several bursts of applause during it and even longer when it was over.
From there on all our emotions were ruthlessly exploited with the ups and downs of life in Easington but no review can leave out Electricity. This was my 38th time to see Dean perform it and it was never better than this. An absolute joy to watch from beginning to end and, as the soaring music brought it to a spectacular finish, the crowd went cosmic. And what a lovely gentle smile of acknowledgement we got in return. It made me feel like I'm robbing the theatre by paying less than 20 quid for this.
Pat
Dean-Charles Chapman
Joe Massey
Emily Smith
Mrs. W: Caroline Deverill
George: Craig Armstrong
Older Billy: Sergio Giacomelli
Another memorable and amazing show led by the Captain himself and played to an audience that was in smashing form and really up for it. Can you hear it, can you sense it? Yes, you can.
After the introductory scenes we had a super-hilarious Boxing session with Craig in top form showing much bemusement and frustration with his hopelessly inept "trainees". As Dean carried out his outrageous "Tea Dance" routine watched by Joe with his equally outrageous facial expressions, impish mimicking and antics I nearly had to be carried out of the theatre with severe laughter strain - and we've not even really started yet. The pair of them were at it again in Expressing and left no stone unturned to reveal what a great comedy duo they are together. Roof destroying applause and cheers naturally followed.
In between this the mercurial Caroline, the Ballet Girls and the equally outrageous Emily Smith added to all the fun of the fair in a cracking Shine and Diane, as always, entertained us royally with her remembrance of how it was to be married to grandad for "33 yer".
Dean's superb spins across the stage in Solidarity were such that I'd back him any day of the week against even "Meteo L Drago" or "Cyber Pegasus".
Since quite some time ago, in the Angry Dance "battle", Tony was strangely barred from using his milk crate during his attack on one of the riot squad. I'm glad to see that fairness is now restored and the crate is now back where it belongs. Where Billy is concerned it didn't make any difference, though, and Dean practically ripped the polish off the floor in a raging but polished tap extravaganza. He walked off to mountainous applause.
Following a beautifully paced Winter Scene it was Sergio's turn to make Billy fly and, boy, did he do so. The audience saw the magic of this scene early on and there were several bursts of applause during it and even longer when it was over.
From there on all our emotions were ruthlessly exploited with the ups and downs of life in Easington but no review can leave out Electricity. This was my 38th time to see Dean perform it and it was never better than this. An absolute joy to watch from beginning to end and, as the soaring music brought it to a spectacular finish, the crowd went cosmic. And what a lovely gentle smile of acknowledgement we got in return. It made me feel like I'm robbing the theatre by paying less than 20 quid for this.
Pat
