Tall and Small Boys

[Billy Whiz]

Thanks for the info Debbie.

[ERinVA]

Former Small Boy Ethan Hammer will be starring as Emil in Emil and the Detectives at the Olivier Theatre starting November 16:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/trio-of- ... 94169.html

[porschesrule]

Former Tall Boy/Posh Boy Ashley Cousins has joined the cast of the play Sandel, according to this series of tweets from writer Ashley:

https://twitter.com/Ashman909

Here's more about the play:

http://www.abovethestag.com/sandel/

[Deanfan5]

Former Tall Boy/Posh Boy Ashley Cousins has joined the cast of the play Sandel, according to this series of tweets from writer Ashley:

https://twitter.com/Ashman909

Here's more about the play:

http://www.abovethestag.com/sandel/

Have booked a seat for self and another Billy regular for the 27th May.
Have also contacted Ashley via Instagram and he is very happy for Billy fans to come over to the Stag theatre in Vauxhall if the play is of interest. I gather Sandel was critically well reviewed when on (with Ashley in it) at the Edinburgh Fringe. Always thought Ashley was a talented actor and that Tall Boy (with respect) never did his talents true justice.
You can book on line at the Stag Theatre box office and pay via Paypal also using a credit/debit card if you wish. Seats ( not allocated) cost £18.

[ERinVA]

Unfortunately, the performance dates are too late for my London trip.

I'm sure, however, that a number of BETM London regulars will be interested in seeing this show.

[kport]

I suppose this is the place to post this link. A good review about Sandel, and Ashley Cousin's performance.

It was a master stroke to cast Tony with a young actor (Cousins) who is only a couple of years older than the character he is playing. He does so with a knowing innocence, for it is Tony who makes all the running, Tony who seduces David. It is an extraordinarily mature performance from a young actor.

http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751 ... on/8180785

[Deanfan5]

I shall do my review of Sandel here as it stars Ashley Cousins but please moderators transfer it to UK shows if you prefer.

So amazed I was by Sandel (seen on May 27th -70 seated theatre underneath the railway arches of Vauxhall) and the performance of Ashley Cousins that I bought the book and ran across a word that was new to me; 'prelapsarian' or the state of innocence before Adam's seduction by the serpent and man's fall from grace. Perhaps this word sums up best this wonderful and yet disconcerting play. Sandel has 3 characters:Tony Sandel (a 13 year old Oxford choirboy played by Ashley), David (a 19 year old undergraduate) and Bruce (David's friend and spiritual and moral mentor manfully trying to balance his newly found Catholicism with his frustrated desires). Sandel is a love story between a boy and a man . Given the unease we may feel about this the love seems pure and innocent and harmless until a motor accident to David takes it into realms people today would feel uncomfortable with. The programme puts it well. Set in the 1960s Sandel is quintessentially English. ' An Oxfordshire summer, cream teas, lazy days by the river, chocolate cake, cricket and evensong yet with American bombers from Brize Norton blazing trails across the peaceful valleys'. This was a time when the sexual hot house of boys prep and public schools was accepted but now no longer. In Sandel the groomer is the boy not the man which makes the play so much more provocative. In this tiny theatre with its five rows of seats in touching distance of the cast the audience gets totally drawn into the love, desires, and conflicts in the lives of Tony, David and Bruce.
We always knew that Ashley ( our most genteel and longest serving Tall Boy) could do posh but he has to carry this for two hours and sing like an angel. Ashley's acting blew me away he is so compelling to watch. He is truly a thespian discovery. This was a very brave play for Ashley to take on given it's emotional intensity and the demands made on him but he is perfectly cast and a total revelation. I do hope some Billy fans will get to the Above the Stag theatre to see Sandel in it's short run to mid June. You will be in for (as I was) a mesmerising yet very challenging evening in the compelling company of this excellent cast. As a footnote I doubt that I will ever be able to listen to Bach's 'Ave Maria' and Parry's 'Jerusalem' in quite the same way again. In conclusion Ashley you were sensational and truly showcased your undoubted talents for all to see.

[ERinVA]

I have now added copies of the two reviews of Sandel to a thread for the show in the All Other UK Productions section.

[patc]

Former Small Boy, Colby Mulgrew, is named among the cast of God Bless the Child, the forthcoming production at the Royal Court Theatre. Colby has done well since Billy, having appeared in both Scrooge and Matilda.

https://www.londontheatre1.com/index.ph ... ess-child/

Pat

[OliverWaters]

As the cast are so young I find it surprising that Age Guidance for the show is 14+.

To be fair, Billy Elliot movie is rated 15, and the musical is hardly more child friendly :p