September 2011 Reviews - London
September 2011 Reviews - London
Here is the thread for the September reviews. A reminder to all members to familiarise themselves with the forum rules before posting.
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dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Thursday 1 September (evening)
My third visit of the week coincided with Ryan Collinson being in the role of Billy and regular Forum members will already know of my thoughts about Ryan's performances. Tonight I was left (almost) speechless by his faultless and top-class performance. Whether it be his acting,his singing or his dancing he was just sublime. I am uncertain as to whether the Noise Abatement Society still exists,but if it does I hope that none of its members were in attendance at the Victoria Palace this evening to witness (and hear) Ryan's version of Angry Dance,for I am sure the decibel count was too high and would have exceeded acceptable levels. Talk about young Mister Angry. You can see the pain and anguish exuding from his body as he dances,swears,shouts and then writhes around the stage. A truly exceptional performance. I have probably said this before too, but I feel it is worth repeating,the noise and anger never get in the way of Ryan's perfect timing during this number.
Then,of course,is the icing on the cake.His Electricity. Every note of the song was perfectly hit and his acrobatic and street dancing version of the number had the audience gasping. After finishing with a series of pirouettes and then a backward somersault off the side of the stage the audience had no hesitation in providing Ryan with a prolonged standing ovation. I doubt whether Ryan has performed better than he did this evening.A wonderful all-round portrayal of the role of Billy. However,let us not forget the supporting cast of Connor Lawson as Michael,Emily Smith as Debbie, the senior members of the cast and,of course,the ballet girls who all do such a marvellous job. Thank you each and everyone of you for providing me with a night to remember.
My third visit of the week coincided with Ryan Collinson being in the role of Billy and regular Forum members will already know of my thoughts about Ryan's performances. Tonight I was left (almost) speechless by his faultless and top-class performance. Whether it be his acting,his singing or his dancing he was just sublime. I am uncertain as to whether the Noise Abatement Society still exists,but if it does I hope that none of its members were in attendance at the Victoria Palace this evening to witness (and hear) Ryan's version of Angry Dance,for I am sure the decibel count was too high and would have exceeded acceptable levels. Talk about young Mister Angry. You can see the pain and anguish exuding from his body as he dances,swears,shouts and then writhes around the stage. A truly exceptional performance. I have probably said this before too, but I feel it is worth repeating,the noise and anger never get in the way of Ryan's perfect timing during this number.
Then,of course,is the icing on the cake.His Electricity. Every note of the song was perfectly hit and his acrobatic and street dancing version of the number had the audience gasping. After finishing with a series of pirouettes and then a backward somersault off the side of the stage the audience had no hesitation in providing Ryan with a prolonged standing ovation. I doubt whether Ryan has performed better than he did this evening.A wonderful all-round portrayal of the role of Billy. However,let us not forget the supporting cast of Connor Lawson as Michael,Emily Smith as Debbie, the senior members of the cast and,of course,the ballet girls who all do such a marvellous job. Thank you each and everyone of you for providing me with a night to remember.
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Barry Appleby
- George
- Posts: 583
- Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:52 pm
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
THURSDAY 1st SEPT MATINEE
Billy - Dean, Michael - Joe, Debbie - Francesca,
Older Billy - Sergio
Thursdays matinee was my most scene Billy, yes, Sir Dean of Romford, he gave another strong, polished performance, showing excellent timming and composure, also plenty of smiles especially at the antics of Grandma in Grandma's Song.
Its difficult at times to vary my reviews unfortunatley I don't come from "Shamrock Land" so I've picked on some of the daft things, maybe not the right word for it, that stood out for me. Small boy(Harry) in the boxing scene a powerful "Jesus" Wow! The ballet girls in Shine, really did rough up Billy, the chatter, snarls and grins between Debbie and Billy in Solidarity, in B2B Billy's, look of disgust when his hand went into Mr Braithwaite's hair.
The opening of Act 2 when George (Chris) on stage said something like he was the only one on stage, don't worry Tom you weren't a ghost, that got a good chuckle from him. That, so called "little push" as Billy says, on Posh boy (Matthew), I thought his head was going through the safety curtain also the way and again the antics of Grandma lifting her skirt, to put it politely in the final Kitchen scene when trying to hide the letter from Dad and lastly I think I've mentioned it before the way Joe has that scampish look when Billy leaves but as the curtain comes down his face changes into sadness, the audience's emotions were really taken by that.
Anyway Thanks! again "All the Cast" for another great show. To all those at Scott's final night on Saturday have a great night, my thoughts will be with you.
Barrry
Barrys Corny gag - Pat ws walking down the street with a wardrobe on his back, Brian shouts out, Pat you should get Barry to give you a lift, Pat shouts back, I have, Barry is in the wardrobe carrying the clothes.
Billy - Dean, Michael - Joe, Debbie - Francesca,
Older Billy - Sergio
Thursdays matinee was my most scene Billy, yes, Sir Dean of Romford, he gave another strong, polished performance, showing excellent timming and composure, also plenty of smiles especially at the antics of Grandma in Grandma's Song.
Its difficult at times to vary my reviews unfortunatley I don't come from "Shamrock Land" so I've picked on some of the daft things, maybe not the right word for it, that stood out for me. Small boy(Harry) in the boxing scene a powerful "Jesus" Wow! The ballet girls in Shine, really did rough up Billy, the chatter, snarls and grins between Debbie and Billy in Solidarity, in B2B Billy's, look of disgust when his hand went into Mr Braithwaite's hair.
The opening of Act 2 when George (Chris) on stage said something like he was the only one on stage, don't worry Tom you weren't a ghost, that got a good chuckle from him. That, so called "little push" as Billy says, on Posh boy (Matthew), I thought his head was going through the safety curtain also the way and again the antics of Grandma lifting her skirt, to put it politely in the final Kitchen scene when trying to hide the letter from Dad and lastly I think I've mentioned it before the way Joe has that scampish look when Billy leaves but as the curtain comes down his face changes into sadness, the audience's emotions were really taken by that.
Anyway Thanks! again "All the Cast" for another great show. To all those at Scott's final night on Saturday have a great night, my thoughts will be with you.
Barrry
Barrys Corny gag - Pat ws walking down the street with a wardrobe on his back, Brian shouts out, Pat you should get Barry to give you a lift, Pat shouts back, I have, Barry is in the wardrobe carrying the clothes.
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Great Reviews Barry and Dancingboy.
Loving the joke Barry (although I can't get the picture of you in a wardrobe out of my head (ha-ha).
I have to agree with dancingboy, a truly exceptional performance from Ryan on Thursday evening with a stunning Angry Dance and Street Electricity with a very appreciative audience including his mum. Hopefully I will get round to writing a review sometime as it certainly was a night to remember thanks to Ryan's performance and the performances from all the supporting cast including Connor Lawson's brilliant Michael and Emily Smith's Debbie.
(A great night was made even better for me when Scott specifically asked for me and wanted to talk to me after the show and thank me for my review of his penultimate show on his Facebook site(now under August reviews on the Forum).
Woo-hoo, thanks Scott, I was really touched by it and you really made my night and great to chat to you).
Thursday 1st September 2011 - Matinee
Billy - Dean
Michael - Joe
Debbie - Francesca
Well, what can I say, absolute perfection and a masterclass in acting today from young Master Chapman (aka, Sir Dean of Romford) - yes I did steal that from Barry (ha-ha).
As I and others have said before, Dean's acting is A+ and stunning, as he reacts to every single line with so many great unique touches, looks and perfect pauses and timing, including simple little brilliant touches like sticking his finger in the tape spool to wind it up before asking for the pencil, looking at and acknowledging the miners lamp rather than just throwing it in the suitcase and something I have never seen before from any Billy, watching Small Boy cross the stage to give Big Davy the lollipop in Once We Were Kings.
I have said in another review that Connor Kelly is the 'timing master' and Scott is the 'tap shoes' master, well Dean is definitely the 'pause master' with the fantastically timed pauses between lines and emphasis on certain words which just add so much more to the performance and highlight just how great an actor he is.
As someone said yesterday, Dean's acting is so focussed and so professional that it puts a lot of adults to shame, and I have to agree, just watch how he sits and contemplates for ages in the scene before Dream Ballet to see how great his acting and timing is and how much effort he puts in.
The determination was there when he was Small Boy to be Billy and now that he is Billy, his determination to do the best he can in his performances is clear for all to see not only in his acting, but with his singing and dancing especially in Angry Dance & Electricity.
The woman sitting behind me summed up Dean's Angry Dance perfectly as she said afterwards "that was bloody amazing", and how right she is, another really aggressive and perfectly timed AD with plenty of piercing screaming and swearing throughout and really aggressive faces asking the audience "come on then, you want some?, along with a few punches on the riot shields and him kicking the hell out of the hut.
Another great and very memorable Ballet Electricity from Dean, although a disappointing lack of standing ovation apart from a few people, but Dean's performance like Scott's on Weds night really showed how a Ballet Electricity should be done along with his passionate and determined singing complimented by the great acting he does as well during Electricity to emphasise certain lines and words during the singing part.
First time I have noticed Dean singing away in MCMT and thought it was great, although for those of us sitting nearer Stage Left(House Right) yesterday, we couldn't help notice and laugh at Joe's deliberately funny dancing that also had Francesca laughing away as well. Francesca, as she was on Wednesday, was faultless again in everyone of her scenes and is a fantastic young actress. Just a pity she seems to have stopped doing the leaning on Billy's shoulder and looking him up and down during the Focusing on the Wall scene as she always did this so perfectly, but still another exceptional performance throughout from the one and only Fran.
Brilliant and hilarious dance moves in the Boxing Scene from Dean with Joe eventually giving him a right whack that knocked his headgear off. We had the same great Ballet Girl team from Weds evening and they seemed even more determined to give Dean's Billy a hard time than they were with Scott, with plenty snarls at Billy and pushing him all over the place, which resulted in some brilliant grumpy looks from Dean and him telling a few of them to "p*** off" during Solidarity and Shine.
I was sitting next to two Ballet Girls and their family and there was a lot of glancing going on from the Ballet Girls on stage to the girls sitting next to me, and the girls certainly made sure that the performing Ballet Girls, Dean and Joe waved to them at the final curtain with plenty screaming and cheering going on. Unfortunately the bloke sitting in front of me looked bored throughout and was fidgety a lot and even more unfortunate I overheard him say as we left the Theatre, "I didn't enjoy that, I was bored by it, the kids were great and talented, but it is not for me and it didn't really do anything for me, and I won't be back to see it".
Oh well, each to their own I suppose, not everyone as we know, is a fan of Billy, but at least he enjoyed the performances and the talent of all the young cast especially Dean, even if he didn't enjoy the show overall.
Dean has always been great at improvising when something has went wrong and again he came to the rescue and managed to get it back on track in the scene after Electricity when Joe got his line wrong.
Rather than saying "did you really chin one of the dancers ?", Joe came on with "well, a f***ing great christmas this has been", with a slightly puzzled look from Dean. Thankfully Dean managed to save it with, "yeah, the audition was good, thanks", although both of them couldn't help laughing and it was great how Dean put his hand on Joe's shoulder in a brilliant 'don't worry about it mate' gesture. Don't worry Joe as we all thought it was great and it is those little moments that make the show unique and as great as it is, and I thought you were exceptional and a great partner for Dean in Express and the Winter scene.
It seems that Joe's claims that he is the 'fastest in the north east / fastest in Easington' with the Tap Shoes are no longer, since Dean beat him easily and made sure Joe knew it with his "No, I AM the fastest in the North East!", which was just part of the great banter and partnership between Dean and Joe during another highly entertaining and exceptional Express from them both.
I thought Joe was exceptional in Express and the Winter scene with his cheeky little imp Michael having the audience in stitches at his actions.
Well Done Joe, you were cush once again.
I said earlier that Dean's acting is very professional, but Dean himself is the ultimate professional and a great ambassador for Billy and any young performer aspiring to be on the West End Stage. Get booking your tickets to the VP now folks and if you are lucky enough to see Dean, then I guarantee you will be in for a great show and will be amazed at his stunning acting and the overall talent of our Senior Billy.
A great show from all the cast with another great and hilarious performance from Chris McGlade's George a particular highlight, although he did seem to forget about poor Tom Locran during the Front of Curtain routine when he said he was the only one up here. (Well done Chris for having a go at the stupid hecklers at the start of the 2nd Act in the evening show - they were German kids and were noisy as hell all night and kept talking all night - I know because I was unfortunately sitting next to them, and rather unfortunately so was Ryan's mum as well).
Brilliant and perfect performances as usual from Genevieve's Mrs W, Tom's Tony, Diane's Grandma and Caroline Deverill's brilliant and flirty RBS woman in the matinee and evening show, with Matthew Goodwin Freeman yet again excelling as Tall Boy/Posh Boy.
Well done to all the cast and to Dean, thanks for another very confident, outstanding and memorable show Dean.
It was a pleasure for us to be there and witness another fantastic and perfect performance that you can be very proud off.
Thanks Dean, you were bloody awesome mate as you were on both shows last week as well.
Cheers
Keith
Loving the joke Barry (although I can't get the picture of you in a wardrobe out of my head (ha-ha).
I have to agree with dancingboy, a truly exceptional performance from Ryan on Thursday evening with a stunning Angry Dance and Street Electricity with a very appreciative audience including his mum. Hopefully I will get round to writing a review sometime as it certainly was a night to remember thanks to Ryan's performance and the performances from all the supporting cast including Connor Lawson's brilliant Michael and Emily Smith's Debbie.
(A great night was made even better for me when Scott specifically asked for me and wanted to talk to me after the show and thank me for my review of his penultimate show on his Facebook site(now under August reviews on the Forum).
Woo-hoo, thanks Scott, I was really touched by it and you really made my night and great to chat to you).
Thursday 1st September 2011 - Matinee
Billy - Dean
Michael - Joe
Debbie - Francesca
Well, what can I say, absolute perfection and a masterclass in acting today from young Master Chapman (aka, Sir Dean of Romford) - yes I did steal that from Barry (ha-ha).
As I and others have said before, Dean's acting is A+ and stunning, as he reacts to every single line with so many great unique touches, looks and perfect pauses and timing, including simple little brilliant touches like sticking his finger in the tape spool to wind it up before asking for the pencil, looking at and acknowledging the miners lamp rather than just throwing it in the suitcase and something I have never seen before from any Billy, watching Small Boy cross the stage to give Big Davy the lollipop in Once We Were Kings.
I have said in another review that Connor Kelly is the 'timing master' and Scott is the 'tap shoes' master, well Dean is definitely the 'pause master' with the fantastically timed pauses between lines and emphasis on certain words which just add so much more to the performance and highlight just how great an actor he is.
As someone said yesterday, Dean's acting is so focussed and so professional that it puts a lot of adults to shame, and I have to agree, just watch how he sits and contemplates for ages in the scene before Dream Ballet to see how great his acting and timing is and how much effort he puts in.
The determination was there when he was Small Boy to be Billy and now that he is Billy, his determination to do the best he can in his performances is clear for all to see not only in his acting, but with his singing and dancing especially in Angry Dance & Electricity.
The woman sitting behind me summed up Dean's Angry Dance perfectly as she said afterwards "that was bloody amazing", and how right she is, another really aggressive and perfectly timed AD with plenty of piercing screaming and swearing throughout and really aggressive faces asking the audience "come on then, you want some?, along with a few punches on the riot shields and him kicking the hell out of the hut.
Another great and very memorable Ballet Electricity from Dean, although a disappointing lack of standing ovation apart from a few people, but Dean's performance like Scott's on Weds night really showed how a Ballet Electricity should be done along with his passionate and determined singing complimented by the great acting he does as well during Electricity to emphasise certain lines and words during the singing part.
First time I have noticed Dean singing away in MCMT and thought it was great, although for those of us sitting nearer Stage Left(House Right) yesterday, we couldn't help notice and laugh at Joe's deliberately funny dancing that also had Francesca laughing away as well. Francesca, as she was on Wednesday, was faultless again in everyone of her scenes and is a fantastic young actress. Just a pity she seems to have stopped doing the leaning on Billy's shoulder and looking him up and down during the Focusing on the Wall scene as she always did this so perfectly, but still another exceptional performance throughout from the one and only Fran.
Brilliant and hilarious dance moves in the Boxing Scene from Dean with Joe eventually giving him a right whack that knocked his headgear off. We had the same great Ballet Girl team from Weds evening and they seemed even more determined to give Dean's Billy a hard time than they were with Scott, with plenty snarls at Billy and pushing him all over the place, which resulted in some brilliant grumpy looks from Dean and him telling a few of them to "p*** off" during Solidarity and Shine.
I was sitting next to two Ballet Girls and their family and there was a lot of glancing going on from the Ballet Girls on stage to the girls sitting next to me, and the girls certainly made sure that the performing Ballet Girls, Dean and Joe waved to them at the final curtain with plenty screaming and cheering going on. Unfortunately the bloke sitting in front of me looked bored throughout and was fidgety a lot and even more unfortunate I overheard him say as we left the Theatre, "I didn't enjoy that, I was bored by it, the kids were great and talented, but it is not for me and it didn't really do anything for me, and I won't be back to see it".
Oh well, each to their own I suppose, not everyone as we know, is a fan of Billy, but at least he enjoyed the performances and the talent of all the young cast especially Dean, even if he didn't enjoy the show overall.
Dean has always been great at improvising when something has went wrong and again he came to the rescue and managed to get it back on track in the scene after Electricity when Joe got his line wrong.
Rather than saying "did you really chin one of the dancers ?", Joe came on with "well, a f***ing great christmas this has been", with a slightly puzzled look from Dean. Thankfully Dean managed to save it with, "yeah, the audition was good, thanks", although both of them couldn't help laughing and it was great how Dean put his hand on Joe's shoulder in a brilliant 'don't worry about it mate' gesture. Don't worry Joe as we all thought it was great and it is those little moments that make the show unique and as great as it is, and I thought you were exceptional and a great partner for Dean in Express and the Winter scene.
It seems that Joe's claims that he is the 'fastest in the north east / fastest in Easington' with the Tap Shoes are no longer, since Dean beat him easily and made sure Joe knew it with his "No, I AM the fastest in the North East!", which was just part of the great banter and partnership between Dean and Joe during another highly entertaining and exceptional Express from them both.
I thought Joe was exceptional in Express and the Winter scene with his cheeky little imp Michael having the audience in stitches at his actions.
Well Done Joe, you were cush once again.
I said earlier that Dean's acting is very professional, but Dean himself is the ultimate professional and a great ambassador for Billy and any young performer aspiring to be on the West End Stage. Get booking your tickets to the VP now folks and if you are lucky enough to see Dean, then I guarantee you will be in for a great show and will be amazed at his stunning acting and the overall talent of our Senior Billy.
A great show from all the cast with another great and hilarious performance from Chris McGlade's George a particular highlight, although he did seem to forget about poor Tom Locran during the Front of Curtain routine when he said he was the only one up here. (Well done Chris for having a go at the stupid hecklers at the start of the 2nd Act in the evening show - they were German kids and were noisy as hell all night and kept talking all night - I know because I was unfortunately sitting next to them, and rather unfortunately so was Ryan's mum as well).
Brilliant and perfect performances as usual from Genevieve's Mrs W, Tom's Tony, Diane's Grandma and Caroline Deverill's brilliant and flirty RBS woman in the matinee and evening show, with Matthew Goodwin Freeman yet again excelling as Tall Boy/Posh Boy.
Well done to all the cast and to Dean, thanks for another very confident, outstanding and memorable show Dean.
It was a pleasure for us to be there and witness another fantastic and perfect performance that you can be very proud off.
Thanks Dean, you were bloody awesome mate as you were on both shows last week as well.
Cheers
Keith
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dancingboy
- Billy
- Posts: 2573
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 5:52 pm
- Location: (near) London
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Saturday 3 September (evening)
(Don't tell me I'm the first to post a review of Scott's last show?) (I'll keep my review brief,as I'm sure others will want to place their comments on as well).
What an amazing and truly wonderful performance from the Scottish Master.Scott you were a genius tonight.A tear-jerking performance that was second to none. As I have said to Keith it was ''The Greatest Show on Earth''. From the moment Scott walked on stage (cue applause) to the final goodbye to Michael this was a show to remember with superb peformances from all the cast,including the ballet girls,Small Boy et al.
The Letter scene was the most emotional I have ever witnessed with real tears streaming down Scott's face. Angry Dance,Dream Ballet,Born to Boogie were all superbly performed . These were interspersed with tears of laughter when Scott and the senior Michael (Connor Kelly) got together for Expressing Yourself. Connor,with his twitching eyebrows,his ''Time to look in ze mirror'' and the change to his deep voice when saying ''You'll start to feel a different man'' and holding the last note for several seconds, was quite hilarious. Take a bow young Connor.
As you can imagine Scott's final balletic version of Electricity brought the house down and the prolonged standing ovation he received from (nearly all) the audience was tremendous.Those who didn't stand should be ashamed of themselves.
A sad night,an emotional night for Scott and many of the audience,but one which will stay in the memory for a long,long time. As it says in the show..'' I can't really explain it, I haven't got the words...'' because I haven't.Now ''p**s off before I start to cry''.
Dancingboy.
(Don't tell me I'm the first to post a review of Scott's last show?) (I'll keep my review brief,as I'm sure others will want to place their comments on as well).
What an amazing and truly wonderful performance from the Scottish Master.Scott you were a genius tonight.A tear-jerking performance that was second to none. As I have said to Keith it was ''The Greatest Show on Earth''. From the moment Scott walked on stage (cue applause) to the final goodbye to Michael this was a show to remember with superb peformances from all the cast,including the ballet girls,Small Boy et al.
The Letter scene was the most emotional I have ever witnessed with real tears streaming down Scott's face. Angry Dance,Dream Ballet,Born to Boogie were all superbly performed . These were interspersed with tears of laughter when Scott and the senior Michael (Connor Kelly) got together for Expressing Yourself. Connor,with his twitching eyebrows,his ''Time to look in ze mirror'' and the change to his deep voice when saying ''You'll start to feel a different man'' and holding the last note for several seconds, was quite hilarious. Take a bow young Connor.
As you can imagine Scott's final balletic version of Electricity brought the house down and the prolonged standing ovation he received from (nearly all) the audience was tremendous.Those who didn't stand should be ashamed of themselves.
A sad night,an emotional night for Scott and many of the audience,but one which will stay in the memory for a long,long time. As it says in the show..'' I can't really explain it, I haven't got the words...'' because I haven't.Now ''p**s off before I start to cry''.
Dancingboy.
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Not sure I can describe last night's show. I'm sorry but if you weren't there you really missed something special. Scott gave maybe the best performance of his life feeling clearly relaxed and knowing that so many people that loved him where down there in the audience to support him. The first emotional moment came after the end of Grandmas song when Diane hugged and kissed Scott. Express was probably the best one I've ever seen with once again a hilarious Connor Kelly. Scott's infamous grumpy faces were there and made everyone laugh so hard especialy when he put on the pink robe! OMG the look on his face was to die for. Wish I had a camera and taken a photo of that moment to keep forever and remember "Mr Grumpy face". The boys were clearly enjoying themselves and in the end hugged, as Scott left the stage for Connor to enjoy the audiences cheers and to give his "call me" to, who else, but his proud mum.
The letter. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. As usual Scott sung his part beautifully with his angelic voice. But then when it was the turn of dead mum to sing he just looked down and tears started filling up. When he looked up again we could all clearly see the tears coming down his face. Now I know Scott has always done a very emotional letter scene but last night those of us who have seen him before knew this was not acting (everyone else might have been fooled). I dare anyone who was at the theatre last night and could see Scott's face to tell me he did not cry looking at this incredible young man's teary face. Kay Milbourne (dead mum) for one could hardly control herself and I could see her trying to keep the tears as she turn to leave the stage. A priceless moment.
Of course seconds later our boy was ready for B2B and once again he did the whole number including the skipping pefectly and with a huge smile on his face!
His Angry Dance was incredible one last time with his heart breaking screaming bringing tears to my eyes again and his perfect tapping.
In the begining of the second act George made the joke of "I bet you're glad this is the last time you'll be listening to this sh**te" and when Scott smiled and was told he's not supposed to laugh, he just shrugged his shoulder in a "whatever" manner and kept smiling. Dream ballet was - as always- exeptional. Scott in his element was clearly enjoying himself and was smiling from begining to end especialy during the "flying " part.
Electricity. I was so excited about seing this from Scott one last time and he didn't dissapoint. Faultless, magical...absolute perfection! Many cast members were on the sides of the stage to witness it as well and the audience gave him a well deserved standing ovation that could go on forever and he trully enjoyed it.
After that the show was simply an emotional rollercoaster. Debbie (Francesca) hugging Billy before she leaves the room, Billy saying goodbuy to Mrs W and then his dad and of course the letter reprise had a whole theatre in tears. Scott being the incredible young man that he is, managed to control himself almost perfectly showing, of course, some extra emotion than usual up until the moment he left the stage and then Connor caled him back to give him the goodbye kiss. But after that he let himself go and when Dad and Mrs W called him back for the finale Scott run back, hugged his mum in row B and when he got back onstage we could all see he was crying. The audience gave him -of course- a standing ovation and he kept saying thank you to us. We all witnessed for one last time the master of finales with his whooing even louder than ussual and a happy Scott hugging Francesca and Connor before leading them onstage. In the final curtain call Scott was again teary blowing kisses to the audience who abslolutelly adored him.
After the show a kilt wearing Scott (!!!) was nice enough to come out say hi take pictures and give autographs to his fans.
In the hours and days to come you will see photographs from that last show. You will see Scott's tears and smiles but unfortunately none of those will describe what all of us being there last night felt watching the amazing Scott Mckenzie be Billy one last time.
This will be a show to remember for years to come folks!
The letter. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. As usual Scott sung his part beautifully with his angelic voice. But then when it was the turn of dead mum to sing he just looked down and tears started filling up. When he looked up again we could all clearly see the tears coming down his face. Now I know Scott has always done a very emotional letter scene but last night those of us who have seen him before knew this was not acting (everyone else might have been fooled). I dare anyone who was at the theatre last night and could see Scott's face to tell me he did not cry looking at this incredible young man's teary face. Kay Milbourne (dead mum) for one could hardly control herself and I could see her trying to keep the tears as she turn to leave the stage. A priceless moment.
Of course seconds later our boy was ready for B2B and once again he did the whole number including the skipping pefectly and with a huge smile on his face!
His Angry Dance was incredible one last time with his heart breaking screaming bringing tears to my eyes again and his perfect tapping.
In the begining of the second act George made the joke of "I bet you're glad this is the last time you'll be listening to this sh**te" and when Scott smiled and was told he's not supposed to laugh, he just shrugged his shoulder in a "whatever" manner and kept smiling. Dream ballet was - as always- exeptional. Scott in his element was clearly enjoying himself and was smiling from begining to end especialy during the "flying " part.
Electricity. I was so excited about seing this from Scott one last time and he didn't dissapoint. Faultless, magical...absolute perfection! Many cast members were on the sides of the stage to witness it as well and the audience gave him a well deserved standing ovation that could go on forever and he trully enjoyed it.
After that the show was simply an emotional rollercoaster. Debbie (Francesca) hugging Billy before she leaves the room, Billy saying goodbuy to Mrs W and then his dad and of course the letter reprise had a whole theatre in tears. Scott being the incredible young man that he is, managed to control himself almost perfectly showing, of course, some extra emotion than usual up until the moment he left the stage and then Connor caled him back to give him the goodbye kiss. But after that he let himself go and when Dad and Mrs W called him back for the finale Scott run back, hugged his mum in row B and when he got back onstage we could all see he was crying. The audience gave him -of course- a standing ovation and he kept saying thank you to us. We all witnessed for one last time the master of finales with his whooing even louder than ussual and a happy Scott hugging Francesca and Connor before leading them onstage. In the final curtain call Scott was again teary blowing kisses to the audience who abslolutelly adored him.
After the show a kilt wearing Scott (!!!) was nice enough to come out say hi take pictures and give autographs to his fans.
In the hours and days to come you will see photographs from that last show. You will see Scott's tears and smiles but unfortunately none of those will describe what all of us being there last night felt watching the amazing Scott Mckenzie be Billy one last time.
This will be a show to remember for years to come folks!
Athina
London
Liam x 1, Ollie x 4, Dean x 11, Rhys x 8, Aaron x 4, Scott x 9, Josh x 10, Ryan x 10, Adam x 6, Kaine x 7, Harris x 6, Harrison x 2
New York
Peter x 1
London
Liam x 1, Ollie x 4, Dean x 11, Rhys x 8, Aaron x 4, Scott x 9, Josh x 10, Ryan x 10, Adam x 6, Kaine x 7, Harris x 6, Harrison x 2
New York
Peter x 1
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Billy Whiz
- Gallery Admin
- Posts: 5537
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- Location: England
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Fitting reviews to a wonderful evening.
Thanks for posting these Athina and dancingboy.
Thanks for posting these Athina and dancingboy.
.
Billy Whiz is the Gallery Admin. Please send your photos, articles etc to forum.gallery[at]billyelliottheforum.me.uk Please replace [at] with @
In the email can you also please let me know the date where and when the photo(s) was taken, who is in the photo(s) as well as your forum name.
When you send photos to the gallery can you also please PM me to let me know that you have sent them. If I don't receive them after a couple of days I can then chase them up.
Billy Whiz is the Gallery Admin. Please send your photos, articles etc to forum.gallery[at]billyelliottheforum.me.uk Please replace [at] with @
In the email can you also please let me know the date where and when the photo(s) was taken, who is in the photo(s) as well as your forum name.
When you send photos to the gallery can you also please PM me to let me know that you have sent them. If I don't receive them after a couple of days I can then chase them up.
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porschesrule
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9377
- Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:02 am
- Location: Rhode Island, USA
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Thanks to dancingboy and athadj for your wonderful depictions of Scott's final show last night. You've described the emotion packed performance so well. There is no doubt that Scott will be missed at the VPT with all of his unique contributions to the role of Billy.
Thanks to both of you for taking the time to post your thoughts. I enjoyed reading them immensely.
Thanks to both of you for taking the time to post your thoughts. I enjoyed reading them immensely.
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Barry Appleby
- George
- Posts: 583
- Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:52 pm
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Scott's Last Show
For those of us that were not there, A Big Thanks! Athina & Dancingboy for your excellent reviews, also to any reviews that might follow. What a great night you all seemed to have had, I think if I'd been there it would have brought me to tears also.
Thanks! Lottie for all your hard work you put in for Scotts Leaving Card, it really is appreciated, to Dave & Scott's Mum for those fantastic countdown photo's and to Keith for keeping us updated, its a great credit to you all and a "Big Thank you".
To Scott! THANKS for some great memories and "All the Best in the future"
Barry
For those of us that were not there, A Big Thanks! Athina & Dancingboy for your excellent reviews, also to any reviews that might follow. What a great night you all seemed to have had, I think if I'd been there it would have brought me to tears also.
Thanks! Lottie for all your hard work you put in for Scotts Leaving Card, it really is appreciated, to Dave & Scott's Mum for those fantastic countdown photo's and to Keith for keeping us updated, its a great credit to you all and a "Big Thank you".
To Scott! THANKS for some great memories and "All the Best in the future"
Barry
Re: September 2011 Reviews - London
Thanks athadj and dancingboy for your wonderfully descriptive reviews of Scott's last night and what it was like to be there. It certainly was a night to remember in so many ways. Eternal thanks to Scott and his family for their generosity and patience outside the theatre after the show.
Sunday morning in London after a "last night" show ranks high in the list of gloomy days in any given year. The journey home today began with a heavy heart. Why? Because Master Scott McKenzie has left the building for the last time.
Last nights are a mixture of joy and torture as the emotions of the show itself are matched by those of the occasion. The succession of “Goodbyes” as part of the show takes on new meanings. As a mere spectator it is almost unbearable to watch. For those closely involved, well, I can only imagine. In the history of the London show I don’t ever recall Tony giving Billy a hug as he hands him the miners’ lantern so, when Tom Lorcan did just that, the tap of tears already flowing turned into a deluge. In moments like these who knows what peoples’ thoughts turn to. But that’s the story of Billy Elliot for you. Lee Hall, bless you. And Scott, bless you for bringing it all alive on 100 occasions.
The only antidote that works against this gloom is the knowledge that we still have a full house of magnificent, enthralling and hugely talented Billys, Michaels and Debbies, a multi-talented cast of men and women, fabulous music/musicians to die for. Lady Luck was kind to me this week. I saw each and every one of the Billys, Michaels and Debbies in this weeks 5-show Billython starting Thursday matinee and was completely blown away by all of them, all different but all equally magic in their own special way. But let's hope that the next last night is a long way away.
Pat
Sunday morning in London after a "last night" show ranks high in the list of gloomy days in any given year. The journey home today began with a heavy heart. Why? Because Master Scott McKenzie has left the building for the last time.
Last nights are a mixture of joy and torture as the emotions of the show itself are matched by those of the occasion. The succession of “Goodbyes” as part of the show takes on new meanings. As a mere spectator it is almost unbearable to watch. For those closely involved, well, I can only imagine. In the history of the London show I don’t ever recall Tony giving Billy a hug as he hands him the miners’ lantern so, when Tom Lorcan did just that, the tap of tears already flowing turned into a deluge. In moments like these who knows what peoples’ thoughts turn to. But that’s the story of Billy Elliot for you. Lee Hall, bless you. And Scott, bless you for bringing it all alive on 100 occasions.
The only antidote that works against this gloom is the knowledge that we still have a full house of magnificent, enthralling and hugely talented Billys, Michaels and Debbies, a multi-talented cast of men and women, fabulous music/musicians to die for. Lady Luck was kind to me this week. I saw each and every one of the Billys, Michaels and Debbies in this weeks 5-show Billython starting Thursday matinee and was completely blown away by all of them, all different but all equally magic in their own special way. But let's hope that the next last night is a long way away.
Pat
