October 2011 Reviews - London

[paul30003]

Great review Keefy

Yes! Adam was great, I was not aware of a full house standing ovation at the end, as I had a front row seat, but well deserved never less

I thought I was the only one standing for Electricity, but I did notice Adam giving a huge smile while looking around the theater so I know he appreciated the standing ovations he got. I do feel for the cast when they perform there little hearts out and not much appreciation is given.

Thumbs up to all who stood for Adam's show on Saturday, I feel he needs all the encouragement he can get as I know he has every skill to be a top Billy.

It must be quite daunting to be thousands of miles away from home performing here in London and for that alone he get my upmost respect.

[dancingboy]

Well said, Keith. That was probably the best I have seen Adam perform too. On previous occasions he has worn that proverbial ''rabbit in the headlights'' look, but last night he did seem to be more relaxed. His balletic Electricity ending in many fast spinning pirouettes was certainly well worth standing to acclaim.

dancingboy.

[paul30003]

Well said, Keith. That was probably the best I have seen Adam perform too. On previous occasions he has worn that proverbial ''rabbit in the headlights'' look, but last night he did seem to be more relaxed. His balletic Electricity ending in many fast spinning pirouettes was certainly well worth standing to acclaim.

dancingboy.

The lad certainly can pirouette, I have though at times, we are going to loose him right through the stage.

[dancingboy]

Wednesday 12 October

No review from me, as such, but I thought it only right and proper to congratulate Ryan Collinson on performing, at the top of his form, for the fifth time in six days. I think that he left the audience speechless, at least, I was.

[patc]

Thursday Matinee 13th October - Captioned Show

Josh, Connor L, Francesca

Grandma: Gillian
Mr B: Russell Wilcox

Just a brief review. Two great returnees.

1. The mercurial Josh returned after a short absence and mercurialised the matineers with many magnificent moments of magic. It was all there, the leap off the piano and trademark "dive", the stunning, amazing Angry Dance, unforgettable Dream Ballet with Barnaby and the unbelievable Electricity that lit up my soul plus all his unique Billy interps. The wonderful smiles in the Finale. No doubt supremely glad to be back on stage..................where he belongs.

2. Gentleman Chris was back in sparkling form - you had to be there to appreciate it.

Caroline Deverill - Mrs. W personified.

Ballet Girls a treat and I counted the seconds for the quick costume change in Shine as 29.

Add Connor Lawson and Francesca to the mix and you have utopia.

Gillian just gets better and better as Grandma. Every week something even funnier than before.

Russell Wilcox, having a great run as Mr. B - brilliant

Martin and Tom - It was emotional.

Tim Funnell - funniest ever Posh Dad by the proverbial mile.

Ensemble and musicians at the top of their form.

I loved every milli-milli-second of it.

The Captioning on the electronic boards was a hoot. "50 pee's" (I kid you not), "Fred Warmsley", plus all the swear words. I probably missed many more as it was virtually impossible to take your eyes off the performers.

Usual grateful THANKS to all the usual suspects.

Pat

[dancingboy]

Right on the button, Pat. It was great to see Josh back. Do you think he could take the part of George 'Smiley'?

See ya. What do you mean next week?

Cheers, John.

[jacob]

Tuesday October 18th

Ryan
Connor Kelly
Emily Smith

Some (very) belated thoughts on this Show.

Firstly, I was pleasantly suprised at the size of the audience. I gathered that there had been a dip in September but now things are looking good again. The Stalls seats were nearly all taken and I was pleased to see the Grand Circle back in use. There were several school parties which added a lot to the atmosphere of the evening. Incidentally, some of the kids were of primary school age and they still loved every minute of it. There is an education pack given to teachers taking school parties and I am sure that this helps to provide background information about a period in time that the kids would not otherwise know about.

Caroline Deverill plays Mrs W with an intruiging degree of depth. She shows a sharp, incisive wit in front of the ballet girls that disguises her frustrations as a dancer who can no longer dance. This is actually the fate of most ballerinas whose careers come to an end in their thirties. Discovering Billy comes right out of the blue and this gives her a renewed sense of purpose. When he leaves for the RBS she is right back to where she was in the beginning.........in a way just like the miners when they return to work.

Everything worked . The three lifts went up and down and the props all appeared on cue. It was great to see the polaroid camera back even though it didn't take a photo. However Billy's letter of acceptance from the RBS now seems to be a blank sheet of paper . Previously I seem to remember that White Lodge had donated some of their headed notepaper so that Billy and Tony had something to actually read. Maybe the venerable Royal Ballet School are not enamoured with the portrayal of their audition scene?

A lot has been written about Connor Kelly and Ryan. Connor's Michael is convincing as a (nearly) teenager who is determined to be himself and brave enough to show his feelings to Billy. He is funny and yet sad at the same time. Express and the Winter scene both worked wonderfully well on Tuesday. These scenes provided a counterpoint to the darkness of Angry Dance and to the violence of the picket line which the audience found both unexpected and delightful. Connor is a master of both scenes and he had the audience eating out of his hand . I will only comment on one element of Ryan's performance. His forward roll off the piano which brings B to B to a close. He timed this to perfection, not only his changes of shoes and his timing on to the piano, but especially his landing. His roll allowed him to land upright and to hold this position without wavering until he collapsed to the floor, so ending the scene. A brilliant piece of control and timing. Respect!

BETM is a light whose beam lightens the darkness of everyday life. Thank you everyone.......... cast, crew and the FOH staff.

[kport]

Not a review per se....I have just returned from the matinee performance in London, having witness a mind blowing performance by Adam. Just a knockout! The speed and timing of his acting; the scintillating dancing; his mastery of the Geordie accent - truly amazing. I had a thought that, if he stays in London just six months, he would be a fantastic addition to the US Tour!!! That little American made this big American feel very proud today.

[Yorkie]

Not a review per se....I have just returned from the matinee performance in London, having witness a mind blowing performance by Adam. Just a knockout! The speed and timing of his acting; the scintillating dancing; his mastery of the Geordie accent - truly amazing. I had a thought that, if he stays in London just six months, he would be a fantastic addition to the US Tour!!! That little American made this big American feel very proud today.

Looking forward to reading about your thoughts on the London show, the differences between the US versions and what you feel works better/worse. And how come this is your first visit to VPT - I thought you still had a house in the UK?

I think Adam has really settled in to the role now and is turning in great performances but you need to see the other guys too because they are also special and unique (and you need to see Dean-Charles before he hangs up his slippers).

[Sam4God]

Tuesday October 18th

Ryan
Connor Kelly
Emily Smith

Some (very) belated thoughts on this Show.

Firstly, I was pleasantly suprised at the size of the audience. I gathered that there had been a dip in September but now things are looking good again. The Stalls seats were nearly all taken and I was pleased to see the Grand Circle back in use. There were several school parties which added a lot to the atmosphere of the evening. Incidentally, some of the kids were of primary school age and they still loved every minute of it. There is an education pack given to teachers taking school parties and I am sure that this helps to provide background information about a period in time that the kids would not otherwise know about.

Caroline Deverill plays Mrs W with an intruiging degree of depth. She shows a sharp, incisive wit in front of the ballet girls that disguises her frustrations as a dancer who can no longer dance. This is actually the fate of most ballerinas whose careers come to an end in their thirties. Discovering Billy comes right out of the blue and this gives her a renewed sense of purpose. When he leaves for the RBS she is right back to where she was in the beginning.........in a way just like the miners when they return to work.

Everything worked . The three lifts went up and down and the props all appeared on cue. It was great to see the polaroid camera back even though it didn't take a photo. However Billy's letter of acceptance from the RBS now seems to be a blank sheet of paper . Previously I seem to remember that White Lodge had donated some of their headed notepaper so that Billy and Tony had something to actually read. Maybe the venerable Royal Ballet School are not enamoured with the portrayal of their audition scene?

A lot has been written about Connor Kelly and Ryan. Connor's Michael is convincing as a (nearly) teenager who is determined to be himself and brave enough to show his feelings to Billy. He is funny and yet sad at the same time. Express and the Winter scene both worked wonderfully well on Tuesday. These scenes provided a counterpoint to the darkness of Angry Dance and to the violence of the picket line which the audience found both unexpected and delightful. Connor is a master of both scenes and he had the audience eating out of his hand . I will only comment on one element of Ryan's performance. His forward roll off the piano which brings B to B to a close. He timed this to perfection, not only his changes of shoes and his timing on to the piano, but especially his landing. His roll allowed him to land upright and to hold this position without wavering until he collapsed to the floor, so ending the scene. A brilliant piece of control and timing. Respect!

BETM is a light whose beam lightens the darkness of everyday life. Thank you everyone.......... cast, crew and the FOH staff.

I completely agree with what you wrote about Caroline's portrayal of Mrs. Wilkinson. I first saw her in the role back in April I think it was and she immediately became my favourite Mrs. Wilkinson but I found it difficult to explain why. You've put it really well She's a very real Mrs. W in my opinion.

As for Ryan, having seen him 3 times now... he just gets better and better! He was on tonight and on fire His Angry Dance was one of the best I've seen. He's an amazing Billy!