Photographer Dan Wooler has also posted a bunch of pictures from last night's "red carpet", the curtain call and the after party. Some of his photo captions also label that sixth Billy as Redmand Rance:
Last night's 3000 anniversary show was beyond anything I had anticipated! After the emotional deflation earlier in the week, brought on by the news that Sir Elton might not be coming, the news in the morning that he would be there dashed gloom and instilled a feeling that 'tonight would be special'. And special it was!
After a bit of celebrity spotting in front of the VPT, we assumed our seats at 7.30 when Stephen Daldry came out to do what he has done at so many other BETM special occasions - present a fitting preamble to a special evening. I am always impressed by his down to earth way of speaking - this man is not only one of the greatest directors alive, but does so many great things large and small, behind the scenes, that we do not hear about. He introduced a number of special guests, headed by three of the four original Billys, now tall young men, and said it was a fitting night for the 3000th as it was also Liam Mower's 20th birthday.
So:
Happy Birthday, Liam!
In addition, Alex Ko (Broadway cast) was there, having flown over specially for the event.
The performance - was simply stunning! There was an andrenaline flowing among the cast that was in tune with the response returned by the audience - jokes received guffaws, emotional scenes received sobs, big numbers received cheers I have rarely heard before. Such a symbiotic partnership between cast and audience is unique and both parties feed from the enthusiasm of the other.
Harris Beattie was...WOW! I mean, he not only rose to the occasion, he literally flew! Wouldn't you, if you knew that Liam and George and Stephen and Sir Elton were watching every move? If there were nerves, you would never have known - he seemed to revel in the limelight (that's the show biz in his blood!). It was my second outing with Harris at the helm and his sings and dances so well that you can only sit back and enjoy it, but his ACTING is simply stunning. He seems to have an ability to shift between emotions with alacrity and he can display a vulnerability that seems not forced but natural, as though the Billy story is close to his heart.......................
Reece Barrett IS Michael, and the audience loved his performance! Macy was also superb, alternately coquettish, angry, teasing and so 'teenagery' that her characterisation was perfect. I have praised the adult characters at the VPT before; suffice it to say that everyone was spot on, on form and on steroids (the latter is hyperbole, but everything flowed with a pace that is rarely seen on stage. I mean, there wasn't a dull moment!).
During the interval it was possible to walk around the foyer and bump into Stephen Daldry and Lee Hall, the 'old' (20 is old??) Billys, the present Billys and Michaels and Small and Tall Boys all dressed in smart grey suits as though part of a very posh school party (well, the Billy House IS a 'posh' school...!). Some 'luvvies' hide in a private room, but Stephen Daldry, as per form, was in the crowd, chatting to anyone who wanted to talk to the man who will soon bring us an amazing London Olympics. Must be the Dorset breeding that grounds him!
We were promised a special moment after the chair lift and we had one - oh, did we have one! A six minute medley of 'Electricity', with all five current Billys taking part, segueing into 'Express Yourself' with all three Michaels and five Billys, then the ensemble rounding it off................such a fitting end to a fitting night that I am sure I have things out of order. Judging by the number of cameras filming this (the ushers simply gave up) it will probably be up on Youtube in due course; if so, you are in for a treat not seen since the finale of the Broadway production! I do wish 'the powers that be' would officially record these unique moments.
Lee Hall gave a moving speech about the current economic problems and how close we are to 1984 again, and reminded the audience that half of Britain's electricity come from coal mined abroad. Then the audience roared when he introduced the man of the night, Sir Elton Hercules John, who spoke (with cast behind him) most eloquently and - may I say - emotionally about what this story meant - and means - to him; how BETM around the world is not just a musical but a family (the cast past and present have a bond that is unique) and then humorously explained, in words I cannot replicate, how similar the relationship between Billy and his Dad is to that between the young Reg Dwight and his RAF flight lieutenant father - except Billy's dad 'got it'. I sensed from his words that the past decade - the birth and growth of BETM; his civil partnership; and the birth of his own son: has been Sir Elton's best decade, a decade of seeing loose ends tied together.
Yes - you should have been there! But if you weren't, rest assured that the night was, in every way, a fitting tribute to the Best Musical on the West End!
A wonderful review of last night's activities, kport. Thanks so much for sharing your observations of what sounds like another epic night in BETM history.
(This is the post I submitted earlier but I posted on the wrong thread)
Gala Performance 30 May
The proceedings opened with a welcoming speech from Stephen Daldry who said that the celebration was to mark seven years of the London show and to mark its 3000th performance. The evening ended with speeches made by Lee Hall and an emotional Sir Elton John. In between the speeches we were party to a show that was (in old-fashioned terms) 'great, smashing, super'.
There was a terrific performance from one of the newer Billys, Harris Beattie, who I was pleased to say was not overawed by the occasion and he was ably abetted by Reece Barrett as Michael and Macy Staciak as Debbie. Also, I cannot praise highly enough the adult cast and they together with the Ballet Girls, Tall Boy and Small Boy made it a show to remember. The audience was quick to show its appreciation of all that went on, but particularly when it came to Harris's dancing.
After the curtain calls at the end of the Musical we then had the extra bonus of seeing all five of the current Billys perform together a version of Electricity, which was expertly choreographed and they were then joined on stage by the three Michaels so that all eight performed Expressing Yourself. It was a joyous way to end the evening. A huge 'Well Done' to every one connected with the show.
It contains this very interesting paragraph that I think puts it all in perspective:
"With a cast ranging from 6 to 82 years old, to date the London production of Billy Elliot the Musical, has danced its way through over 8000 ballet shoes, eaten its way through 3000 pasties and fought its way through over 5000 boxing gloves. Since its premiere, almost 500 cast members have performed on the Victoria Palace stage including more than 260 ballet girls and 70 miners. Liam Mower, George Maguire and James Lomas, who originally played the title role of Billy Elliot on stage and were the youngest boys to win a Laurence Olivier Award for their performances, have subsequently gone on to become successful performers on both stage and screen."
