June 2012 Reviews - London

[Billy Whiz]

Here is a place for June's reviews.

[Billy Whiz]

What a brilliant show tonight. The whole cast were on fire but Ryan was simply amazing. Ryan's Angry Dance was the angriest I have ever seen. To call it Angry Dance is the biggest understatement since Noah said it looked like rain. The hydraulics were not working on the outhouse that comes up through the stage but it mattered not. They improvised and nobody, apart from the regulars, were any the wiser. Well done to the whole cast but a double well done to Ryan.

[dancingboy]

The Joy of Dancing

Whilst a lot of the country were still wallowing in the celebrations to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee I was celebrating seeing another star, the Seattle Superstar, otherwise known as Adam Vesperman. Knowing that Adam had performed in Hyde Park over the weekend I thought that the Billy management may have given him a day off, but that was not the case, fortunately for me and for the lively audience that was in attendance at the Victoria Palace theatre on Monday evening.

Nothing that I say will come as a surprise to those who have seen Adam on a regular basis. He is so confident, so comfortable with all he does, so connected with the music that he simply eases his way through the show. That is not to say it is boring or lacks feeling. Far from it. As Billy, he learns the ropes, firstly taking his early steps with the Ballet girls, then progresssing with the help of Mrs Wilkinson and learns to expand his repertoire. The continual frowning and wide-eyed looks that we see early on simply disappear, to be replaced by smiles that show that Adam, as well as Billy, is proud of what he has achieved. The joy Adam brings to himself as well as to the rest of us watching is there for all to see.

Since he started Adam has grown in stature when it comes to his acting and he uses many facial expressions to good effect throughout, showing us his ability to understand the role and to convey to the audience that he is thinking about the words being spoken.

Act Two sees Adam perform, what must be, his favourite pieces, Dream Ballet and Electricity. The broad smile on Adam's face during Dream Ballet would have launched the whole of the Jubilee flotilla, whilst his balletic style Electricity once more ended with a series of over twenty fast-spinning pirouettes, that had the audience applauding well before he had finished. That was pure joy , right from the stage through to the audience.

At the final curtain, as is his custom, Adam says, ''Thanks for coming'' to the audience. In return I say ''Thank you'' to Adam for a wonderful performance. It was a delight to be a part of the audience to see such talent on view.

[Billy Whiz]

Sadly I missed Adam on my trip to London. I hope that I have more success next time as I have only managed to see him once

[kaj]

Thursday (evening performance)

Billy- Adam
Michael- Reece

I have been looking forward to this performance all week and I must say I was thrilled when I saw Adam come onto the stage as Billy this evening (I never look at the cast board in the foyer as I like the suprise). Another fantastic performance from him, this lad never puts a foot wrong, quite literally! He fills the stage with such a presence that it's difficult to take your eyes off him when he is on stage. He acts the initial scenes with the ballet dancers so well that when I first saw him as Billy (March 31st), I thought he would only be an average dancer at best- how wrong could I be, there is nothing average about him, quite the reverse, he captivates the whole audience and could never fail to impress.
One of my favourite scenes with Adam as Billy (apart from the obvious Angry dance and Electricity) is the boxing scene where he dances to try and put Michael off... Adam's moon walk was particularly brilliant this evening! I love it so much because you can tell that he is a real showman and just loves making people laugh (if anyone has seen the youtube video of him dancing infront of the guards at Buckingham Palace, you will know what I mean).
Reece was fantastic this evening, a real comic genius, with perfect timing and delivery. Tonight when the boys were racing to put on their tap shoes, Adam said 'c'mon that was a tie,' to a grinning Reece, a little extra that only regulars would pick up, but it's these extra touches that make the boys even more personable. Reece appears to be so confident in the role of Michael and makes it look effortless.
I have been lucky enough to have seen Adam perform with several different casts including different Michaels/Debbies/Mrs Wilkinsons/Dads/Tonys/Grandmas and he always performs faultlessly, establishing clear chemistry with cast members. This really comes across in the show and helps add to the experience.
Unfortunately the crowd were a bit inhibited this evening and some of the classic jokes failed to get much of a response. There seemed to be too many young children in the crowd rustling sweet papers this evening! Luckily it didn't seem to affect the cast and as they all delivered near perfect performances. The crowd seemed fairly dead at times, however really picked up and came alive in the second half, especially during and after 'Electricity,' and how could they not. Adam gave another flawless performance that never fails to be breathtaking how ever many times you have seen it. He got a very deserved standing ovation after 'Electricity' and he and the rest of the cast received an impressive standing ovation at the end of the show.
So I will be going to bed this evening very happy and with the show tunes in my head! Will have to book my next trip again soon. I will feel very lucky indeed if I get to see Adam again

Eight London shows and counting:
(Adam x4, Harris x2, Ryan x1, Kaine x1)
(Michael- Connor L x2, Joe x2, Connor K x2, Reece x2)

[ERinVA]

Thanks for the review, kaj.

[Deanfan5]

I went on Saturday night hoping to see a Billy I had not seen before and was rewarded with Harrison who was paired with Connor Kelly.
I was most impressed with Harrison. The intensity and aptness of his acting was first class. He does anguish very well and his Letter was superb not only in singing but also the level of emotion he brought to it. Harrison is the only Billy I can recall to wipe his eyes when wishing Mrs W well in their parting scene giving a real sense of mutual loss. The fact that prior to Billy, Harrison had no acting experience ( info given to me by his parents in the interval- they were sitting in front of me in row B with his young brother Josh) really highlights what an excellent and natural find this young man is. He attacked Electricity in away that brought a depth of meaning to the song that was totally relevant. Overall Harrison's portrayal of a multi faceted Billy goiing through a kaleidescope of emotions was very commendable and the audience loved it giving him several well deserved standing ovations. Harrison's dancing was very good throughout and his skipping in BTB was faultless as was his singing thoughout. Harrison was aided and abetted by Connor giving a very live show in every sense. Connor's seductive routine at the mirror invitation also brought spontaneous applause from the audience something I cannot recall before in the many times I have been to the show.
Overall a most enjoyable show and in Harrison we clearly have a Billy to take the show to new levels. Many thanks also to his family who allowed photos and discussion at the Stage Door afterwards.

[jacob]

Saturday June 16th mat

Adam
Connor
Macy

There was only a small audience for this matinee possibly due to the Queen's Birthday celebrations that were taking place barely a mile from the theatre. In reality, the Trooping of the Colour and subsequent procession became another part of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee complete with balcony appearance and fly past.

I never fail to be amazed at the contribution that Barnaby Meredith makes to the Show. He has a background in ballet that included a stay at The Royal Ballet School. This showed very clearly when as Older Billy he danced with Billy in the Swan Lake sequence. Their pas de deux was show stopping as he led Adam through a range of dance sequences culminating with the aerial dance. As an adult dancer Barnaby can achieve elevations that younger Billys cannot but as an audience we see so clearly where Billy is heading. Barnaby maintains the physique of a ballet dancer which is an achievement in itself. Yet he played so many other characters in other scenes each of which entailed costume changes that he was sometimes difficult to recognise. I could spot him as a policeman though . He has been in the Show for several years now and I have the utmost respect for his contribution and regard him as an unsung hero.

It was interesting to see Adam play Billy as two days earlier he had played Michael. In fact this was his third Show of the week and it is clear that he thrives on performing. In Act One his acting was superb. At times his Billy was happy, at times sad and at other times very very angry. He has the talent to project his feelings into the audience so that we all share what he is experiencing. Adam was relaxed in the part and yet totally focussed. The focal point of the matinee for me was Electricity. I do not think that I have seen Adam dance this better. He showed that rare ability of a ballet dancer to communicate his feelings through his dance alone. The lyrics of this scene could have been dispensed with and we would still have understood how he felt. His sense of liberation through ballet, his freedom from his external world and his sheer joy in dancing were quite overwhelming. For me he was following in a long tradition of dancers such as Isadora Duncan and indeed Anna Pavlova for whom dance was a means of expressing an entire spectrum of human emotion. I loved his balletic technique and timing as his Electricity moved towards the pirouettes. This stuff is difficult to do I shall remember the performance for a long time.

On a more mundane level, the excavations in front of the VP now seem to be over. The holes have been concreted over and an asphalt surface applied. By next week the roadway should be back to normal so that taxis, cars and Billy Buses can draw up outside the main entrance. It has taken long enough!

[Katwoman]

My sister, a friend and I had three days in London at the beginning of this week, and we saw three shows. BETM was our Tuesday evening treat. I had been saying beforehand that one day I would see a flat performance. Well, this wasn't it! Right from the start, the audience "got it" and responded so well to the jokes, the politics and the sadness. The cast responded by really raising their game. It was the first time I had seen Kaine Ward and was very impressed by all aspects of his performance. He acted and danced so well to portray Billy's progress from lonely little boy to enthusiastic (and excellent!) dancer to very angry boy. It was therefore a great disappointment when it was announced at the interval that he would not be performing in the second act. However, when I heard who was replacing him, my response was "Yes!!!" I saw Adam first in January and found his portrayal so moving that I couldn't get it out of my head for days. Someone commented elsewhere on this site that he acts with his eyes, and I agree totally: we were on Row E and got the full impact!
And so the second act rolled on, almost one continuous highlight. there was a funny but very touching winter scene between Adam and Connor Kelly, a superb Swan Lake, and an outstanding "Electricity", made all the better by Deka Walmsley's portrayal of the father's realisation of what his son can do and his pride in him.I loved the way Adam broke character at the end to pick out members at the audience and smile at them in acknowledgement of the applause.
The last ten or fifteen minutes were wonderful: the joy at Billy's success, the realisation that the strike was over, followed by the descent back into the pit (gets me every time!) And just when you can't take any more, on come Mum and then Michael! Thank goodness for that joyous finale - so much better than the usual walk-on at the end.
So many thanks to all for another wonderful performance. I'll leave the final comment on Tuesday's show to my sister. As we were leaving the VP, she turned to me and said: "Come on, Arnold."
Arnold???
"Well, you'll be back!"
I hope so, and the sooner , the better.
At lunchtime on Wednesday, we went to Cardinal Place to the launch of West End Live 2012 (information courtesy of this site, for which many thanks). We arrived there early enough to see the sound checks and a little boy practising pirouettes and doing a bit of acro on the grass. This was our first sight of Harrison Dowzell and he was on last. I loved his version of "Electricity": very intense and passionate with great street dancing on a tiny stage.
That made a grand total of four Billys in three days, because on Monday night we saw the second most senior Billy of all: Adam Cooper, who appeared briefly at the end of the film as the older Billy, was in "Singin' in the Rain" at the Palace. Very entertaining show, thoroughly enjoyed by the audience, especially so during the title song, judging by the whoops of laughter from the front stalls. They didn't appear to object too strongly to getting soaked!
We also went just around the corner from the VP to see "Wicked" on Wednesday afternoon. I wasn't sure what to expect, but thought it was excellent, with very complex adult themes. But BETM it isn't.
My sister suggested that because the VP and the Apollo Victoria are so close that some time in the future we should see a matinee of one and an evening performance of the other.
No chance! I want to do a Billython!

[kaj]

Yesterday I was lucky enough to see two Billys. Firstly, Kaine at the Westend Live performance. Even with a poor view from my not so great spot in the crowd I could tell it was Kaine from the moment he stepped on stage due to his lovely cheeky smile! Before the cast were introduced to the stage, a boy appeared peeking from the right wing of the stage to take a photo of the crowd- I'm sure it was Kaine, but my eyesight isn't that good! It was great to see the whole cast perform a medley of songs from the show, but it was a shame about the sounding difficulties (a problem the event had the entire morning). The cast did a brilliant job of showcasing the musical and received a great response from the huge crowd.

Secondly, I saw Adam in yesterday's evening performance. Yet again I was delighted when I saw him walk onto the stage to deliver another fantastic performance. Last night will have been the fifth time I have seen Adam in the role and it amazes me how very consistent he is, always giving everything to his performance and never seeming to put a foot wrong, with absolutely faultless dancing/singing/acting.
It was great to see Joe as Michael and last night the audience loved him from the start. Joe and Adam made a perfect comedy duo and received one of the best audience responses to 'Express yourself' that I have ever heard, with the audience clapping and laughing in hysterics throughout. Adam won the race to put on the tap shoes and triumphantly shouted, 'Billy wins.'
I really enjoy Helen French's portrayal of Mrs Wilkinson and am suprised that she is the understudy. She has such a powerful singing voice and brings such passion to the role. I have seen her perform as Mrs Wilkinson with Adam several times and I think they work very well together as Helen's more 'hardened' Mrs Wilkinson matches Adam's fiery Billy in the first act. Also, Helen's powerful voice easily stands up to Michael Peavoy's Tony and gives a needed fiesty response and stance to his attempts to be overpowering at the end of the first act.
It goes without saying that the 'Dream sequence' and 'Electricity' were just beautiful. Adam's ability and talent really shine through during these scenes and they demand the complete focused attention of the entire audience.
Deka is a brilliant Dad and received whoops of laughter in all the right places. It was great to see Ann Emery back as Grandma too.
The whole cast seemed to be on really good form last night and it really showed through the energetic, vibrant and passionate performances. Last night's audience seemed to love the show and were hugely energetic and responsive throughout. The cast received several much deserved standing ovations.

BETM always seems to stay with you for weeks after the show, I could praise it all day and all night. It is quite simply the most wonderful musical