October 2013 Reviews - London

[dancingboy]

Saturday 5 October

It was only a few weeks ago that I recall writing a few comments about a double-header on a Saturday with Billy being played by Harrison and then Redmand. Well, the same duo were performing this Saturday too. Along with some 1500 others, including ninety nine noisy neighbours from Nottingham ( a bit of an exaggeration, they weren't that noisy), who were at the VP to support Harrison, I settled down to watch the matinee. It was soon clear that the audience were loving the show, most, of course, seeing Harrison for the first time. The audience were very appreciative of all aspects of the show, the singing, the dancing, the ballet girls, but particularly Michael, played by Zak Baker. I heard several comments during the interval about ' the boy playing Michael'. Zak and Harrison fairly zipped along during Expressing Yourself. As Jacob has already said Zak uses pauses and facial expressions to great effect and together with the use of a French accent, at times, a la Connor Kelly, he adds a bit more fun to the character. After Expressing he left the stage to a tremendous ovation.
A Harrison show wouldn't be a show without a noisy Angry Dance and he did not disappoint his audience this time round. The first half ended with many in the audience on their feet applauding. Harrison was still swearing with rage as he left the stage. Zak was again full of fun during the Winter scene, playing slightly 'over the top' perhaps, but nevertheless, to great effect and there was no doubt that he enjoys playing the part tremendously.
Some, including Jacob, I know, prefer a ballet Electricity, but you cannot but admire the way Harrison performs his acrobatic, gymnastic, street-style version. For me, the underlying feature of Harrison's dancing, a lot of which is done at speed, is that it is performed with impeccable timing. The ovation he received almost brought the house down and it wasn't only those from Nottingham who were cheering.
Reiterating the point Jacob made, it was good to see Harrison mingling with family and friends and fans after the show, having photographs taken and signing a few programmes. Many thanks to Mum and Dad for allowing this.

The evening show was somewhat quieter and played at a slightly slower pace, but was nonetheless just as enthralling. Although I have not been on an ocean-going liner I can imagine the serenity and smoothness of such a journey as it travels the open seas. Redmand's performance was just as silky-smooth. A perfect example of singing, dancing and acting. His delivery of his lines, coupled with the use of eyebrows, smiles, grimaces, is quite exceptional in one so young.
Michael was played by the evergreen Joe Massey, full of smiles and cheeky grins, who used all his experience to extract laughter at the right moments during Expressing and the Winter scene. However, his soulful look as Billy leaves the stage, is one that will live long in the memory. No one plays that better. This was another show which the audience fully enjoyed.

At both shows we had the wonderful alternates, Helen French ( Mrs Wilkinson) and David Bardsley ( Dad). Super troupers the both of them.

At the end of the evening, however, it dawned on me that it was only five weeks before we say 'Goodbye' to both Harrison and Joe and that time will go quickly enough. Hopefully, I shall get to see them perform a few more times before their final night.

[angelenroute]

Sitting in the front row I felt the full force of Billy's anger. This projected everything that he had experienced in his life, his mum dying, the Strike and the family's rejection of his ambition to become a ballet dancer. For some reason Angry Dance reminded me of Ginsberg's Howl. Not, obviously by reason of the poem's content but more by association with its cadences. For Harrison, Angry Dance was a Howl.

I don't recall that comparison being made in the past, but I love it! And I know what you mean!

Sean

[patc]

Thursday Matinee 10th October

Redmand/Zach A/Millie

Dad: David Bardsley
Tony: Matt Dale
Grandma: Gillian Elisa

The first real signs of winter in London today. Cold and miserable outside but lovely and warm inside the VPT not just in body but in mind as well.

The Ensemble members in BETM are amazingly consistent. The Stars Look Down sets the scene. The build-up of Solidarity from the cops waving the money in the Miners' faces, through all that wonderful, effervescent choreography with headgear and positions being swapped to “Forever and Ever” with trumpet blaring out Billy’s first glorious moment is a masterpiece. The riot scene and the riot squad with their thumping batons beating the shields is choreographed drama at its best. Maggie Thatcher allows them all to have some fun together. The magnificent harmonies they give us in Once We Were Kings as they head back underground, although sad, is pure music to the ears. In between, various individuals wander in and out some just as brief characters but each with a purpose whether it be for laughter or tears. They pull it off in brilliant style show after show. In a word they are magnificent.

Redmand and Zach A were brilliant together. All their superb talents on view to enjoy. The Boxing scene was one of the funniest I have ever seen. If ever two boxing-hating boys set out to take the pxxx out of their coach this was it.

Expressing was a riot of fun between them. Despite my best efforts I have not been able to recognise the faces in the dresses so maybe someone who does know might start a separate thread.

The Letter was a masterclass in acting by both Redmand and Anna-Jane.

Millie is priceless and keeps turning up the element of mischief-making cheek week by week. On the other side of the coin I thought that her timing, facial expression and response to Billy’s “Me Mam’s dead” was perfection personified. Her offer to Billy in the Toilet scene was as brazen as it gets and Redmand matched it with a fantastic and very funny shock-yuk! double whammy.

The new Ballet Girls have settled in so well and the individual characters are shining.

Simon Ray absolutely nailed the accordion in Deep Into the Ground. I don’t know if he actually has always played accordion or has just gone and learnt it for the show but, one way or the other, I am delighted it is back and now in full swing.

Zach’s Winter Scene was, as always, perfectly paced and Redmand’s by now legendary ballet Electricity was the scene stealer of the day.

The Esquire joke got a great, extended laugh.

There was quite a lot of clapping towards the end of the show that was bit unusual including during the final scene between Zach and Redmand. Despite him being only about a yard in front of me I couldn’t actually hear Redmand say “ see yah, Michael”. I doubt that Zach did either but he timed his “see yah, Billy” to perfection and, as the curtain slowly fell, he gave us a brilliantly executed and gutwrenching, longing look at Billy. I’m always glad that the theatre lighting is dark-ish for this bit.

Thank you Redmand, Zach, Millie and all concerned for this afternoon’s wonderful show.

I look forward to hearing Tzwicky’s general comments when he returns home after his major London Billython .

There was something else that happened in the theatre today that warmed the cockles of your heart. On entering the auditorium there was a heartbreaking sight - a small boy sat quietly in a wheelchair in the aisle. At the interval my attention was drawn to the occupants of one of the Dress Circle Boxes. It was the boy and his family. That’s the VPT for you. Full of dreams, full of heart, full of sunshine. You never depart from there without being full of joy.

Pat

[tzwicky]

Because I am contrary and thought it had to be mentioned tonight, the beaten and downtrodden Victoria area itself is due for a few kudos as of tonight, between the matinee and evening shows. Eeeek, 35 minutes till the night curtain!

Friday was rainy and COLD, for me, from South Florida. But all that rain on Friday washed Victoria spotless and the dry day most of Saturday just made the place spic and span and I was dumbstruck how great it had been to be in the heart of London all week, with mostly good weather throughout.

But upon exiting the theatre from the Allington Street side of the theatre (well, where Allington used to be) the air was clear, the construction site was silent, everything was dried out, no puddles, the sun was just setting, the weather had warmed up to where I'd have been OK in a tank top (though any spectators would not have been because, well only some people should wear tank tops and I am not one of them). The place was just lovely, even with all the devastation and whole blocks of buildings missing.

I've just been putting up with Victoria this week, but what a great way to end my time here with fabby weather and a natural cleaning crew doing their work overnight, and of course, being ejected from the VPT in a giddy mood as always, and then finally seeing a cleaned up, dry, Victoria full of promise and things to come, and it says "Hey, I've been here all along Yank. Don't take me for granted."

And so, I'm not.

I've been nurtured, warmed and often wrecked emotionally by BETM, the VPT and Victoria itself since 2005, and today I finally squeezed in Parliament. Doing blocks of 10 Billys in exactly a calendar week, time after time, year after year doesn't leave a lot of time to do anything else but do Billy all the time, night after night, day after day. It's a great way to spend eight years of highly targeted sightseeing.

Y'all who are seeing BETM in the near future, the greater Victoria area still exists, even with all the bruises and contusions at the moment. On the way in and out of the theatre, step out of the mob and look around. Victoria is becoming all around you. Don't miss out on it as it morphs and ages.

tzwicky

[patc]

Thursday Matinee 17th October

Harrison/Zak B/Dayna

Dad: David B
Grandma: Gillian E
Big Davey: Craig Armstrong

Scheduling and circumstances over the past few months have meant that Harrison has not done many Thursday matinees. In other words, we ain’t seen much of ‘im. He made up for this a thousandfold this afternoon.

I’ll come straight to the point. Having often waxed lyrical (and emotional) about Electricity and its immediate aftermath as Billy laps up the adulation it would be very difficult to adequately describe in words today’s dance and its aftermath but I will try. Harrison’s version of this song and dance of dances is of the street variety but that doesn’t tell the whole story. It is a powerful, spectacular and daring five minutes of sheer passion, poise and balance with an extraordinary “kick the moon” style lift and twist in the middle that makes the Flying Wallendas look like young birds on their first clothesline. You could hear the gasps of astonishment and admiration coming from the audience (especially his peers, the huge younger element present) and when he took on the wall and soared overhead and back down for a perfect landing it was inevitable that pandemonium would follow and it did. Just watching and hearing this was emotional enough but it was Harrison’s reaction that finished me off altogether. He stood there for ages looking at his audience in total disbelief as if saying, “Wow, was I really that good? Thank you so much". Eventually, the applause and cheering subsided and he was about to turn to Dad when, no, the youngsters decided otherwise and took it up again. They just didn’t want to let him go. One of THE most memorable moments. Nov. 9th will be some night.

Harrison’s Angry Dance has become legendary and he pulled out all the stops in another energy-sapping tour-de-force. In fact, his entire performance was a tour-de-force from start to finish yet at the same time the Letter was a classic gentle tearjerker. If there were any boys in the audience who fancy their chances of becoming Billy they must have been saying, “bloody ‘eck”.

Zak B is priceless. His all-action fun-loving Michael came to the fore first in the Boxing scene followed by fantastic showmanship in Expressing using that voice of his to great advantage. His bit-o’-ballet in the Winter Scene is right out of the Norman Wisdom stable and completely off the wall. I nearly died laughing and can’t wait to see this again. What a tonic. The clapping at the end scene started early (the youngsters couldn’t wait and I don’t blame them) but Zak held his mournful look to perfection.

There were a few minor incidents of interest for regular fans. Billy’s Shadow Dancing prior to Grandma’s Song was aptly renamed to Dancing in the Dark just for today, Zak’s mic became loose in Expressing and swung around his head like a busy bumble bee - it didn’t bother him in the slightest - and a couple of skipping ropes had minds of their own in B2B.

I don’t know the name of the Ballet Girl group that was on but they were simply superb. It’s kind of a pity that this info isn’t posted on a board somewhere.

There was a nice gathering of Forum members and other regulars and I know I speak for everyone that this was entertainment of the highest class. Once again, thanks to everybody involved in providing it. I’m already looking forward with gusto to next week.

Pat

[kport]

Well stated, Pat, and I agree with every word. It was a memorable afternoon's performance - I could not state it better than you have done.

Whether it was due to a teachers' strike, or sheer coincidence, there was a larger that usual contingent of school age kids in the audience who received Harrison's performance as little short of One Direction. Their reaction was enormous, and the huge smile on Harrison's face as the last bars of Electricity faded away was as electric as can be.

It was my first time seeing Zak and Wow! - what a class act he is! His comedic mannerisms are so much like Jake Kitchin's that I half expected him to 'reel' Billy in.

Two critical comments: a year or so ago, some felt that the role of Tony was being overplayed and that he seemed to be too much older than Billy to seem to be plausible. Kevin Wathen surely maintains these traditions and, in my view, takes them up a notch to the point where Tony appears to be too menacing and lacking in any sense of vulnerability. He also looks like a contemporary of Dad. Just my two cents.

The other comment is my surprise at the slow rate of revolutions given to Billy as he ascends up the wire in Dream Ballet (I noticed this last week, too). I estimate the rate of revolutions as about half of that seen on the Tour. The visual effect (or lack thereof) is evident. I wonder whether London has had to do this for 'elf an' safety' reasons? I do not remember it being so slow at VPT last spring. It is very slow.

The venerable VPT continues to stand proud amongst all of the rubble. The adjacent pub is now covered by a demure tea cozy as work continues apace. I am impressed how the demolition is quietened during performances. In a year or so it may all be over.

[jdmag44]

YES let me ECHO that:

THANKS for the smashing reviews. I miss the show so much it hurts. I have to hold out till May when I lgo to London to finally see the show there.

[Billy Whiz]

The other comment is my surprise at the slow rate of revolutions given to Billy as he ascends up the wire in Dream Ballet (I noticed this last week, too). I estimate the rate of revolutions as about half of that seen on the Tour. The visual effect (or lack thereof) is evident. I wonder whether London has had to do this for 'elf an' safety' reasons? I do not remember it being so slow at VPT last spring. It is very slow.

I think they are now using a different method for controlling the wire in Dream Ballet. If you sit on the right hand side of the theatre you can see someone standing near where the red doors are manning a terminal which operates the wire. I think that it used to be done by someone pulling the wire up and down by hand.

[Lola]

I think they are now using a different method for controlling the wire in Dream Ballet. If you sit on the right hand side of the theatre you can see someone standing near where the red doors are manning a terminal which operates the wire. I think that it used to be done by someone pulling the wire up and down by hand.

In this video you can see that at least in March this year there used to be a "flyman" that used to pull the wire up and down by hand. They don't do this anymore?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm73LoBVIFs

[kport]

I am not referring to the vertical lift, but to the speed of rotations.

Max Baud was amazing: he would initiate the revolutions and then add an extra dollop before the Billy elevated. It was breathtaking.

The current West End effort is a mild rotation...so slow that I am certain the Billy has no need to look at his extended finger to avoid dizziness. It is ........s...l....o....w......

It was not always thus on the West End production.