Billy Elliot the Forum

In various threads on the Forum, there have been a variety of posts referring to the ability of regional theaters to put on a quality production of BETM given the traditional training time to get new Billys up to speed in the role. For the most part so far, at the Muny and Ogunquit, productions are relying on fully trained boys from other productions of the show. The exception, of course, is Sam Faulkner at Ogunquit. He's a find, and he's had the good fortune of being trained by very experienced creative people who also have a track record with previous productions of the show. Hopefully future productions will be able to find and adequately train new Billys for their productions.

But it seems to me, as I was looking over the list of announced future regional productions, that it makes more sense for theaters to go through the expense and the massive effort to find and train a boy (s) to do justice to the role, if the production is going to run a while at that theater. But a couple of the newly announced sites have runs of only a few days. And those shows are far enough into the future that it's almost certain none of the previously trained Billys would still be of the appropriate age to do the role. Also, in at least one of the future productions, the creative team the theater has assembled has no previous ties to a former production of BETM that I can see.

As I've said, so far I think it's safe to say that the regionals at St. Louis and Ogunquit have exceeded people's expectations of quality. It'll be interesting to see if that standard of quality can continue to be met going forward.

The NC Theatre production is very short, but they do have experienced BETM people involved with it, so I will be curious to see what happens with that run.

ERinVA wrote:The NC Theatre production is very short, but they do have experienced BETM people involved with it, so I will be curious to see what happens with that run.

You may be right, and I certainly hope so. But Raleigh should look very closely at Ogunquit and see what it can acquire, if only ideas. There will very little time to reinvent the wheel.

Well, the Muny run was only one week.

Of course, they were working with imported Broadway cast, as is Ogunquit. But who is to say that Raleigh won't import cast members as well? And now that Sam has worked out so well as a Billy, he might be tapped for Raleigh. Who knows?

I would think Sam would be too physically mature by February to do the role again. Myles was certainly pushing it as a standby at the Muny. One never knows though!

ERinVA wrote:The NC Theatre production is very short, but they do have experienced BETM people involved with it, so I will be curious to see what happens with that run.

Who are the experienced BETM artists working on the NCT production? I hadn't heard anything yet. Very much hate that I'll be missing this production. I'm a North Carolinian but will be out of state the entire run. Absolute shame.

Eric Woodall, for one:

http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... 9&start=10

Grady Bowman, for another:

http://www.nctheatre.com/education/summer-classes

In addition, I would not be surprised if Max Baud ended up involved as Older Billy, since he danced with the Carolina Ballet, which is based in Raleigh. He might well enjoy having a week in Raleigh to renew some ties.

Sorry you won't be able to see the Raleigh production, ActingDude17.

Adam Pelty, who is in charge of Ogunquits choreography, teaches at Coastal Carolina University, near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, about a 4 hour drive from Raleigh.

One other name has not been mentioned as a possible 'anchor Billy' for Raleigh: I believe he lives in Boca Raton when he is not in London.

Bill Congdon, the MD from the tour, also has NC connections. His public facebook profile shows him as having graduated from South Mecklenburg H.S. in Charlotte, and East Carolina University.

https://www.facebook.com/bill.congdon.54?fref=ts

As mentioned in the Ogunquit section, it seems to me one of the first questions for any regional production will be whether Billy will fly or not. The Muny with Tade and Max Baud and Ogunquit with Noah and Stephen Hanna were easy enough to answer in the affirmative. What happens when there isn't the prior training to leverage? One clue came in Sam Faulkner's television interview where he talked about needing time to get accustomed to flying. Since it's not something he has ever done before, unlike dancing or singing or acting.

So how much is it worth the training time for the flying sequence, given the opportunity cost of practicing other aspects. Plus what impact does the flying apparatus (and insurance perhaps) have on expenses? I guess time will tell.

Thinking back to the first week of BETM in Ogunquit, it is clear that any new production of BETM will not have reached its potential in such a short period of time as a week or less. The MUNY was, in effect, a reunion of the Tour (with London thrown in) in an outdoor setting. Ogunquit had experienced actors, a director and a choreographer, plus time to develop and hone the show to perfection over its five week run.

Considering past examples (the Tour, the Muny and Ogunquit), the only road (IMHO) for Raleigh is to simplify the show as much as it dares to do, and have several full run-throughs before the opening show (I presume that there is no time for a preview). I really hope it finds the right balance between the show we know and a prudently simplified one that suits its short run. As others have written, one of the glories of live theater is its capacity to adapt as required. I am looking forward to see how Raleigh approaches this complex play with music and dance. I am not expecting it to mirror what has been presented before.