Billy Elliot the Forum

A very positive first review:

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/n ... -1-4236435

Another brilliant review!!

http://www.alledinburghtheatre.com/bill ... 16-review/

Great review!

http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents ... e_Musical/

Love this review too!

http://www.edinburghguide.com/reviews/m ... view-17467

Duplicate removed

Thanks for the links to reviews from Edinburgh.

It appears we have a couple of duplicate posts

Can I just remind members when posting links to check previous posts to make sure you aren't duplicating information that has already been posted.

Thanks.

A short hop from Newcastle to Edinburgh to see the performances on Wednesday and Thursday (both). I will comment on the Press Night (Wednesday) show . The Edinburgh Playhouse is an unremarkable building from the outside, blending in with the surrounding properties, and I understand at one time was a cinema. Inside however, standing in the front stalls and looking to the rear, the seats seem to disappear over the horizon with the curvature of the Earth. I have never seen so many seats in a theatre (just over 3,000). I can't imagine what the view is like from the very back. In consequence, leaving after a performance takes a very long time as everybody shuffles to the exits. The seats I had in the front stalls however gave ample leg room and were quite comfortable. I had checked on the ticket website the day before, and although the front stalls had sold out there seemed to be a large number of unsold seats elsewhere. In the event, on the night, it seemed to be more or less a sell out. The Edinburgh crowd were in enthusiastic mood. They were appreciative, loud in their support, cheering, clapping, laughing, whooping and shouting encouragement. They responded readily when encouraged to clap in Merry Christmas and also during the finale. A great atmosphere which added to the night. Needless to say, a standing ovation at the end (all three performances)

Lewis was Billy on the night. On the luck of the draw I have now seen Lewis on nine occasions playing Billy (he has of course played supporting roles). This is about the same number as the the other three Billys combined. Since first seeing him at Sunderland (he was replaced by Adam due to a twisted ankle), at Bradford, in Cardiff (where he got clobbered on the head by a prop - a lad who suffers for his art !) and now in Edinburgh, he has shown steady progress. I think he is now as near to the finished article as you can get. He is (and from the start has been) an accomplished gymnast and dancer, but has now polished his acting skills. His timing with pauses is immaculate, and he sounds as though he is in natural conversation. He has also added a repertoire of subtle facial expressions. When Mrs W asks him to show her the special things he has brought which mean something to him, he shoots her a sideways glance and rolls his eyes - he might, as Billy, be going along with her, but he thinks she is bonkers on this point. He has lots of confidence now in himself, and has just relaxed into the role.

The Edinburgh audience responded well to all of the usual comedy spots. They in particular (all three performances) loved the Debbie/Billy scene by the toilet cubicles. On Wednesday night, after the initial laughter had died down, a section of ladies in the audience continued giggling among themselves. This set the rest of the audience off on another bout of laughing. Lewis held back with his response throughout all of this, and when he finally got around to declining the offer from Debbie, this set the audience off yet again.

There was a massive response to Electricity. The applause and cheering just went on and on, with Lewis grinning like all of his birthdays had arrived at once at front of stage.

Martin as Dad has changed. He now seems to be much more aggressive than he was at an earlier stage, and in the scene where he confronts Billy at his ballet class he has upped his anger. At one stage I was beginning to wonder if he might lose his voice if he kept on at that level. The whole cast on the night seemed to be enjoying themselves, and everyone was up to par. I think Edinburgh has been won over, but I suspect that it will be difficult to fill all of the seats for the whole length of the run, unless they ship in people from all of the offshore islands.

Some other observations. The ballet dancer from Glasgow has now become the ballet dancer from Essex, with a southern English accent. A theatre specific change no doubt. The fight scenes - Michael/Billy (boxing scene) ; Dad/Tony ; Billy/Posh boy - have become so realistic with sound effects that the audience gasped every time, as though the punches had actually landed. Bradley playing Michael on Thursday was obviously working from his old VPT script - the welfare hall has reverted from being "bloody freezing" to the more traditional "f***ing freezing".

That's about all my shredded memory can recall for now. The tour is however in rude health, and I am looking forward to the next outing at Bristol.

Review from The List dated 26th September

https://www.list.co.uk/article/84923-bi ... e-musical/

Also

An extract from a wider article on Scottish culture and events by Phil MacHugh of The Sun, Scottish edition.

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol ... -595538334

“............but it was Highland Dancing talent that made me stand out. I won the British Championships when I was 14-years-old and this week I was invited to the premiere of 'Billy Elliot: The Musical' at the Playhouse theatre - and memories came flooding back. I am already a fan of the movie and was excited to see the stage production but I didn't think I'd be as blown away as I was. It is breathtaking! This UK touring production is without doubt the best show I've ever watched at the Playhouse. The energy of the cast, the real life belief in the story and the outstanding performance by the lead boy, Lewis Smallman, who played Billy Elliot.

The 3,000 capacity audience were on their feet with the biggest standing ovation I've had the pleasure of seeing and the production that explores the tale of a working class family, living in poverty during the 1980s miners strikes in North East England simply blew my mind! It's a story of ballet, a story of love and a story that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. …………………………… “

A heretic is converted

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/n ... -1-4240453