Goodspeed Reviews

jdmag44 · Post by **jdmag44** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:45 am

Goodspeed opera house, opening-night September 13.

OMG this is the one to see. A brilliant, stunning production. Director Gabe Barre has assembled a fantastic cast, and with his unique vision molded a near perfect production. Marvelous sets, beautiful costumes, fantastic orchestra all make this production shine. All the principal characters were fantastic. Dad, Mrs. Wilkinson, grandma, Michael,George, and of course Liam Vincent Hutt who lit up the stage with his portrayal of Billy. Liam showed himself to be a true triple threat his acting was incredible, wonderful facial expressions, a wonderful range of emotions, his beautiful singing voice, and his dazzling dancing ability were all evident every moment he was on the stage. This production is certainly worth going out of your way to see. it will be playing to the end of November so seriously consider checking this one out, you will not be disappointed it is fantastic.

Post by **CJ-Rochester** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:45 pm

Here's the thread for reviews. Let's be having 'em.

jdmag44 · Post by **jdmag44** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:54 pm

my review of opening-night is in the chat section for Goodspeed

angelenroute · Post by **angelenroute** » Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:29 pm

jdmag44 wrote:my review of opening-night is in the chat section for Goodspeed

Always takes me a moment to remember how to do this, but I've successfully moved your review to this review section now, Joe. I'm definitely going to make every effort to see this. Have a whole lot on my plate at the moment, but perhaps in late October or early November I can make this happen. Thanks for the great review!

-Sean

mikey2573 · Post by **mikey2573** » Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:30 am

I saw both shows yesterday (Sept. 21st) and this really is a terrific production that is very different in many ways from other productions.
Taven Blanke played Billy at the matinee and he was fantastic. He is very small (looks about 10 on stage) and his Billy is very vulnerable and sweet. The audience was really rooting for him and he got a huge standing ovation when he came back on stage for his initial bow. Whatever trepidations he may have had on his first few shows were completely gone yesterday. Confident, charming, likable, great voice, acting was spot on, and his "Letter" was incredibly moving. Great little dancer with some acro thrown in for good measure. I don't know how old he is but I would guess that other regional theaters doing Billy would be able to snatch him up for at least the next two to three years.

At the evening show Liam Vincnet Hutt played Billy and he was equally impressive. Hutt is much bigger than Blanke so his Billy came across as a little tougher than Blanke's. (BTW, the woman sitting next to me absolutely lost it during his "Letter"). While Blanke has a sweet lilting singing voice, Hutt sounds like a real belter and really let the songs bounce off the theater walls. He was very impressive in the dance department as well.
Jon Martens was very good as Michael but I really liked Michelle Aravena's Mrs. Wilkinson. Very strong, yet compassionate.
Some of the changes were a bit jarring to me, and some I down right disliked (the dancing clocks) but overall this is a strong production that tries to turn the entire theater into a "Easington Town Hall Meeting". And the bottom line is, both of the Billys in this production are equally strong with VERY different approaches to the character.
For me, it was a 2.5 hour drive to get to the Goodspeed and I am glad I went. Very good production.

Post by **porschesrule** » Mon Sep 23, 2019 6:38 am

mikey2573 wrote: I don't know how old he is but I would guess that other regional theaters doing Billy would be able to snatch him up for at least the next two to three years.

For the record, Taven Blanke is 12 years old (d.o.b. = 14-Aug-2007) so, yes, it would seem his small stature and age would be in his favor to be able to play Billy again in the near future should the opportunity arise and should he desire to do so. The Chance Theater production (Anaheim, CA) in June, 2020 comes to mind, as it's a stone's throw for Taven to where he lives in Fountain Valley, CA.

https://betm.theskykid.com/meet-billy-e ... en-blanke/

Thank you for the great review, mikey2573.

Post by **kport** » Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:29 pm

A brief and positive review, or description, of a visit to see this show:

https://the-e-list.com/2019/09/billy-el ... st-haddam/

Post by **porschesrule** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 3:34 pm

Here's a very nice first review of the Goodspeed production, featuring Liam Vincent Hutt as Billy on Press Night:

http://www.inthespotlightinc.org/2019/1 ... t.html?m=1

Post by **porschesrule** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 11:32 pm

A blog called the South Shore Critic chimes in with another positive review of the Goodspeed Musicals BETM production:

http://southshorecritic.blogspot.com/20 ... n.html?m=1

Post by **porschesrule** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 11:37 pm

An independent theatre critic, Jim Ruocco, absolutely loved Goodspeed's BETM and especially the performance of Liam Vincent Hutt as Billy. He tweeted:

"Thirteen-year-old Liam Vincent Hutt gives the performance of the year in Goodspeed Musicals' thrilling production of "Billy Elliot: The Musical." As the title character, Hutt amazes at every single turn as he brings Billy's much-loved story vibrantly to life."

https://twitter.com/JimRuocco/status/11 ... 6923157504

Billy Elliot the Forum