Issaquah Reviews
Issaquah Reviews
Here's a positive review of the show from the Issaquah Press: http://www.theeastside.news/issaquah/en ... 5fadf.html
Re: Issaquah Reviews
Great Expectations
If you are a big fan of Billy Elliot The Musical, and have seen one or more of the major productions of the show, i.e. London's West End, Broadway, the U.S. Tour, or some of the other big, long running productions, you may certainly wonder what you might be getting into if you go see a Regional Production of a smaller scale. Perhaps one of the many regionals that have sprung up like weeds across the landscape of the U.S. this past year. It's reasonable I think, to go into it having some reservations or concerns, regarding whether it could possibly stand up in quality with London's mother-ship, or that of Broadway's huge reputation. Will it disappoint? Will it be watered down or fall short of reasonable expectations? It's only natural, having seen the production at its finest, to cross our fingers and hope that it could possibly hold its own, and do justice to the original.
Ah, but then, it is to our great surprise when we come across a gem, hidden amongst the weeds. Such is the Issaquah Village Theatre's production of Billy Elliot The Musical. Who could have expected it? This quaint little theatre (ca. 500 seats) is tucked away against the foothills of the Cascades, about as far from Broadway or London's West End as one can possibly be. The venue may be small by comparison, but the show is huge. It can and does, not only hold its own, but it rivals the big time productions. You can feel it from the moment you sit down to see the 'large' theater-like screen on which the old newsreel footage is projected with great clarity. And, with the opening number of The Stars Look Down, you can hear the quality of the sound and the strength of the vocals. And at that moment, you can just tell it was going to be good.
Throughout the show, the sound system, vocals, orchestra music, even every tap of the tap shoes was crystal clear, distinct, making the audio presentation as wonderful as the visual. The sound guy never missed a cue with the mics, or the sound balance, and hearing every tap in Born to Boogie, Expressing Yourself and Angry Dance was a sensually pleasing treat. One of the true standouts in this show were the overall, individual acting performances. Every line felt so natural, and came off as unscripted. Not like someone was parroting memorized lines. Each line was delivered with such authenticity that it truly felt as if the story was actually unfolding right now, in front of you for the first time. This, amidst another stand out, that being the show's refreshing staging and choreography. Subtle changes that only clarified and cleaned up certain scenes.
Faye B. Summers played the tottering old grandma right on the edge. What a delight to see her facial expressions as she teetered about, giving a charming and touching performance as Billy's nana... Grandma's song was spot on. In the background, not a confusing jumble of drunken bar goers moving chairs around, rather, four guys and three gals, lit in a vignette that clearly was a vivid flashback to her younger days at the club, and especially her turbulent relationship with Billy's grandpa. I've never seen it staged better.
Mrs. Wilkinson was aptly played by Mari Nelson, who blended the right amounts of indifference and perhaps disappointment at her position in life, and the excitement at finding a potential diamond in the rough. A blend of "Piss off Debbie I'm busy" attitude, to a rekindling of her fading passion. "God why do I bother..."
Michael was portrayed by young Bryan Kinder. Again, a finely tuned mix of sass, diva, and, 'I need a friend', boy with a secret. I have to say, Bryan's tap dancing was on par with the best of them. Expressing Yourself was a finely crafted number, which featured complicated tap steps and changeovers reminiscent of what you might hear in the original cast recording, and the boys were beautify synchronized. The sound was impeccable. At many shows, doing such vigorous dancing, the vocals tend to suffer. The boys being winded, and engaged in the dance arrangement. Not here. The lines were delivered clearly, with as much emphasis on the vocals as the tap.
Also, gone were those damn dancing dresses (Thank God!) that never did feel right. In their place, the boys opened Michael's closet doors and out poured seven dancers in top hats, tails and canes, that reminded one of a Fred Astaire movie. The remainder of the dance was heightened by the nicely choreographed tap sequence that left you smiling and wanting more.
Born to Boogie was another nicely choreographed number. No jump rope I'm afraid, but a splendid extra bit of tap dancing in its stead. All the song and dance numbers were brilliantly presented throughout the show, and though a seasoned Billy-Maniac may have recognized the small staging differences, they certainly would have been pleased by what they witnessed. I'll slip in my only disappointment at this point. Unfortunately they dropped the 'ensemble dance number' finale at the very end. I really missed that. It always sends the audience off feeling upbeat.
Oh, and of course there was Billy. The show I saw featured Philipp Mergener. One of four Billy's, cast to rotate in the role from night to night. Quite the accomplished triple threat this one. His acting was genuine, sincere, palpable. His dance prowess was as good as any, in both tap and Ballet... His singing was delightful, clean and clear; reminiscent perhaps of young Liam Mower. But perhaps the best part with him was his stage presence. His interactions with the cast, and especially the ballet girls early on and throughout training was simply fun to watch. His facial expressions ranged from confusion to curious smiles to silly 'what's up with that' looks, as some of the new and strange ballet dance positions unfolded around him. It felt quite right actually. And, unlike most regionals, where rehearsals are barely a month or more, these Billys have been training for nearly six months, and I promise you, it shows...
I'll wrap this up because it's running long, but this production truly stands among the greats. It was polished, and virtually flawless. Great sets, great staging, awesome sound and choreography, fine Direction. The venue bespoke of a regional production. But the performance left me surprised at the end, that I wasn't exiting the theatre onto the streets of London or New York. Yes, watching it, I'd forgotten this wasn't a West End or Broadway show. I had forgotten this was merely a diamond amongst the weeds...
Great Expectations met...
Billy Elliot the Musical will be at The Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA, until July 3rd. Then it transfers to the sister theatre, The Everett Performing Arts Center, from July 8th-31st. This is THE West Coast show not to be missed this summer!
http://villagetheatre.org/issaquah/index.php
If you are a big fan of Billy Elliot The Musical, and have seen one or more of the major productions of the show, i.e. London's West End, Broadway, the U.S. Tour, or some of the other big, long running productions, you may certainly wonder what you might be getting into if you go see a Regional Production of a smaller scale. Perhaps one of the many regionals that have sprung up like weeds across the landscape of the U.S. this past year. It's reasonable I think, to go into it having some reservations or concerns, regarding whether it could possibly stand up in quality with London's mother-ship, or that of Broadway's huge reputation. Will it disappoint? Will it be watered down or fall short of reasonable expectations? It's only natural, having seen the production at its finest, to cross our fingers and hope that it could possibly hold its own, and do justice to the original.
Ah, but then, it is to our great surprise when we come across a gem, hidden amongst the weeds. Such is the Issaquah Village Theatre's production of Billy Elliot The Musical. Who could have expected it? This quaint little theatre (ca. 500 seats) is tucked away against the foothills of the Cascades, about as far from Broadway or London's West End as one can possibly be. The venue may be small by comparison, but the show is huge. It can and does, not only hold its own, but it rivals the big time productions. You can feel it from the moment you sit down to see the 'large' theater-like screen on which the old newsreel footage is projected with great clarity. And, with the opening number of The Stars Look Down, you can hear the quality of the sound and the strength of the vocals. And at that moment, you can just tell it was going to be good.
Throughout the show, the sound system, vocals, orchestra music, even every tap of the tap shoes was crystal clear, distinct, making the audio presentation as wonderful as the visual. The sound guy never missed a cue with the mics, or the sound balance, and hearing every tap in Born to Boogie, Expressing Yourself and Angry Dance was a sensually pleasing treat. One of the true standouts in this show were the overall, individual acting performances. Every line felt so natural, and came off as unscripted. Not like someone was parroting memorized lines. Each line was delivered with such authenticity that it truly felt as if the story was actually unfolding right now, in front of you for the first time. This, amidst another stand out, that being the show's refreshing staging and choreography. Subtle changes that only clarified and cleaned up certain scenes.
Faye B. Summers played the tottering old grandma right on the edge. What a delight to see her facial expressions as she teetered about, giving a charming and touching performance as Billy's nana... Grandma's song was spot on. In the background, not a confusing jumble of drunken bar goers moving chairs around, rather, four guys and three gals, lit in a vignette that clearly was a vivid flashback to her younger days at the club, and especially her turbulent relationship with Billy's grandpa. I've never seen it staged better.
Mrs. Wilkinson was aptly played by Mari Nelson, who blended the right amounts of indifference and perhaps disappointment at her position in life, and the excitement at finding a potential diamond in the rough. A blend of "Piss off Debbie I'm busy" attitude, to a rekindling of her fading passion. "God why do I bother..."
Michael was portrayed by young Bryan Kinder. Again, a finely tuned mix of sass, diva, and, 'I need a friend', boy with a secret. I have to say, Bryan's tap dancing was on par with the best of them. Expressing Yourself was a finely crafted number, which featured complicated tap steps and changeovers reminiscent of what you might hear in the original cast recording, and the boys were beautify synchronized. The sound was impeccable. At many shows, doing such vigorous dancing, the vocals tend to suffer. The boys being winded, and engaged in the dance arrangement. Not here. The lines were delivered clearly, with as much emphasis on the vocals as the tap.
Also, gone were those damn dancing dresses (Thank God!) that never did feel right. In their place, the boys opened Michael's closet doors and out poured seven dancers in top hats, tails and canes, that reminded one of a Fred Astaire movie. The remainder of the dance was heightened by the nicely choreographed tap sequence that left you smiling and wanting more.
Born to Boogie was another nicely choreographed number. No jump rope I'm afraid, but a splendid extra bit of tap dancing in its stead. All the song and dance numbers were brilliantly presented throughout the show, and though a seasoned Billy-Maniac may have recognized the small staging differences, they certainly would have been pleased by what they witnessed. I'll slip in my only disappointment at this point. Unfortunately they dropped the 'ensemble dance number' finale at the very end. I really missed that. It always sends the audience off feeling upbeat.
Oh, and of course there was Billy. The show I saw featured Philipp Mergener. One of four Billy's, cast to rotate in the role from night to night. Quite the accomplished triple threat this one. His acting was genuine, sincere, palpable. His dance prowess was as good as any, in both tap and Ballet... His singing was delightful, clean and clear; reminiscent perhaps of young Liam Mower. But perhaps the best part with him was his stage presence. His interactions with the cast, and especially the ballet girls early on and throughout training was simply fun to watch. His facial expressions ranged from confusion to curious smiles to silly 'what's up with that' looks, as some of the new and strange ballet dance positions unfolded around him. It felt quite right actually. And, unlike most regionals, where rehearsals are barely a month or more, these Billys have been training for nearly six months, and I promise you, it shows...
I'll wrap this up because it's running long, but this production truly stands among the greats. It was polished, and virtually flawless. Great sets, great staging, awesome sound and choreography, fine Direction. The venue bespoke of a regional production. But the performance left me surprised at the end, that I wasn't exiting the theatre onto the streets of London or New York. Yes, watching it, I'd forgotten this wasn't a West End or Broadway show. I had forgotten this was merely a diamond amongst the weeds...
Great Expectations met...
Billy Elliot the Musical will be at The Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA, until July 3rd. Then it transfers to the sister theatre, The Everett Performing Arts Center, from July 8th-31st. This is THE West Coast show not to be missed this summer!
http://villagetheatre.org/issaquah/index.php
Re: Issaquah Reviews
Thanks for the detailed and informative review ! I had a feeling it was going to be among the better regional productions staged so far, if only because of the amount of time they've spent training the four Billys to make sure the dancing is up to the level that the show deserves. Strange that they would drop the Finale. I had noticed on the theater's web site that it was listed as only lasting 2 hours, so I was wondering what they were going to cut to shorten it by that much. The Finale's only about 5 minutes, though, so were there other parts that were cut too, or was the show actually longer than what they advertised it to be ?
Re: Issaquah Reviews
The show is about two hours forty-five minutes....Todd wrote:Thanks for the detailed and informative review ! I had a feeling it was going to be among the better regional productions staged so far, if only because of the amount of time they've spent training the four Billys to make sure the dancing is up to the level that the show deserves. Strange that they would drop the Finale. I had noticed on the theater's web site that it was listed as only lasting 2 hours, so I was wondering what they were going to cut to shorten it by that much. The Finale's only about 5 minutes, though, so were there other parts that were cut too, or was the show actually longer than what they advertised it to be ?
Re: Issaquah Reviews
Thursday, June 30
Having never visited the Pacific Northwest before, the glowing reviews of this production were the final motivation that I needed to plan my first trip up this way. Besides being able to visit some friends I haven't seen in years and enjoying the scenic beauty of the region, I saw an excellent version of "Billy Elliot" in Issaquah last night that mirrors pretty much everything that kport mentioned in his review.
I saw the same Billy (Philipp Mergener) and Michael (Bryan Kinder) that kport mentioned in his review. These two boys - along with every other member of the cast - might be the most accomplished cast of singers that I've seen. Mari Nelson (Mrs. Wilkinson) sounded like she would be able to handle any classically-trained singing role in any show, such was the strength and beauty of her voice. Greg McCormick Allen - who played Mr. Braithwait and who was also in the Ogunquit production - was also very good and sported a hilarious hairpiece that was reminiscent of a 1980's Billy Ray Cyrus. Jasmine Harrick was probably the most accomplished actor of any Debbie I've seen, although - to be fair - she was also a few years older than most Debbies in past productions. It did make her scenes with Billy more believable, as her advances towards him seemed more age-appropriate than when Debbie appears to be about 4 years younger than Billy.
The sound was crisp and loud, and the actors seemed to take special care to enunciate and soften the Geordie accent just enough so that most anyone would be able to understand the dialogue. That being said, I never heard the actors slip into their natural American accent, so it's obvious that a great deal of training was involved in making sure the actors sounded reasonably authentic in their speaking. It was interesting how certain F-words were left in - such as at the very beginning when Billy tells Michael, "F***ed if I know" but then in other spots, that word was replaced with a non-profanity. Mrs. Wilkinson - for example - tells Billy, "You are very, very special" right before "Once We Were Kings." Maybe they figured they would leave just enough of them in so that it wasn't G-rated without running the risk of audience members saying, "They just kept saying that word over and over again !"
The stage was smaller than most "Billy Elliot" productions, so some of the dances had to be scaled back and simplified a bit. One wonders what Philipp Meregener - as Billy - would have been able to do with more space to move about during "Electricity." Nevertheless, he appeared quite adept at his pirouettes and did a good job showing the transformation of Billy from a novice dancer to someone whom you could imagine winning a spot in the Royal ballet. He played some scenes more lighthearted than I've seen them played before, such as the scene after "Electricity" when the town people are asking him if he's heard anything about getting into the school. Whereas many Billys seem annoyed and get angry at the constant questioning, he smiled and seemed genuinely pleased that they were asking him about it. He also smiled a lot during "The Stars Look Down," as opposed the more angry, chip-on-the-shoulder entrance that Billys often make when Dad drags him onto the stage.
I will be seeing two more performances while I'm in Seattle, so hopefully I'll be able to see two of the other three Billys and see how they put their personal stamp on the role. I hope I get to see Bryan Kinder again as Michael (he shares the role with another actor), as he was one of the best-singing and natural comic performers that I've seen in this particular role. I'll be surprised if some Broadway talent scout doesn't make an offer for him to move up to the next level, if that hasn't happened already.
Having never visited the Pacific Northwest before, the glowing reviews of this production were the final motivation that I needed to plan my first trip up this way. Besides being able to visit some friends I haven't seen in years and enjoying the scenic beauty of the region, I saw an excellent version of "Billy Elliot" in Issaquah last night that mirrors pretty much everything that kport mentioned in his review.
I saw the same Billy (Philipp Mergener) and Michael (Bryan Kinder) that kport mentioned in his review. These two boys - along with every other member of the cast - might be the most accomplished cast of singers that I've seen. Mari Nelson (Mrs. Wilkinson) sounded like she would be able to handle any classically-trained singing role in any show, such was the strength and beauty of her voice. Greg McCormick Allen - who played Mr. Braithwait and who was also in the Ogunquit production - was also very good and sported a hilarious hairpiece that was reminiscent of a 1980's Billy Ray Cyrus. Jasmine Harrick was probably the most accomplished actor of any Debbie I've seen, although - to be fair - she was also a few years older than most Debbies in past productions. It did make her scenes with Billy more believable, as her advances towards him seemed more age-appropriate than when Debbie appears to be about 4 years younger than Billy.
The sound was crisp and loud, and the actors seemed to take special care to enunciate and soften the Geordie accent just enough so that most anyone would be able to understand the dialogue. That being said, I never heard the actors slip into their natural American accent, so it's obvious that a great deal of training was involved in making sure the actors sounded reasonably authentic in their speaking. It was interesting how certain F-words were left in - such as at the very beginning when Billy tells Michael, "F***ed if I know" but then in other spots, that word was replaced with a non-profanity. Mrs. Wilkinson - for example - tells Billy, "You are very, very special" right before "Once We Were Kings." Maybe they figured they would leave just enough of them in so that it wasn't G-rated without running the risk of audience members saying, "They just kept saying that word over and over again !"
The stage was smaller than most "Billy Elliot" productions, so some of the dances had to be scaled back and simplified a bit. One wonders what Philipp Meregener - as Billy - would have been able to do with more space to move about during "Electricity." Nevertheless, he appeared quite adept at his pirouettes and did a good job showing the transformation of Billy from a novice dancer to someone whom you could imagine winning a spot in the Royal ballet. He played some scenes more lighthearted than I've seen them played before, such as the scene after "Electricity" when the town people are asking him if he's heard anything about getting into the school. Whereas many Billys seem annoyed and get angry at the constant questioning, he smiled and seemed genuinely pleased that they were asking him about it. He also smiled a lot during "The Stars Look Down," as opposed the more angry, chip-on-the-shoulder entrance that Billys often make when Dad drags him onto the stage.
I will be seeing two more performances while I'm in Seattle, so hopefully I'll be able to see two of the other three Billys and see how they put their personal stamp on the role. I hope I get to see Bryan Kinder again as Michael (he shares the role with another actor), as he was one of the best-singing and natural comic performers that I've seen in this particular role. I'll be surprised if some Broadway talent scout doesn't make an offer for him to move up to the next level, if that hasn't happened already.
Re: Issaquah Reviews
I am glad you enjoyed this production, Todd. It will be interesting to hear how it translates to the next venue in Everett. I thought that with the quality of some of these regionals, it is a shame that they do not have concurrent runs in more than one theatre. Many regional theatres pair up to co-produce shows. The only thing that might be required would be duplicating the children - the Ballet Girls, Tall and Small Boy (but not Billy or Michael) who could be 'sourced locally' for different venues.
This seems to be common in regionals. It was the case at The Maltz, The Company Theatre, and The Palace Theatre. I like it. It demonstrates that Billy has truly melted Mrs W's heart.Mrs. Wilkinson - for example - tells Billy, "You are very, very special" right before "Once We Were Kings." Maybe they figured they would leave just enough of them in so that it wasn't G-rated without running the risk of audience members saying, "They just kept saying that word over and over again !"
Re: Issaquah Reviews
Friday, July 1
Billy - Nikita Baryshinikov
Michael - Quinn Liebling
Tall/Posh Boy - Vincent Bennett
The second of my shows here in Issaquah was another entertaining performance with a much more receptive audience than last night's. The humorous lines were all getting bigger laughs than they did yesterday. Particularly funny was in the boxing scene when Michael socks George below the belt. A boy sitting behind me - who was probably about 8 to 10 years old - let out a loud, high-pitched laugh that got several others around us to start laughing because of his reaction.
Nikita Baryshnikov (Billy) did his name proud, turning in a fine performance and showed himself to be a smooth, accomplished dancer. His acting was also quite good, as his reactions to everything that was going on around him seemed spontaneous and natural. Like Philipp Mergener who played Billy last night, he plays a much more light-hearted and smily Billy than most other productions I've seen. I had assumed it was largely a reflection of the personality of the actor, but am starting to think that it must be the way the director has coached the boys to play the part. He also has a very nice singing voice. While his natural speaking voice has dropped down to a lower register, he was able to effortlessly slip into a falsetto with ease and hit all the higher notes.
Quinn Liebling (Michael) did a fine job as Michael. He looked like a clone of Griffin Birney, who old-timers on the Forum might remember as one of the Michaels on the first North American tour. He - along with all the cast - seemed to really be enjoying his time on stage and looked very comfortable and accomplished in his dancing and singing.
As kport mentioned in his earlier review, the Finale as it's always been done before has curiously been omitted from this production. They do at least have a curtain call at the end, giving each performer a chance to take center stage and receive their applause. Billy walks down the side aisle with his suitcase (there's no center aisle in this theater) and re-enters to take the final bow from the back of the stage, as opposed to running back down from the back as is usually done. As I mentioned before, the audience was very appreciative tonight and gave the cast a standing ovation along with enthusiastic and loud applause. It appeared to be a near-full house. Pretty impressive that they've been able to sustain big crowds over the long period of time the show has been playing there. One wonders if this is the norm both in terms of crowd size and quality of productions for this venue. If so, they have a lot to be proud of with this regional theater and the professional entertainment that they provide for this picturesque and charming part of Seattle.
Billy - Nikita Baryshinikov
Michael - Quinn Liebling
Tall/Posh Boy - Vincent Bennett
The second of my shows here in Issaquah was another entertaining performance with a much more receptive audience than last night's. The humorous lines were all getting bigger laughs than they did yesterday. Particularly funny was in the boxing scene when Michael socks George below the belt. A boy sitting behind me - who was probably about 8 to 10 years old - let out a loud, high-pitched laugh that got several others around us to start laughing because of his reaction.
Nikita Baryshnikov (Billy) did his name proud, turning in a fine performance and showed himself to be a smooth, accomplished dancer. His acting was also quite good, as his reactions to everything that was going on around him seemed spontaneous and natural. Like Philipp Mergener who played Billy last night, he plays a much more light-hearted and smily Billy than most other productions I've seen. I had assumed it was largely a reflection of the personality of the actor, but am starting to think that it must be the way the director has coached the boys to play the part. He also has a very nice singing voice. While his natural speaking voice has dropped down to a lower register, he was able to effortlessly slip into a falsetto with ease and hit all the higher notes.
Quinn Liebling (Michael) did a fine job as Michael. He looked like a clone of Griffin Birney, who old-timers on the Forum might remember as one of the Michaels on the first North American tour. He - along with all the cast - seemed to really be enjoying his time on stage and looked very comfortable and accomplished in his dancing and singing.
As kport mentioned in his earlier review, the Finale as it's always been done before has curiously been omitted from this production. They do at least have a curtain call at the end, giving each performer a chance to take center stage and receive their applause. Billy walks down the side aisle with his suitcase (there's no center aisle in this theater) and re-enters to take the final bow from the back of the stage, as opposed to running back down from the back as is usually done. As I mentioned before, the audience was very appreciative tonight and gave the cast a standing ovation along with enthusiastic and loud applause. It appeared to be a near-full house. Pretty impressive that they've been able to sustain big crowds over the long period of time the show has been playing there. One wonders if this is the norm both in terms of crowd size and quality of productions for this venue. If so, they have a lot to be proud of with this regional theater and the professional entertainment that they provide for this picturesque and charming part of Seattle.
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porschesrule
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Re: Issaquah Reviews
Thank you, Todd, for this review and for updating the tracking thread with the info on the shows you saw at Village Theatre.
Although we've read great things in the press for this production, having long time Billy fans (like you and kport) give your impressions of the show firsthand is a much better barometer of how the show compares to other productions of BETM.
Although we've read great things in the press for this production, having long time Billy fans (like you and kport) give your impressions of the show firsthand is a much better barometer of how the show compares to other productions of BETM.