October 2015 Reviews London

Reviews of the show
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patc
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Thursday Matinee 8th October

In the early 60’s I saw a film entitled "The Singer not the Song", almost a British “Western” but actually set in Spain. An interesting story and with a catchy orchestral score. (Even now I can still hum the main theme). As I recall it had a kind of downbeat ending. In the context of the storyline there were at least two interpretations you could take from that abstract title and I’ve never been able to decide which is correct.

Funny the questions that come into your head at 32,000ft. At the end of BETM we also have a downbeat situation. The Miners (the vast majority of the cast) have been humiliated and defeated and their devastated families stand and solemnly watch them descend to their fate. In addition, Jackie Elliot has to soldier on in mourning for his late wife. Mrs. W has to struggle on with an alcoholic hubby, a difficult daughter who will, inevitably, shortly become even more feisty and also get back to her third rate ballet class. Poor Michael we have just seen is distraught at losing his best and only friend and we fear for his future. Billy himself is setting off on an unknown journey into a life so alien. So, why were we, the audience, all so deliriously happy at 5.30pm?

The answer is easy. Nat Sweeney. This was an astonishing display of Billyship that left regular fans and first-timers alike totally exhilarated, exhausted and enthralled. I think it was Stephen Daldry who said in the early days that finding boys who could physically take on this role was the big worry and, even if they did, where would they find even more if the show was to last any length of time. Nat took this on and, after three hours of non-stop action, strode forward to humbly take his bow as if he’d just had a leisurely afternoon, feet up playing Minecraft. It is beyond understanding for us mere mortals.

An Electricity that really belongs in the realm of fantasy was the absolute highlight ( there were reports later that the nearby Tube trains were suddenly running twice as fast) but the spectacle and performance of Angry Dance was also sheer class and as memorable as it gets.

His distinctive speaking voice (to die for) is so crystal clear and so eloquently matches the passion or emotion attached to each scene. And that smile at the end of Electricity. If that doesn’t melt your heart nothing will. The clapometer at the VPT went off the scale.

There was one little incident that Nat, probably, doesn’t even know about. In the Letter scene as he retrieved the LP from his bag, what looked like a small pink/red feather came into view like a magician produces a dove. This little object took up position floating about 6 inches above his head and remained perfectly in situ, gravity neutralised by his all-embracing aura, until the emotion of the scene won and, finally, it began to drift downwards towards the red door. We haven’t seen anything like that since that fateful day all those years ago when Fox Jackson-Keen, in the same scene, was divebombed from the top of the proscenium by a large insect that entangled in his hair.

Nat’s supporting cast of youngsters were outstanding with a capital O. Nathan also won the hearts of the audience with his, without a doubt, totally unique take on Michael. It makes you wish he had more scenes so we could enjoy even more of his inventiveness and style. Beatrice lived up to her already quickly established reputation as Debbie showing such confidence and big Caspar and little Caiden played their parts admirably. Watching the amazingly talented Ashington Ballet Girls in action and obviously enjoying every minute of it brings great joy to your heart. Has there ever been another show that gives so many young people the opportunity to live their dreams …….and have lots of fun doing it?

In most other productions the excellence of the adult cast would be the prime talking point. In this show it is impossible for it to be like that but that in no way detracts from the staggeringly consistent and high quality they provide for us show after show. The combination of young and old blends magnificently together.

Maestro Chris Hatt was the man in control of the music. No CD (or even vinyl) recording could ever recapture or produce the impact and excellence of this masterpiece of composition, arrangement and performance so the only way to truly enjoy it is to be there.

So, there you are, we were all sent home so happy and grateful and un-downbeated. We were so lucky. No questions remaining unanswered here. We got the Singer AND the Song.

Pat
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patc
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Thursday 15th October – all day

You will be familiar with those old side shows where the lady in red stands motionless with her back against a wooden wall whilst a greasy black-haired dude, replete with ponytail, prepares to fling, one by one, a set of deadly knives in a pattern around her form. I’ve only seen it at the movies but a friend of mine who saw it live in a foreign land said it was ghastly to watch, ghastly. As each knife embedded itself securely and safely in the wood with a loud thud her heart was pumping. Not only that, between throws the dude downed another pint of an (alleged) potent alcoholic beverage all designed to interfere with his aim. As the final knife (of 10) was wielded and the dude’s legs began to fold underneath him she could hardly watch. It was frightfully nerve-racking. (but she couched her words in rather more unlady-like language than that). That final knife hit home in the right place to huge sighs of relief from the watchers but she said it was an absolute miracle that the lady in red survived unscathed.

At the VPT yesterday there were no sharp blades (other than Grandma’s bread knife) and the only sighs of relief were due to the fact that both Billys, Thomas at the matinee and Nat in the evening did, after all, really gerr-in. Not that anyone ever doubted that they would. All of the other emotions were present in abundance as both boys threw their considerable energy and talents into truly memorable and exciting performances. That old adage “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” ought to be replaced by “there’s more than 101 ways to play Billy”. You couldn’t imagine two more different styles and yet we were equally enthralled, charmed, ripped apart, amazed, bowled over and won over by acting and dancing of such quality and assurance. The consistency of top rated performance is stunning. The entire English cricket team should be brought down to watch every show for one week to learn what the word “consistency” actually means.

X-Factor isn’t enough to be chosen to play Billy. Triple X-factor is a minimum. As well as the superbly performed major dance numbers and major scenes the “little things” were fantastic. Both Thomas’ and Nat’s fast spins across the stage in front of the ensemble in Solidarity covered every inch of the width of the stage with strong braking having to be applied far left. Had the Stage Door been open I’ll bet they could easily have kept it going out into Allington Street. Both Shadow Dances were gems of graceful movement to accompany that beautiful if short music segment. There are so many of these little things here and there and in between and they all keep audience minds fully occupied. No room for quick snooze-time at any point in this show.

I’ve seen hilarious new Michael, Bradley, on three occasions now and he seems to be experimenting in the Boxing Scene as all have been slightly different to the others. Very funny and very inventive I wonder what he will have in store for us next time.

Doesn’t time fly. It’s hard to believe that Tomi has been winding us up and winding us around his little finger for almost 18 months and is as brilliant as ever at doing it.

Connie, Hollie and the deadly Dinington girls joined forces to intimidate Billy and even though they failed to do so in the end, they had so much fun (as did we). It is right and proper that they are all at the front of the stage at the end after the Finale.

Despite there being several members of the adult cast and Ensemble not present at both shows (my count was six) at no time did the stage look under-occupied or were the powerful harmonies diminished. How do they do that?

There were two Tony’s, Robbie Durham at the matinee with Chris Grahamson returning for the evening show. David Bardsley played George in both shows despite the notice stating it would be Craig Armstrong in the evening.

A short break occurred at the matinee due to the front floor lights refusing to go down after Expressing but the break didn’t actually come until after The Letter.

I often ask myself do these Billy boys really know what they are achieving. Do they really know how much enjoyment, happiness and inspiration they bring to so many thousands of people? When Ruthie is telling the Billys that they are very fxxxing special you can tell by the way she says it and the emotions evoked that she really means it.

So, were there any absolute miracles at the VPT yesterday? There were two. One was called Thomas and the other was called Nat. Had there been water on the stage, it would have turned into wine.

Pat
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jacob
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Thursday October 15th evening

Nat, Tomi, Hollie, Caiden, Joshua, Dinington

A few thoughts to add to Pat’s review.

I would usually eschew long running Musicals because they are often tired having had numerous cast changes over the years and been kept going primarily for the tourist market. Billy Elliot however does seem to stay fresh and interesting. I think that this is primarily due to the presence of all the young performers in the cast whose roles resonate with young and old in the audience alike. Only the Set is old and tired! My other reservation would be that the constant rotation of certain members of the adult cast is unprofessional in that the programme (£6) gives only the barest of hints as to who is playing Dad/Tony/George. In many theatres where the show has frequent cast changes a cast sheet is given to the audience on arrival. This is in addition to a programme on sale. Examples of such theatres are The Royal Opera House and The Royal Court Theatre. At the very least, a cast board should be displayed prominently in the foyer. The Victoria Palace however merely displays the Billy, Michael and Debbie casts for each performance. A member of the audience with an investigative personality might find a small notice displayed above one of the box office windows that showed changes in the adult cast for that performance. Sadly, as Pat has said this was completely incorrect on Thursday evening. Billy Elliot the Musical has been running for ten and a half years and one would have thought that the Company would have shown more professionalism by now. Perhaps Working Title are waiting until the show transfers to another theatre? :(

It was pleasing to see a good house for the evening show with a surprising number of young children in the audience. Children and especially school parties respond to certain scenes with a natural spontaneity. I heard a lot of cheering from the rear stalls on Thursday. :D For once everything worked and there were no interruptions to the action. Moreover, the show ran to time and in fact ended at 10.27pm. This was in no small part due to the efficiency of front of house staff who rarely receive the credit that they deserve. I was interested to see that the cast now leave the theatre at the end of the evening via a new door at the back of the building which leads into Allington Street.

On Thursday evening the cast included Nat, Tomi and Hollie. Tomi was very funny and had the audience in stiches in Express which was a veritable tour de force for him. Playing a key role in the story, Tomi, as Senior Michael is a confident actor who clearly enjoys his performances. He was good on his bicycle too! Hollie gave a spirited showing as Debbie who clearly takes after her mother! This Debbie fancies the pants off Billy but sadly to no avail. Joshua in his cameo role as Thomas was absolutely convincing in the post audition scene.

It is a privilege to write about Nat. On Thursday I was intrigued by his acting. He has clearly thought about the character in some depth. He has understood the complexity of Billy’s personality with its sadness, anxieties and humour. This is an achievement for such a young actor. We saw the happy-sad, light and dark aspects of Billy’s evolving life and each aspect resonated with the audience. Nat drew the audience into their hearts. In short they understood what Billy was going through. Then there was his dancing. He has the deportment and breathing of a ballet dancer. His sense of timing was immaculate too. OK, his skipping was a bit messy but he saw the funny side to this as did I. :lol: In any case I dislike this bit of Born to Boogie which was imported, late on from the Broadway production. ;) Nat was highly professional without being flashy. I believe that dancers are born and not made, and Nat was surely born to dance. He is dancing in the metaphorical shoes of Liam, Leon and Oliver. Maybe he will train as a professional ballet dancer in the future? I certainly hope so, YOLO.

Good one.
'Are we human or are we dancers?' The Killers

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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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A member of the audience with an investigative personality might find a small notice displayed above one of the box office windows that showed changes in the adult cast for that performance. Sadly, as Pat has said this was completely incorrect on Thursday evening.
It is my understanding that Equity rules dictate that an accurate cast list must be published in a public place in the theatre, any changes to the usual cast list published in the Playbill. Since the VPT does not provide a free Playbill, a complete list of cast for every performance should be posted.

How the VPT gets around this rule is a mystery; perhaps UK Equity have dropped this requirement in this instance. That aside, it is a shame that the audience is not provided with a clear list of the names of all cast in any performance. A Playbill would be even better.

I recall thinking the set looked a bit tired; but why change it if there may be bigger changes lying ahead when the VPT shutters for refurbishment. The UK Tour will have a new set; and I bet it will be the one from the last North/South American Tour.
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Every so often you are lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Such was the case with Saturday's matinee. From start to finish the entire cast produced a performance to savour.

There were many highlights that had a very full theatre laughing, clapping and cheering.

Ollie was Billy and produced an out of this world Angry Dance. Full of pure rage and passion, hitting every beat to perfection.

To be able to perform such a routine and still produce a stunning second half, emphasises the fact that Ollie is at the peak of his skills.
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

Post by Barry Appleby »

Cheers and Thanks everyone again for your reviews and remarks they are so appreciated.
Jmh2014 I saw Ollie about a month ago, I was very impressed with him, he so seems to show his enjoyment in performing on stage and immediately has the audience on his side, as with all the Billy's its been great to see him progress.
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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jmh2014 wrote:Ollie was Billy and produced an out of this world Angry Dance. Full of pure rage and passion, hitting every beat to perfection.
I've posted before about how 'Angry Dance' is not my favourite part of the show. At times it just doesn't convince me, I know others have different views. However, when Ollie is on, he really makes it work for me.
"Pure rage and passion" is a great way to describe Ollie J's take on this number jmh2014!

Ollie has been in the show for a while now, and I'm glad to see him getting recognition for his efforts, he deserves it. I have truly enjoyed each boy I have seen perform the role of Billy. Whether it be Nat, Matteo, Mitchell etc etc they have amazed me with their skills. They are so good that I don't ever really doubt that they will "gerr-in" to The RBS. There is something of the underdog in Ollie though, and I think that really suits the role of Billy, and it makes his portrayal so very convincing for me!
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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( With apologies for the lateness, but just a few words about a couple of shows I saw last week)

Those of us who see BETM on a regular basis are well aware that no two shows are the same and this was brought out by two shows last week, on Monday and Saturday evening.

Last Monday Billy was played by Nat Sweeney. I had seen Nat a couple of weeks previously and I have to admit that I found it difficult to fathom out his 'take' on Billy. For me, it was too 'dark', as he never lightened up his mood. Obviously, it is not for me to speculate as to why this was. There was, however, a great big difference on Monday. It wasn't only the fact that he really looked as though he was enjoying himself on stage, everything gelled, with many facial expressions and movements which brought the Billy story to life.

He continued to be sad and serious at the beginning and, obviously, didn't like getting knocked around and laughed at by Debbie and the Ballet girls, but as his dancing progressed so Nat brought Billy to life. Maybe, though, that is Nat's secret, that it is the dancing which spurs him on, for he is an excellent dancer. I sensed from his acting too that he appreciated what was happening around him during various scenes much more so than previously, so that he showed anger, when necessary, and did not look so solemn and downhearted in others. I would also compliment Nat on a very clear voice in delivering his lines.

Throughout the show Nat's dancing was top quality, but I particularly enjoyed Electricity, which was danced in perfect sync with the music. The tap dancing from both Nat and Nathan during Expressing Yourself was also first class. The audience were quite responsive
during the show and there was a smattering of applause for Nathan's 'Nutcracker' line, and some mid-Dream Ballet when Nat was on the wire, but for once, there was little reaction to the ' Is queer/ Esquire' line. It was, however, very disappointing to see so few people on their feet, not only at the initial curtain call, but also at the very end. Nat and the rest of the cast deserved better.

On Saturday evening it was the turn of Thomas and Bradley ( and others) to entertain and this they most certainly did. It has, no doubt, been said before that it is hard to believe Thomas is but eleven years of age and has already performed over 40 times. He may be small in stature, but his energy and effort knows no bounds. One thing I like to see in a Billy is the ability to sometimes slow the pace down and take pauses before speaking lines and Thomas did this to great effect. Add to this his many facial expressions which help to bring out his understanding of the action taking place, plus some first class dancing, a highly charged, noisy, Angry Dance and you have the recipe for a terrific performance, which was fully appreciated by the audience.

During the time she has been in the show, Ruthie has built up a wonderful rapport with all the Billys, of that I am sure. There was, however, such a tender moment, during the Farewell scene, as she said , very emotionally, ''You are very f*****g special, Ruthie cupped Thomas's face in her hands, it brought tears to my eyes.

Why are shows different? On Saturday evening, Craig Armstrong, a stalwart of the show, was playing George, in his own inimitable way. At the start of the Second Act, in the Front of Curtain scene, Craig completely forgot the words, came up with something quite
off the cuff and laughed his way through. ( When I saw Craig outside the theatre afterwards I suggested that he read the script next time. Craig took it in good spirits and laughed once more).

This, however, was Thomas's night and the broad smiles he threw at the audience as he was given a standing ovation showed that he was delighted too.
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Thursday Matinee 22nd October

Imagine you were a Premier League football manager. You might struggle week in week out, burning the midnight oil, trying to pick the right team for the next match, not really knowing what your best team was from the squad available. But suppose you were in the position of knowing that no matter what team you picked every week it always wins and the supporters go home in Dreamland………the very position that the manager of "BETM United" enjoys. Nice.

The captain of Thursday’s matinee team (not for the first time this season) was Nat who gave an inspirational performance of such magnitude that the Autumn leaves called a truce and ceased falling off the trees. Having seen a lot of Nat on recent Thursdays it is fast becoming impossible to find the right words (all the previous words are inadequate anyway).

To begin with, a number of alternates were on. David Bardsley was there to produce his brilliant, legendary version of George. It was great to see Kerry Washington (back after a short absence) as a most enjoyable and lovable Grandma. (what about Grandma sniffing Tony’s placard glue, eh?. No wonder she was high thereafter). Wonderful Wendy was in WOW form as Mrs. W and Lee Hoy danced another great Dream Ballet with Nat.

Utterly professional and experienced Tomi continued his relentless pursuit of audience grabber personification with a monumental depiction of the enigma that is Michael. He turns the moods on and off with uncanny skill and timing. Expressing was just out of this world. The laughter he evoked from a little girl with a very funny laugh seated off to the left of the auditorium added to this entertaining and extravagant number.

Hollie was a treat. Having settled in nicely from her recent debut she carries herself extremely well on stage and her interaction with Nat in front of the cops (“My Mam’s dead”) was spot on in acting and timing. This was also the case in the Toilet scene that got plenty of laughs from a fully involved matinee audience that included a few large youngster groups.

I think I’m right in saying (please do correct if wrong) that the Ballet Girls have the most and most noticeable costume changes in the show but no matter what scene they’re in they deliver with such excellence. It was the Bedlington Team this week for us, just girls being girls in the opening scene, weaving all sorts of delectable magic (and some mayhem) in Shine and Solidarity, busy again in Maggie Thatcher, adoring Billy fans after he gets in, distraught daughters in Once we were Kings and big smilers and skillful dancers in the Finale. That’s some variety of work. No wonder they look so happy afterwards and so they should.

It was, however, Nat who was man of the match. The Angry Dance scene with it’s charging, rioting, noise and clamour was as powerful as it gets yet the marching, pounding shields of power did finally retreat from Nat’s magnificently choreographed defiance. Elsewhere, his expressions, voice inflections and tone, his eyeball to eyeball determination to succeed set the theatre alight with admiration.

In his review of Nat’s performance last week, Jacob concluded “I believe that dancers are born and not made, and Nat was surely born to dance. He is dancing in the metaphorical shoes of Liam, Leon and Oliver”. This is high praise, indeed, coming from someone who knows his ballet and whose opinions on the subject have always been sought and highly respected by Forum members ever since the show began. As one who knows nothing at all about the technicalities and finesses of ballet all I can say is that, even to the uneducated eye, Nat’s Electricity is something that could turn those Autumn leaves green again such are the emotions and feelings it evokes.

I am so grateful to Nat and the entire cast and crew for “making my day” yesterday with another powerful, passionate production of this unique story that has taken the world by storm.

Pat
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Re: October 2015 Reviews London

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Thursday Matinee 29th October

I’m bamboozled, so I am. Bamboozled. In its perplexity meaning, of course. I mean, why would anyone want to spend £1,000 or even more on a watch. Who needs a watch these days anyway? But that’s Small Bamboozled. For Big Bamboozled you’d have to have been at the matinee yesterday. How in the name of Lee Hall can youngsters produce monumental stage performances such as this.

Small Boy George started the ball rolling at 2.30pm and it didn’t stop ‘til 5.30pm. During those three eventful hours it bounced high and low, backways, sideways, in fact, in all compass directions.

Funwise, it was Grandma, Kerry again this week, who started it all in the opening Kitchen scene with another not-so-innocent-eyed sniff of Tony’s placard glue before she got going. This is so funny. The fun continued into the Boxing with George (Howard back again) being thoroughly flummoxed (even Bamboozled) by Ollie’s even more outrageously funny tea dance and Nathan’s marvellously concocted facials plus, of course, little George’s blasphemous press-ups and Caspar getting his come-uppance merely for asking if he could ask something. When this bombardment of hilarity ended, the seas parted and crowding in came Beatrice, all set to make her mark and the brilliant Ashington Girls bursting with a controlled energy and ready to take over the entire stage. Well, they did leave a little bit for Ruthie and a tiny bit for Ollie. Had this been a boxing match they’d have won it well on points. Ollie’s interpretation of Billy being dazed and confused (maybe even Bamboozled) said it all.

After Beatrice had made it clear what she thought of Billy's performance and departed we settled down for the Shadow Dance but things went a little awry. The first thing I noticed was that the lights didn’t do their thing. Hmmm, maybe they did light up but not necessarily in the right order. Ollie, of course, continued, but, as Grandma appeared at the table and he ran over, it was Rows A and B that were bathed in light rather than those on stage. A halt had to be called and there was a delay as, presumably, a system reboot may have been necessary. Soon, though, Assistant Company Manager, Sara Lee, came on stage to announce all was now well to great applause from the well involved audience who had really warmed to the cast.

Expressing Yourself was a magnificent spectacle of light, colour and two dancing boys out to have and deliver top quality fun. If Nathan was a footballer even Barcelona couldn’t afford him. The sheer joy of watching him inculcate Billy into dressing up and the subsequent expansive tap and smile by the pair of them is incalculable whilst the splendidly turned out and skillful dancing dresses added that bit of extra glamour to finish off this delightful number to resounding cheers.

Ollie's handling of The Letter in this performance was absolutely masterfully conceived. By throwing a powerful, agitated, passionate shaking into his voice he pulled it off in spectacular fashion. I couldn’t handle the emotion as I watched it happen right there in front of my eyes. The Letter is poignant enough as it is but watching this outstanding longtime Billy's performance of it at this show was a lesson for us all in courage and determination. I was completely overcome and most grateful that no other Forum members were present today to see me in that condition. Thank goodness for Phil Snowden being there to follow that although, to be honest, the first five minutes of B2B were enjoyed through a damp mist.

New Debbie, Beatrice, is following in the tradition of all the great Debbies of the past. A great mischief maker at the ballet class and really quality acting and timing in her short but sweet-ish scenes with Billy.

The Angry Dance was, in five simple words, as good as it gets. Ollie threw body, soul, heart and mind into a floorboard-shaking masterpiece of dance and the shield bashing extravaganza in the background was akin to a countermelody in a musical composition. It all gelled magnificently with the most crisp of music sound as accompaniment.

I’ll pause here to mention just some of the extraordinarily talented and versatile adult cast. Robbie Durham, standing in for Chris, was outstanding and most convincing as Tony. As is usual in this show, he played it differently but very effectively and really looked the part. Lee Hoy made light of the fact that Ollie is a growing boy in a delectable Dream Ballet. Kerry was a wonderful Grandma with an oft almost mischievous glint in her eye. Ross Finnie drew lots of laughs as Audio Tape Man. Craig Armstrong has his very own way of playing Scab and Posh Dad that I always enjoy to the full and I loved Lucinda’s reserved RBS Receptionist portrayal.

At the interval I was wondering how Electricity would go in the singing department. Ollie had it all worked out. I took a deep breath as the piano note was hit. Using the same technique he had used in the Letter he first grabbed us by the ponytails. Walking with purpose to the front of the stage he captured all of our eyes. Like a spider spinning a web he enticed us into his world. I’ll never forget those passionate, flaming eyes as he peered down, perspiring brow. “Then I feel it move me, like a burning deep inside” told us exactly what William Elliot, Esquire is all about. What followed was the greatest Electricity I have seen him dance. This was it. Crowning moment. Call it what you like. The audience was already clapping as he came forward to sing the final verse. Incredibly, he threw his hands in the air, dipped into the ionosphere and, defying nature for a few brief moments, belted out those immortal words of freedom before dancing around the back, spiralling forward and finishing off with spectacular spins. The humblest of Ollie smiles was so good to see. Magnifico. To paraphrase a well known song, I could have clapped all night. I knew I was watching something very xxxxx special. It was a breathtaking Billy performance for which I shall be eternally grateful.

As usual, Nathan had the final effect on my already battered and bruised emotions and, as usual, he sent me to the breaker’s yard. I love being there…….and being Bamboozled.

Pat
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