February 2016 reviews - London

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Barry Appleby
George
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Re: January 2016 Reviews - London

Post by Barry Appleby »

THURSDAY 4th FEB (matinee)


Well last week I had a bit of a winge when passing on the cast list to the forum sent from the VP, that I had missed Brodie yet again!!! on a Thursday matinee, I've not seen him on stage since July.
So I was so chuffed, when I was down this week and his name was on the board, that made my day and he didn't disappoint, well do any of them, no of course not. His performance was excellent throughout, he has grown taller, mind you it is 6 months since I last saw him. Brodie is a very talented lad and I hope his dreams come true when he leaves Billy. He interacts so well with the cast, full of confidence, mind you he didn't get away in the letter scene, when trying to snatching the letter back for a 2nd time, this week, Ruthie was to quick for him. All his routines were 1st class, from Expressing Yourself, skipping in B2B to Angry Dance which was so full of venom and temper, he got a great ovation for Dream Ballet, Electricity just brilliant, the audience didn't expect the wall flip, they stood up in their masses during the ovation, to be honest they were gob smacked. As soon has Brodie ran off the stage all the electrics tripped out, just leaving the emergency light system on, this stopped everything, no stage lights or auditorium lights either. David Massey had to come out and explain, the audience were so patient and good humoured. I reckon they were short of 50p's backstage!!!, anyway after about 15 minutes David came out with a big smile! of relief and explained they were ready to continue, telling us, all the computers etc had to be reset, so the show completed only about 10 minuted late.
The audience fell for Bradley from the boxing scene, when he plays up George behind his back, I do like Howard when he picks up Bradley just like a sack of spuds, he's such a cheeky Michael, and got many laughs from his antics in the pre Ballet scene. I enjoy watching, Hollie she plays, lets say a bossy Debbie, plenty of back chat and snarls, likes to get her own way.
The more I see of Matthew Seadon-Young as Tony the more enjoy, even though he has to play the hot headed brother, he shows that family compassion for Billy. Lovely performance again from Ruthie, Gillian and Deka, it most be so hard when you know your job is soon over, they certainly don't show it, their professional abilities, over shine the situation. Craig Armstrong what a great Posh dad
Big thanks again Ensemble another great show, never seen so many clean shaven miners this week, now we know what you got for Christmas, anyway you will all be sadly missed I can assure you.
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patc
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Re: January 2016 Reviews - London

Post by patc »

Thursday 4th Feb

Well, Barry has covered the matinee so I’ll do the evening. However, you can tell from the tone of his review that it was a red letter matinee yesterday. Brodie two Thursmats in a row is a collector’s item that you have to grab while you can. An absolutely stunningly professional Billy performance played in front of a monster audience that included coachloads of youngsters ready and determined to become totally immersed in the excitement.

I was seated in front of the percussionist, a great place to hear that powerful Electricity beat in all its glory. It’s an incredible piece of drum work, played to perfection and watching Brodie perform his magic with this pulsating sound so close was as near to heaven as you can get.

Brodie now has most probably the fastest pacing I’ve ever seen in the show. Had it not been for the power failure we would have been already seated in Nandos by 5.20pm. (BTW, there was another power failure prior to the evening show that also affected some of the lighting at the railway station round about 6.45pm). As Barry has already mentioned, the cat and mouse game between Brodie and Ruthie over the letter envelope is proving to be as intriguing and hilarious as the hugging battle between Ruthie and Thomas. The knowing looks they give each other are priceless. Brodie’s classic pounce last Thursday meant that Ruthie, this week, practically superglued the envelope to her hands. The next episodes are eagerly looked forward to. I suspect that there may be more of these and other fun-and-frolics scenarios springing up around the company as the final two months play out and will be great fun for the fans when they happen. Bring ‘em on. Keep your eyes peeled.

And so to the evening show and the triumph of Nat Sweeney. As another massive audience flooded into their seats little did they know what they were about to witness. I’ve tried and failed in the past to adequately convey in words how Nat takes his audiences to such emotional heights. Immediately, his wonderfully expressive eyes cast a spell on the watcher and it doesn’t go away. Eyes that can convey, in an instant, the prevailing mood. If he was working in a quarry they wouldn’t need to use any dynamite. One look at the rockface and it would crumble. Armed with this super accessory he takes to the stage and with a superbly measured pacing, morphs from interested beginner in Mrs. W’s class to RBS sensation. Acting of the highest quality further evidenced by a no-holds-barred highly emotional tear-jerking Letter with Ruthie and Claudia.

Solidarity is such a major spectacle of united and complex footwork with almost the entire cast young and old pulsing into action covering every inch of the stage floor. The original Ensemble must have thought that Peter Darling was having a laugh when he first introduced it to them. Nat’s stunning spins brought this choreographed miracle to a breath-taking conclusion and then the combination of the beating shields, the band and his flashing feet was Musical Martian Wars personified.

If I was allowed only one choccie from the legendary Cadbury’s Milk Tray it would have to be the Caramel. If I was permitted to see only one scene from Nat’s show it has to be his Electricity. This week I watched the beginning of it, played out at the back of the stage, between two heads in the row in front but this actually served to frame and focus. There was a silence after the note from the MD whilst Nat gathered his thoughts and aimed those eyes like a laser homing in on its helpless target. The song began, slowly at first and then built up a head of steam as he approached the front, now fully visible over the heads. At this juncture it was a tsunami wave of emotion that was about to engulf the onlookers and I was completely and utterly overwhelmed during the next five minutes or so of another visit to stage heaven. At its incredible dizziness-inducing conclusion I feared for the roof of the theatre as the volume of cheers and applause mushroomed upwards.

The various farewell scenes from there on had me blubbing and I can tell you for certain I was not the only one by any means. You can be a lot more aware of what’s going on around when not in the front row.

Laughter-and-tears-Meister Nathan Jones, with his own pair of expertly manipulative eyes, was on hand all evening to enter the fray as required. For one so young, he has, from his Day One, displayed an extraordinary and exemplary understanding of the deep and complex character that Michael is. Only a titanium encrusted heart would have been unmoved as the curtain descended on his forlorn figure.

Beatrice (and Hollie, too, at the matinee) played their parts admirably. Those matter-of-fact conversations between them and their respective Billys in the Toilet Scenes, although brief, were a delight.

From memory, the Ballet Girls didn’t feature all that much in the original film. The decision to have them play such a major part in the Musical has proved to be a winner and the brilliant Bedlington team who did both shows epitomised the high standards expected and performed……..and clearly enjoying themselves at the same time.

A special mention this week for Tall Boy, Noah. Great acting (both shows) in that scene with Billy at the RBS and, so realistic was his onslaught on the curtain, that I almost dialled 999 for an ambulance.

Craig Armstrong’s Posh Dad has got even funnier, if that’s possible. His mere entry through the door with that hilarious, enthusiastic facial expression is enough to set me off. His acrobatics after being accidentally struck by Dad and his subsequent stumbling across the stage to a flying exit down the steps and out through the side curtains is hysterical.

As the show heads towards its closure, insofar as day seats are concerned, it looks like we might see a return to the old days when some people used to bed down outside the theatre overnight to ensure they got one or, at the very least, queue from 5am. It’s no wonder. The quality of the shows on Thursday led by Brodie and Nat was out of this world. Despite a major sporting weekend being about to begin I am still in awe of it all. This last London cast and Ensemble are determined to go out in a blaze of glory and they are doing just that. There is not one second in this show that doesn’t keep your mind active and involved. I profusely thank them.

Pat
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jmh2014
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February 2016 reviews - London

Post by jmh2014 »

Saturday Evening

Having put all the hard training and then made your debut, to receive the news that the show is closing just 3 weeks into your run as Billy, must be hard to accept. That is exactly the situation that Euan Garrett faced. How has he reacted? By putting his heart, soul and everything else he can muster in to Saturday’s show. He was unbelievable.

Landing the wall flip at the end of a tour-de-force Electricity, he let the entire audience know just how he felt – arms outstretched he gave a very small but noticeable double fist pump.

The finale, with the pressure off, was his way of showing that he is going to enjoy every last moment that he is up on stage. We, the audience, are the very lucky benefactors of his attitude.

Before all of this we witnessed a truly emotional letter. It must be hard on both Ruthie and Claudia to watch him deliver such a powerful performance in front of their eyes, it certainly was for a lot of people.

We owe a lot to the casting team for continuing to unearth the talent required for the show and in Euan they have another diamond.
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patc
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by patc »

Wed 10th and Thurs Mat 11th February

This review would have been headlined “Magnificent Billy Treble” but, due to the BWM (burst water main), it becomes “Magnificent Billy Double”. Funny ol’ place London. The burst, I believe, was actually on Buckingham Palace Road and, apart from affecting the VPT, it brought Waggas in Cardinal Place to a standstill yet, barely 50 yards away and under the same roof, Nando's was fully operational.

The two Billys I saw in action this week were the same as last week, Brodie (from the DC on Wed) and Nat at the Thursday matinee. Both performances were, again, out of this world. The ultimate in entertainment including two Ballet Electricity’s that can’t ever be surpassed such was their magnificence. The audiences for both shows were very big. In fact, as far as I could see it was mainly only the Premium seats that were unoccupied although, not by any means for the first time in recent months, whoever booked Stalls B15/16 for Wed evening didn’t show up. Fancy that.

Bradley (in both shows) was priceless. You couldn’t make it up the way he plays Michael but he lights up Expressing with a million Watt bulb, he sure can dance and make you laugh. On Wed evening up in the DC I was in convulsions at the tutu scene. The gentleman seated beside me was in the same boat and Bradley’s “I don’t think this red will go with me tutu” finished us off completely. It was just one of those moments when you lose control. I’m still laughing thinking about it. From the closer front row position you can see he has a fistful of unique facials for all occasions including final curtain. Brilliant stuff.

Brilliant, too, were Hollie and Connie. Both girls make the very most of the scenes they are in. Two of their main short and sharp scenes, “Me Mam’s Dead” and Toilet, demand perfect timing to be truly effective and they have it spot on. In the foyer, prior to the matinee, the people taking photos of the cast Board must have been very surprised when two out of three named failed to appear due to it being the previous show’s cast still up. Brodie was changed to Nat eventually.

The magnificent Ashington Ballet Girls (I had to ask as I’m hopeless with names) took both shows by storm in a blaze of colour, dancing ingenuity and stage presence and they would have been raring to go again and all fired up for the cancelled evening performance. It’s a great pleasure to watch such a talented group giving 100% and clearly enjoying it to the full as well.

When a footballer is told he will be on the move at the end of the season his on-field performances, if he gets on at all, tend to suffer. The Billy cast are the exact opposite and are making hay while the sun shines. I hope it turns into bonus cash for them.

That was the first time I’ve been there when a show didn’t actually get going. I remember two occasions (both were Thursmats) over all the years where the show had to be abandoned. One due to a fire alert in the roof area during the interval requiring an evacuation and (2) I think it was the toilet set got jammed and wouldn’t go back in despite Trojan efforts.

The entire VPT management and staff did a great job in the cold outside the theatre distributing leaflets on how refunds could be claimed, answering questions and expressing regret. Tickets bought from the Delfont Mackintosh website will automatically be refunded within a week with no action required by the ticketholder.

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jmh2014
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by jmh2014 »

Saturday Matinee

A near full house marvelled at the sheer excellence of the entire cast. This was one of the most vociferous audiences for many weeks and this in turn spurred on all on stage.

Ben's (Michael) tutu routine is the funniest that I've seen and was rewarded with a round of applause as he exited the scene.

Applause for Dream Ballet started the moment Billy started to fly. Audible gasp's when Billy revealed that he "didn't get in." During the letter you could hear a pin drop.

A special mention for Deka who, after being in the show for as long as he has, managed to find just a little bit extra. His Christmas scene with Ruthie allows both of them to really show off their acting talents and was almost the highlight of the show. Deka's emotion was palpable. His reward was a gentle slap round his face by Billy during the finale.

David Bardsley was George and his little dance at the end earned him a round of applause.

The ensemble didn't miss a beat and the ballet girls were as normal the unsung hero's. The naturalness of their interplay really is amazing to watch.

What more can be said of Connie. Well over a year into her run as Debbie and still makes her performance as fresh as ever.

But despite all of this, Nat as Billy was stupendous. The bleakness of Billy's plight that he effortlessly shows was in evidence when required, but beneath this, pure enjoyment was there for all to see. Fun filled Express, his most emotional letter to date, pure anger in Angry Dance and grace personified in Dream Ballet. All of this paled into almost insignificance against his stunningly beautiful Electricity. It is a pure piece of art.
Real Geordie
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by Real Geordie »

I never post a review of performances at VPT as so many others do so, and far more eloquently than I ever could. However, in the absence of any post relating to Thursday 25th February, just a few words. The day was plagued with “technical problems”. Are these becoming more frequent ? Is there a ghost in the machinery, making its own protest at the closure ? The afternoon performance was soon stopped as the lift taking the table up/down refused to work. The performance continued after a short break without this prop, and the cast had to improvise with minor adjustments, and later in the scene where Billy receives the letter of acceptance from the RBS, needed the letter to be perched on a chair. All in all, not too much of a disruption.

The evening performance was more serious. After ten minutes the show was stopped with a “technical problem”. The staircase/bedroom spiral had joined the table in an act of solidarity. Neither would rise to the occasion. This only became apparent after a 15 minute break, when the performance continued but without any reference to the continuing problem. The walls and back scenery were able to work as normal, (and the lift taking the miners back to work at the end also worked).

How would they deal with this ? At times the stage looked distinctly bare. As time progressed however it became fascinating to see how they overcame these problems. Billy, instead of being atop the spiral in his bedroom, simply became a voice off stage. How would they deal with Angry Dance and the running in rage up to the bedroom ? Not a problem as it happens. Very cleverly handled, and all in synchronisation with the musical score. This was not on the spot improvisation (if it was it was extraordinary beyond belief), but contingency planning, which worked very well. The cast were just so professional, and none more so than Brodie. I am fairly sure that many of those who were seeing the performance for the first time simply never realised how altered the performance was. And at the end - thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Not for overcoming adversity, just because they were so good.
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angelenroute
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by angelenroute »

Real Geordie wrote:I never post a review of performances at VPT as so many others do so, and far more eloquently than I ever could. However, in the absence of any post relating to Thursday 25th February, just a few words.
Real Geordie wrote:After ten minutes the show was stopped with a “technical problem”. The staircase/bedroom spiral had joined the table in an act of solidarity. Neither would rise to the occasion. This only became apparent after a 15 minute break, when the performance continued but without any reference to the continuing problem. The walls and back scenery were able to work as normal, (and the lift taking the miners back to work at the end also worked).
You should write more reviews!!! You're REALLY good at this! :D

Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
Barry Appleby
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by Barry Appleby »

THURSDAY 25th FEB (Matinee)

Real Geordie, it doesn't matter how short reviews are, as Sean says, its nice just to hear news or your views. I think its difficult for most members, doing a review, although some of our members are very gifted, I used to add a bit of humour with a joke but the guy I used to get them from, has emigrated to North Korea.
Working part time in soccer I was dealing with 10s to 15 year olds and we were told never to criticize always to give encouragement, my big gaffer was a certain Scotsman. What I'm trying to say is, in the 6 years I've been in the forum, I don't like the word kids, so lets say, the junior cast have always given 100% I have never doubted their ability, making writing a review so much easier.
Anyway getting back to Thursday's matinee, another big audience and what a great bunch they were, for Thomas's well deserved ovation I've never seen an audience stand up so fast, he had, such a great interaction with them throughout the show, he so much reminds me of Redmand Rance's performances and he was a master at it. Just to add, I was sat in row H, I thought Thomas's tap in angry Dance was absolutely outstanding, the hankies were out for the Letter scene, plenty of emotion, so well supported by Ruthie, she just seems to love her part and seems to give so much encouragement to the youngsters.
So enjoyed Ben Robinson has really settled in he plays a real cheeky Michael, its just a pity alongside Euan that they will not get a long run in the show.
Must mention Spencer Stafford played Mr Braithwaite, and a very refreshing performance, as we say in Yorkshire a “rite good job”
A big “Thanks” to the rest of the cast for another great show, it really is appreciated, you show so much professionalism in maybe what will be difficult circumstances for some of you, soon
Just to say I don't know what's happening below the theatre but the Tube trains can be heard quiet clearly again.
Looking forward to the Tour, Sunderland, Bradford etc, will have to apply for a visa for Edinburgh

Well I better leave with a joke - I was a bit drunk the other night so I had a taxi home, It was a women driver, I couldn't believe it she was knitting while she was driving. A police car pulled along side, he put down his window and shouted “ Pullover” she answered back “ No a scarf for me husband”
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jmh2014
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Re: February 2016 reviews - London

Post by jmh2014 »

Thursday Feb 25th

As Real Geordie has alluded to the gremlins were out in force. The evening show could be a collector's item - has there ever been a show before where all the mechanical sets have failed?

The 15 minute break may have seen like a long time for the audience, but it probably flew by for the cast and crew whilst they re-engineered the show. When you consider just how much these sets are in use during Act 1, you start to realise the task they had on their hands. All of this was carried with the utter professionalism you would expect from the cast.

Spencer Stafford provided us with a hilarious performance as Mr B and I'm sure Brodie wasn't expecting to end up wearing his trousers on his head during B2B.

With a shortened interval, basically no front of curtain scene to start act 2 and Brodie's talent for fast shows we were finished just past 10:30.

It would be B2B and the outstanding Ruthie Henshall that would give us a another special moment. I think it would be fair to say that she was caught out by the static piano being used at the back of the set rather than the normal one at the front of the stage. As she goes to start her "There are two main theories about dance" speech, she completely loses her way. Instead we get "It's full of technical stuff and more technical stuff and then some personal stuff"

It was the perfect set up for Billy's next line "What's she on about"

Needless to say many of the regulars dissolved into fits of hysterics.
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Then I saw her face
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February 2016 reviews - London

Post by Then I saw her face »

Saturday, 27th Feb (Matinee)

So here it is, my personal farewell to this long lasting run of Billy Elliot at the VPT. While it is my personal third visit to the show, it is the premiere for my second-born son. He loves the DVD and tenaciosly insisted on accompanying me on that visit. One can only assume how much he enjoyed what he had seen at the end of the day if you take a very mature statement for a 6yo into account shortly before he went to bed: „Life is beautiful.“

The visual and aural impression in the front rows of the stalls is by far superior to that on the circles. The full quoir to hear, standing on the edge of the stage just two and a half meters away in „The Stars look down“, is a highly impressive experience, as well as for instance in „Once we were kings“ or the final.

How much the musical depends on the leading roll and how much brighter the whole cast shines, became clear to me yesterday. Compared to the pleasing and overall good performance with Thomas as Billy, I was privileged to participate in in November, yesterdays matinee was an explosion. Thomas’ performance was up to the very highest standards. His acting and timing is breathtaking, his gestures wonderfully accentuated. Self-confidence seems to be crucial for all Billys when performing. Members of tall boy Lewis Elliott’s and Thomas’ families were sitting next to me. That circumstance seemed to me to motivate both of them, but especially Thomas to raise the bar higher than before. How much fun he had was clearly to see when he for instance impishly grinned at the beginning of Solidarity face to face with a wonderful performing Hollie Creighton as Debbie. Thomas’ pirouettes in front of the row of policemen towards the end of Solidarity were lightning-fast. Fun is for sure a reasonable foundation for Expressing Yourself - together with the wonderful comedian Ben Robinson - with a high-class tap dancing. What followed was a deeply dolorous Letter and Thomas doing the piano flip in B2B!!! (Any questions?) An Angry Dance full of rage and expression as a dancing masterpiece crowned Thomas’ extraordinary and exceptional performance of the first set, which was highly appreciated by the enthusistic audience. At this time, he had carried away the whole cast, just to mention the outstanding Ruthie Henshall or Deka Walmsley, a most convincing Matthew Seadon-Young or the talented ballet girls, who all did their very best to make this afternoon a special one to remember.

At the beginning of the second set, the audience contributed louder than I have heard before to MCMT. After a grieving „Deep into the ground“ by Deka, Thomas and Lee Hoy showed a brilliant pas de deux in Swan Lake. As a token of esteem for Thomas’ superb performance by then, Lee cuffed Thomas twice during the course of their joint piece. Deka and Matthew clashed violently and heavy during „He could be a star“, Lee gave his own interpretation of the storybook when he was asked for his origins by Deka in front of the safety curtain and replied "Milton Keynes. Where the hell did you think, Glasgow?" and Thomas topped his performance with a shining Electricity. Soon after followed a finale furioso . The result: an outbreak of thundering applause and - as far as I could observe - a full standing ovation. Hats Off!! for a superlative afternoon which left many people on and in front of the stage with a bright smile.
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