Cardiff Reviews

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porschesrule
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Cardiff Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

A good first review from Walesonline.co.uk:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/t ... l-11480564
Sheffan
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

A short review from the South Wales Argus. I'm assuming that the official press night will be Thurs 16th - so hopefully there will be more detailed reviews soon.

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/leisur ... __Cardiff/
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

Another good review from Buzz Magazine:

http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/theatre/billy- ... ge-review/
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jmh2014
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by jmh2014 »

June 17th & 18th

*The following will contain details of some scenes that have been changed, but not how*

I was expecting changes, but will admit to being surprised at just how many there were.

The musical arrangement is significantly different. “Solidarity” in particular seems to lack some of the signature drums. I do like the change to “Take Me Up”. One major change to the lyrics of one song, which really doesn’t make sense.

Most of the changes work very well, in particular the new staging of “Express”. Daniel Page as Mr B brings a lot to B2B and is tremendous fun. Thankfully, both Dream Ballet and Electricity have been left alone. There was one small change at the end of Electricity which I really enjoyed and, by the sound of it, so did the entire audience. Lewis definitely did.

Both Haydn and Lewis were outstanding. Sadly Adam had to be replaced just before Express, so we had the pleasure of seeing Lewis for a second time and he relished every moment.

Samuel played Michael for two shows and he is a little diamond. Instantly likeable and brings so much originality to the role.

The parts I didn’t like:

Second half of Shine.

The beginning of Angry Dance I really like, but the middle section takes the focus away from Billy. This is, after all, supposed to be him raging against the world and this is lost.

The audition scene – by far the worst change for me.

Not really a fan of the new “Finale”, but that will probably grow on me.

Despite this, you cannot but marvel at how incredible the entire cast is. I’m sure as time goes on, they will tighten up the performance so that it flows slightly slicker than currently.
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Flyin high »

Tues 21 June

Well, seeing BETM anywhere other than the VPT took some getting used to. This theatre felt less intimate, set within the huge modern auditorium. Even sitting in a premium seat in the mid stalls, I felt fairly far away from the action. And those in the circles must have felt even further away, such is the depth of the auditorium. I missed the intimacy and closeness to the characters that I always felt at the VPT.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and as anticipated, have now caught the billy bug yet again! Would now so love to see the other young cast members, if I can manage it. The show was professional, dramatic and moving as always...

So here goes with my thoughts...

Lewis Smallman makes a very determined, very spirited Billy. Lovely clear voice and strong acting. But my initial observation was how small he looks on stage. Michael (Elliot) and Debbie (Italia) too. Normally, the Billys come up to about the shoulder of Dad and Mrs W, but I noticed the size comparison immediately. Given that Mrs W is also pretty tall, the height gap between her and billy really struck me and this gives the impression of a different type of relationship. More of a small boy, rather than a pre teen, more vulnerable and even more in need of motherly love. I am mother to an 8yr old son, so this struck me straight away. Mrs W really had to bend down to look him in the eye at times.

I loved seeing how Lewis's dancing progressed as the show when on. We're so convinced at the beginning that Billy will never be a strong dancer, but Lewis's electricity really took me by storm and wow! his spins at the end were some of the fastest and most impressive I've seen! He's like a whirlwind! I was disappointed that there was no standing ovation after, but the applause went on forever and Lewis beamed and moved to the front of the stage to soak up the appreciation.

Elliot and Italia were very strong in their roles. I thought they played them just right. Both very funny. The nutcracker joke and Debbie's offer both went down a real storm with the audience (who were slow to laugh at other points during the show). Elliot switched mood so well in the winter scene and the audience loved his sentimental side, as well as his antics. I still can't get over how tiny him and Lewis looked, the 2 of them alone together on stage in the winter scene and expressing. For those new to the show, perhaps all the more impressive that two so small were able to command the stage in the way they did.

The adult cast were brilliant - all of them. In particular I loved Grandma and Mr B.

As many have already said, there are lots of changes to the show since London. Although I enjoyed being surprised by them, I have to admit they will take a little getting used to.

A few thoughts (warning - contains some spoilers)
- I'm not quite sure why Mrs W stands on a trolley at the end of shine, seems a bit weird if you ask me
- Angry dance is now less about billy and more about the other dynamics going on. I get why they've done this but for me, that scene was always about the way billy expresses his rage and I was always left feeling completely in awe of him and emotionally overwhelmed by the interval. This didn't quite have the same effect on me. Quite enjoyed the destruction of the whole bed though!
- I liked the start of act 2 with more audience interaction from tony. He was relaxed and jovial and it was funny when a woman put some money in his can.
- The balance of drama and humour has shifted now in the 2nd half. The audition scene used to provide a lot of laughter and much needed light relief from the darker story, but many of those jokes have been cut now - posh dad, Arthur Scargill (understandably), benny hill music, the camp music man, the posh panel. ..and one of the funniest parts of the show for me, the pencil joke (such a brilliant 80's reference). So the 2nd half felt overall more serious and darker as a result, with more emphasis now on dad's dilemma. A lot less laughter from the audience.
- Agree with others who have questioned why a key line in 'He could be a star' has been removed?? Would love to know the rationale for this.
- Less angry shouting from Lewis during angry dance and before the letter scene. Not sure if they've been directed to shout less, or if it's just Lewis's interpretation.
- I didn't really catch what was happening in 'He could be a star'. Everything was moving so quickly and I need to see it again, but one of my favourite choral pieces has been cut out- Where the miners powerfully sing 'yes we'll all have proud in how we live' as the curtain falls and they send billy and dad off to the audition. Seems to have been replaced with lots of screaming from small boy instead!?
- Hmmm I miss the piano too in 'Take me up' and 'The Letter'

Quite a detailed review and apologies for any spoilers (but hopefully my warning helped), but just was trying to make sense of the changes!

All in all, the show feels less rapid and slick (like others have said) but still just as impressive, gritty, raw and believable as it always has been. Well done to everyone who is pulling this off night after night, and adapting to new environments as the tour progresses. It's one thing for young kids to master these roles and play them to perfection all living in the billy house, but must be another thing altogether to be 'on the move', away from home in new places and still be doing the fantastic job that they are.
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Real Geordie »

Matinee & Evening, Thursday 23rd June - a few witterings

I agree with earlier comments that Lewis Smallman looks both very small and very young. He is however not the youngest of the current crop of Billys, and so far as it is possible to tell from photographs with other Billys seems to be about the same height as the others. Not sure why he just gives this impression of being a lot smaller and younger ? In the matinee performance he unfortunately got hit on the head somehow during Angry Dance when they were slotting together the outside netty (WC). He looked stunned and was standing still, making no attempt to dance, within the box construction, before walking out and across the stage, when someone realised he had been injured. The stage manager brought the show to a halt, and the curtain was dropped (the next door seat occupant thought it was one of the metal bars which had become detached and struck him). A period of confusion followed, not helped by an ambiguous message about five minutes afterwards from the stage. The theatre staff had no idea what was going on, and a number of people drifted off to the interval bar. After about another five minutes the curtain rose, with Lewis standing in front of the riot shields, and the scene continued (not from where it had left off) for another few minutes - and then the interval curtain came down. Weird. The audience were strangely muted during most of this matinee show, and seemed reluctant to show much enthusiasm. A strange atmosphere.

The evening performance featured Haydn May as Billy, so I have now managed to see all four of them. He proved to be another good all rounder, and I was impressed by his naturalistic acting skills. This show featured Bradley Mayfield in his first appearance on tour, after his stint at VPT. Although there have been a number of changes to various scenes in the show, as mentioned by others, I think the role of Michael has not been affected in any way. It should have been fairly easy for Bradley to re-join the show. I don’t know whether he was carried away by the occasion, but in the boxing scene where Michael is squaring up to George and they are hitting the gloves of each other, Michael/Bradley let fly with a left hook and caught George square on the jaw. George looked a bit surprised and it didn’t seem to be pre-arranged. Fortunately he didn’t have a glass jaw.

That’s all - otherwise performances as normal. I have to say that I think the revised version of Angry Dance is much more dramatic than the original version, though each to his own. I do think though that the Audition scene in its shortened version is lacking.
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

(Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 June 2016 shows – a chatty review, but I thought it would make sense to post in the Cardiff section of the forum rather than the more general tour chat one – which I suggest is used only for chat not related to attendance at a particular show).

I am very much enjoying my trips around the UK at the moment, seeing the show 1 or 2 times at each venue on successive days, apart from Plymouth. These two performances are my 6th and 7th shows of the tour which means I have now seen the tour more times than at the VPT. I have now seen all the Billys, Debbies and Michaels at least once.

Monday 20 June marked my third time seeing Haydn and wow has he grown into the character. It would now be impossible to pick a favourite tour Billy as they are all outstanding in very different ways. Haydn may look angelic and vulnerable but he proves himself made of stronger stuff – his is equally accomplished in the dance, acting and singing aspects. He has a natural stage presence that belies his young age. Very spirited and determined, he very effectively portrays a boy in many ways at odds with his community and its prejudices – he deals with his struggle with a raw ‘back against the wall’ quality which means the audience are with him from the start.
Henry who was Michael at this performance (2nd time for me), is less obviously a natural comic than the other two Michaels, but no bother, what I find most endearing is his sensitive side especially his acting in the Christmas scene. He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Stuart Wells, who played Michael in the 2000 film, especially looking at the recent Dancing Boy photo in the tour’s recent facebook/twitter post. Lilly was Debbie, a born natural in the role, I think this was the 4th time I saw her.

Tuesday 21 June was my 2nd time seeing Lewis and 4th time seeing Elliot. Lewis was not around for quite a few weeks recently due to an ankle strain apparently. He looks very well again now thankfully. I agree with a recent reviewer – he is particularly amazing with his pirouette at the end of Electricity – from my seat I could see his eyes water and teeth clench with a fiery determination. His acting is very convincing as well. I’ve discussed Elliot in my Bradford review – this kid will go far over the years ahead.

The following is more general and are things that have occurred to me since the Sunderland and Bradford dates.
What a brilliant way to start the show with Small Boy (Girl) carrying a large 1980’s style radio/cassette player onto the stage. The 1980s news accouncer/Mrs Thatcher audio excerpts recall well the atmosphere of the era (I would have been a teenager around the time Billy is set) and are more directly relevant to the early scenes in the musical than the previous 1950s cinema newsreel s. ‘The Stars Look Down’ builds up to a rousing choral finale as before, but at the start of the song is more of a conversation between the show’s characters which now works well as the cinema screen does not obscure our view of the action.

I’m really enjoying Angry Dance at the moment. I’m neutral on whether it is better or worse than the VPT version. I enjoy the shear physicality of the piece especially Billy’s complete dismantling of his bed at the start and the shear bite to Billy’s performance whoever performs it – from the front stalls the shear amount of saliva spray from Billy’s mouth as he says to himself “Grow up you little B*****” has to been seen to be believed.

As I have said before, what an incredibly moving piece of the theatre the restaged version of ‘He Could Be A Star’ has become to me. I’m only discussing this again, as I now remember more details of this scene the more I have seen it. I agree with the recent reviewer, who said that this scene is very fast paced and a challenge to absorb at first. To me, Lee Hall, Stephen Daldry and their associates’ decisions on these matters are more important than my views. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they didn’t feel that this scene was as effective as it could be. Whatever your views on the new version – I hope you will agree that this version is a very moving piece of theatre – to me like a perfect fit of the last piece in a jigsaw. There is now a sense of why there was a seismic shift in the community’s view of Billy and his destiny. There are some very subtle and quiet bars of music from the band but they are really effective especially during a few dark and depressing moments in this song, which reaches a low particularly when Tall Boy spits on the ground in front of a scab – when I first show Adam played him and the shear contempt in his eyes looked real and chilled me to the core. The argument between Tony and Dad moves back to the welfare hall until a fight breaks out. Billy is hit by accident in the scrum (largely just shaken thankfully), but this shocks everyone into a change in attitude. I think then Daniel Page (?) says (this is not the exact words as difficult to remember) – “Why have things come to this!! We should have been looking after the kid...” This really brings a lump to your throat..many of the audience were in tears at this point – at least partly of joy and relief that things will now be gradually resolved. It then turns out that Dad was blind to the fact that Tony was already coming round to be more supportive of his brother. Martin Walsh was very moving as Dad – his quiet, dignified apology to Tony and the community was heartfelt. Also very moving during this scene is where they queue to give donations to Billy to the lines “Take this and this...” – hard to explain but very effective.

All the adult principals are amazing – they must be very motivated – I’ve yet to see a single understudy in these roles. I’ve not mentioned Leo Atkin before, a veteran character actor, who we are very lucky to have on the tour playing George. A character of true Northern grit – sometimes mischievous but will a heart of gold. It must be a dream come true for him.

I really find the sound quality on the tour to be very good – I remember one time at the VPT where some of the choral numbers felt a bit muddled as the excellent cast were struggling with the over-amplified sound system on that night . Quite a few people have said the same. Also very good is the updated lighting design supplied by White Light who also did the VPT lighting. Particularly effective are the multiple massive projections of Billy doing his shadow hand puppetry near the start of the show. Very moving just as an image with no words spoken.
As previous reviewers have mentioned, I think it is true to say that Cardiff audiences are a little quieter than at earlier tour venues. Perhaps a bit slow with the laughter during the comedy scenes, I think nevertheless they are just as spellbound with the show as elsewhere. As someone recently mentioned on here – we fans have to remember that most people seeing the tour will be new to the show. I looked round and everyone seem to be mesmerized with what they were seeing. There is still a good standing ovation at the end and a reassuring roar following Electricity. One thing that is good at Cardiff is that the audience are very considerate – very little chatting to their neighbours and not making much noise eating sweets during the show. I know there were some of the audience who had problems with each other at Bradford – Scott Garnham even tweeted his frustration with mobile phone screens glowing during some shows there.

Cardiff is a good choice if you feel you would like to go on an impulsive short notice trip before it moves to Dublin in mid July. There are still good seats for midweek shows. There are some good prices on train tickets and hotel rooms at budget hotels still available. The show is being held at the ultra-modern Millennium Centre, a large arts complex in Cardiff Bay separated by an almost mile long pleasant road from the city centre (Lloyd George Avenue). There are plenty of nice restaurants just metres away at the neighbouring Mermaid Quay – much more relaxing than central London.

I stayed at the Premier Inn South. In the daytime before the shows, I explored Cardiff. On one day, I did Cardiff Castle which takes 3-4 hours to see everything. There is a very absorbing audio guide which was very interesting and informative. Cardiff has a cathedral, but not in the centre - it is about a 30 minute walk across a park - called Llandaff Cathedral which was very old and impressive.
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ERinVA
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by ERinVA »

[quote= "Sheffan"](Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 June 2016 shows – a chatty review, but I thought it would make sense to post in the Cardiff section of the forum rather than the more general tour chat one – which I suggest is used only for chat not related to attendance at a particular show).[/quote]

Yes, it makes perfect sense to post reviews for each venue in the Reviews thread for that venue.
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by Dancer »

I too saw the shows on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st June and enjoyed both immensely! Many reviewers have commented on the changes to the London production but, in fact, most of the changes were introduced way back in 2008 with the Broadway production. I would say that 95% of the show is based on this version.

I thought that 'He could be a Star' and the RBS audition scenes were very effective and emotional. I also enjoyed Angry Dance, though, to me, nothing beats the London version! The show has a couple of brand new changes, for example the Small Boys are played by girls (why?), and (spoiler alert) there is no Posh Dad but three Posh Mums!

This was a very polished production with excellent sound and lighting and I didn't miss the sets not rising from the ground. The stage is very wide and it was very easy to move the sets into position from the sides.

The Donald Gordon Theatre is huge and I recommend sitting as far forward as you can, avoiding the circles.

A show definitely worth seeing if you can!
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porschesrule
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Re: Cardiff Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

Here's a great review from a blogger who saw the show in Cardiff on Saturday evening (2-Jul-2016):

https://deanhbarnard.wordpress.com/2016 ... rformance/
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