Manchester Reviews

Sheffan
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

Wonderful review by Charlie Taylor, Year 10 student, Our Lady's RC High School, Manchester:

http://www.olhs.manchester.sch.uk/our-s ... ip-review/

Glowing review. Interesting comments on Scott:

http://vadamagazine.com/entertainment/a ... ce-theatre

And again from MancunianMatters:

http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/conte ... ce-theatre

Another good one from Wythenshawe Reporter:

https://wythenshawereporter.wordpress.c ... anchester/

More great reviews:

http://www.manchestertheatreawards.com/ ... manchester

http://sincerelyamy.com/2016/12/01/revi ... t-uk-tour/
Sheffan
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

Saturday 17th December matinee:

Knowing that Christmas would be a busy time and the Palace to be one of the nearest tour stops to my home in Sheffield, I only planned to attend 1 matinee show in December, a pleasant day trip by train through some of the most scenic of the Derbyshire peak district valleys and villages. I will be also attending the 13th, 16th and 17th January evening shows when I will also try to visit some of Manchester's tourist attractions of which I currently know little despite their relative nearness to my home.

I have had some good memories of seeing shows at the Palace over the years - Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre to name a few. I arrived at the Palace about two hours before the matinee was due to start. The box office is separate to the theatre, which was still locked. It proved impossible to see the cast board within, so I joined the queue for the box office to collect my ticket and was amazed to find out that a few locals were frantically trying to buy the last remaining tickets for the matinee - I believe they only had around 15 tickets left in the entire theatre and it was not long before I heard that the performance was a sell out. I was putting my ticket in my pocket, when from around the corner of the street appeared Haydn, Emile and Italia who were good naturedly teasing Elliot who was following a short distance behind. They went into the stage door unnoticed by anyone else (which is next to the main foyer doors). They didn't appear to be accompanied by any chaperones, which was surprising.

I also spotted a regular tour attender John W whom I was introduced to in Bristol and had another good chat with him. It turned out that Haydn and Elliot were performing that afternoon. Emile starred in the evening, so I'm assuming Emile was also acting as Haydn's backstage cover for the matinee.

I book performances almost at random without knowing which Billy will perform, so as many other fans have stated it is surprising that some of us seem locked on to seeing a particular Billy by no effort of our own. This was my seventh time of seeing both Haydn and Elliot out of a total of sixteen tour shows attended so far. I'm so pleased with the three month tour extension and as a result have more than half of my tour attendances still to experience.

To be honest I found the sell out audience at this matinee a little slow. I can't be too hard on them as they were giving the cast their full attention, but many audience members had large bags of Xmas shopping under their seats, so I'm guessing many people attending were a little tired after a long day on their feet.

This was a perfect performance both in terms of technical staging and cast acting.

Haydn turned in another sterling performance full of his customary finely tuned balance of joy, anger, vulnerability, bravery and pathos.

Italia's Debbie was a delight - perfectly paced with expert comic timing and biting commentary on the adult word around her.

Elliot once again demonstrated beyond doubt that this show is in his very DNA with his dazzling showcase of blistering tap in Expressing Yourself. No Billy can match him in this scene - Elliot has the audience totally at his mercy. Hamburg will never be the same again after Elliot's visit!

Martin turned in an especially emotional performance, particularly when he says "He's my son!!" after Electricity. He is pretty much of home territory here in Manchester as he is from nearby Warrington. On leaving the theatre, I noticed he had quickly come out and was chatting to a group of fans at the stage door.

Annette's rendition of Born to Boogie was especially outstanding - I noticed she is now cartwheeling again after not seeing her do this for a few months, I believe due to a leg injury.

I'm amazed how dedicated the adult cast are - I've seen very few understudies performing leads so far - apart from the occasional Monday when Annette hands over to the very capable Amy Rhiannon Worth. Once again 100% attendance - in other shows matinees seem to be the preserve of the understudy. Whilst on this subject I can honestly say I have no favourite Billy or Michael. I love the suspense of booking without knowing whom I will see on the day. This is a strength of the show, not a weakness. That said, I'm still a little sad Matthew has left the show. It is so easy to imagine him around the streets of Easington. I'm looking forward to seeing Emile in the very near future - perhaps he will be in one of the January shows that I have detailed above.

Particularly mention must be made of the amazing Samuel Torpey. This was the first performance in which I saw him play Tall Boy. Not particularly tall, but boy, was he posh!! It goes without saying he completely nailed the part and made it his own. What a star!! How many shows do you know where kids get the chance to play two different parts in the same run?

Also I must take this opportunity of wishing everyone on this forum and also everyone performing or working backstage on the UK tour or elsewhere a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Spare a thought for the cast who have still to do 8 shows next week. They only get Xmas eve and Xmas day off. It must in some ways be very hard on the kids in this show, some of whom will be quite far from the friends and family at this festive time.

Wow, what an amazing year this has been. I've rediscovered my love of regional theatre and have been inspired to attend the Blood Brothers and Miss Saigon tours next year. However, this show is the one that has really moved me the most and made my life more complete. I've also visited some wonderful cities, many for the first time.

I'll write a further review of the January shows mentioned above. I'm also in Southampton for 3 shows in mid-February.
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Billy Whiz
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Billy Whiz »

Thank you Pat and Sheffan for the brilliant reviews.

They are the next best thing to being there.

Keep 'em coming :)
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Billy Whiz is the Gallery Admin. Please send your photos, articles etc to forum.gallery[at]billyelliottheforum.me.uk Please replace [at] with @

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patc
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by patc »

Thursday Matinee 5th January 2017

The end of this show was partly ruined by one of those ridiculous marriage proposals on stage by a member of the audience. It is beyond me why anyone would want to do this sort of thing in public anyway but even more puzzling that it would be allowed on a stage. As the final curtain was set to come down the two participants had to be literally dragged back into line by cast members so they wouldn’t obscure the audience’s view of the real heroes of the day. ‘Nuff said.

The show was another triumph brought about by this cast, a cast that sizzles and crackles with all emotions known to Mankind. If the energy they emit could be harnessed we’d need no more power stations to be constructed. The momentum is such that three hours go by in a flash. At the head of affairs was the outstandingly brilliant Haydn. Every blink of an eye, every look, every movement, every step, every word has been cast in his own individual mould. When it came to the big numbers every last bit of energy and skill was put in motion and the result was spectacular. His powerful Angry Dance followed later by a quite brilliantly graceful Dream Ballet duet (with the scintillating Jack as Older Billy on this occasion) would have been enough for one day in all other musicals but we lucky Billy fans still have Electricity to come and, when it came, it was the finishing touch that spelled magic in large multi-coloured lettering. Such a pleasure to watch and listen to the rapturous audience response and the corresponding, all-embracing smile back from the magician himself. If I was on Desert Island Discs I’d be asking for a video replay of every Billy’s Electricity AND the reaction of the audience after it. I wouldn’t even want to be rescued by that passing ship.

The high quality of the alternates in the Tour show was proven again as Kris Manuel played Mr. B in the absence of Daniel Page. Many of the longtime fans are calling Daniel as their favourite Mr. B of all time (some achievement when you recall such as Alex Delamere in the early days) so Kris had an impossible task. However, he most certainly delivered a very believable character, including an hilarious, if painful looking to the observer, version of the splits with some amazingly nifty dancing and skipping not to mention a stoic “Diaghilev” dissertation. Most enjoyable.

When watching team sports in action every week on TV I never envy the task of the commentator deciding Man of the Match when so many players have played well on the day. In BETM deciding Man or Woman of the show (every show) is a totally impossible job. Principals, Annette, Martin, Scott, Andrea, Leo, Daniel, Nikki and Luke have such consistent Gold-star quality in their performances that I’m having to declare a multiple draw. The one thing I can say is that, if such a community was in existence in real life today, the characters they project would all be people I’d be privileged to know.

On the subject of Martin, between Netflix and Sky I watched all 52 episodes of Downton Abbey in 9 days over the Christmas season and Martin showed up in Series 6, Episode 2 as “Mr. Finch”. The first five seasons were due to expire from Netflix on 1st Jan, hence the hurry, although it proved to be most addictive, in any event.

Nothing, however, is more addictive than BETM and the uplifting effect it has on my heart and soul each time, every time so I am looking forward so much to the coming six months as the Tour powers its way along.

Pat
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Billy Whiz »

Thank you Pat for another brilliant review.

I wonder what the gentleman making the proposal would have done if she had said "no"? :)
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Billy Whiz is the Gallery Admin. Please send your photos, articles etc to forum.gallery[at]billyelliottheforum.me.uk Please replace [at] with @

In the email can you also please let me know the date where and when the photo(s) was taken, who is in the photo(s) as well as your forum name.

When you send photos to the gallery can you also please PM me to let me know that you have sent them. If I don't receive them after a couple of days I can then chase them up.
cheltonian
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by cheltonian »

patc wrote:Thursday Matinee 5th January 2017

The end of this show was partly ruined by one of those ridiculous marriage proposals on stage by a member of the audience. It is beyond me why anyone would want to do this sort of thing in public anyway but even more puzzling that it would be allowed on a stage. As the final curtain was set to come down the two participants had to be literally dragged back into line by cast members so they wouldn’t obscure the audience’s view of the real heroes of the day. ‘Nuff said.

The show was another triumph brought about by this cast, a cast that sizzles and crackles with all emotions known to Mankind. If the energy they emit could be harnessed we’d need no more power stations to be constructed. The momentum is such that three hours go by in a flash. At the head of affairs was the outstandingly brilliant Haydn. Every blink of an eye, every look, every movement, every step, every word has been cast in his own individual mould. When it came to the big numbers every last bit of energy and skill was put in motion and the result was spectacular. His powerful Angry Dance followed later by a quite brilliantly graceful Dream Ballet duet (with the scintillating Jack as Older Billy on this occasion) would have been enough for one day in all other musicals but we lucky Billy fans still have Electricity to come and, when it came, it was the finishing touch that spelled magic in large multi-coloured lettering. Such a pleasure to watch and listen to the rapturous audience response and the corresponding, all-embracing smile back from the magician himself. If I was on Desert Island Discs I’d be asking for a video replay of every Billy’s Electricity AND the reaction of the audience after it. I wouldn’t even want to be rescued by that passing ship.

The high quality of the alternates in the Tour show was proven again as Kris Manuel played Mr. B in the absence of Daniel Page. Many of the longtime fans are calling Daniel as their favourite Mr. B of all time (some achievement when you recall such as Alex Delamere in the early days) so Kris had an impossible task. However, he most certainly delivered a very believable character, including an hilarious, if painful looking to the observer, version of the splits with some amazingly nifty dancing and skipping not to mention a stoic “Diaghilev” dissertation. Most enjoyable.

When watching team sports in action every week on TV I never envy the task of the commentator deciding Man of the Match when so many players have played well on the day. In BETM deciding Man or Woman of the show (every show) is a totally impossible job. Principals, Annette, Martin, Scott, Andrea, Leo, Daniel, Nikki and Luke have such consistent Gold-star quality in their performances that I’m having to declare a multiple draw. The one thing I can say is that, if such a community was in existence in real life today, the characters they project would all be people I’d be privileged to know.

On the subject of Martin, between Netflix and Sky I watched all 52 episodes of Downton Abbey in 9 days over the Christmas season and Martin showed up in Series 6, Episode 2 as “Mr. Finch”. The first five seasons were due to expire from Netflix on 1st Jan, hence the hurry, although it proved to be most addictive, in any event.

Nothing, however, is more addictive than BETM and the uplifting effect it has on my heart and soul each time, every time so I am looking forward so much to the coming six months as the Tour powers its way along.

Pat
Apologies, I can't find a way to link to my post in the Bristol thread, so to quote here:-
ckm1926 wrote:I was at a packed Hippodrome last night for the final performance in Bristol and, it seemed to me, that they had saved the best til last!

On my previous three visits I'd been in my usual preferred seating, at the front of the dress circle. Last night I was in row H of the stalls, this may well have contributed to my enjoyment as, being that much closer to the stage, I could see far more of Billy's facial expression and appreciated even more what a fine acting performance Haydn gives.

I must confess that, although I've only seen two of the current Billy's, I was rather hoping for Haydn paired with Henry (as Michael) as they were so fantastic together when I saw them on press night. Henry oozes personality and makes a really great Michael and the two boys seem to really enjoy playing off each other.

Daniel Page had been unavailable at Thursday's performance, the part of Mr Braithwaite being taken by an understudy. Last night a different understudy, Kris Manuel played Mr Braithwaite and was a very capable replacement. Although looking very different, including costume differences (leather "bomber" jacket instead of duffle coat for example) he played the part with panache and great humour and Born to Boogie really buzzed.

I thought, even by his usual standard, Haydn was exceptional last night, Electricity was simply sensational and brought the whole theatre to its feet.

The atmosphere in the theatre was great last night with a great audience clearly enjoying themselves. With lengthy ovations at the end Bristol is going to miss this show.
It's relevant that we both rated Haydn's performance so highly and both also thought Kris Manuel did a good job as Mr Braithwaite. Haydn's "Dream Ballet", on final Bristol night, moved me to tears, for the first time, just through the beauty of it. I would never have imagined any ballet could have that effect on me.
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patc
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by patc »

When the Creator designed the human form he made one basic error. Now, I’m not blaming him, mind, because even he couldn’t possibly have foreseen a phenomenon like BETM coming in the far distant future where more than two eyes would be required. Despite multiple viewings over multiple years it is still not humanly possible to see everything that goes on in this production extraordinaire. At any particular point your eyes may be focussed in a particular direction whilst, at the same time, cunning things are happening all around. Every show is a voyage of discovery in addition to being a dynamic emotional experience of unparalleled proportions.

The Tour version of Angry Dance is a typical example and viewing it from different angles is fascinating and that’s what I’ve done recently. The athleticism, precision timing and skill of the amazing Ensemble members is epitomised in this scene which is a masterpiece of theatre created by a genius. All of the clever and carefully choreographed “mayhem” finally comes together with the completion of the “jigsaw puzzle”. What is going on not only does not diminish the importance of Billy’s anger but greatly enhances and exposes it and then gives him the final say. When the riot squad pick up the cudgels and march forward in pounding unison he still doesn’t (won’t) give in to the “Establishment” or the “norm”. When he picks himself up and walks off stage you know that the whole village now knows what he is all about. The music that drives the dance is a veritable symphony of synchronous sound performed and conducted with crackling crispness. It is a shame that this music will never go on general release. That particular track on the Original Cast Recording CD pales into complete insignificance when compared to that we had in London and, now, on the Tour. Chalk and cheese.

In my experience it is a very rare occurrence to get to see all four Billys in consecutive shows but it has happened again over the past week. Thursday of last week it was the mercurial Adam that led the way and, this week, I had the good fortune to see Haydn, Lewis and Emile deliver equally stunning and magical performances. I think I may have said before that the Billy Company are very adept at searching out their prey. The truth is that, if you are out there, they WILL find you and their latest find, Emile, is another sensational addition to the long line. Lucky Pat has got to see three of his shows already.

Backing up these four 8th Wonders of the World we’ve got Bradley, Elliot, Henry and Samuel portraying Michael with such fearless panache and Evie, Italia and Lilly giving vent to what has become for audiences a lovable impudence. The quality of acting and an understanding of their respective roles at such a young age is extraordinary. The Ballet Girls (along with their elder statesgirls) are always at the top of their game providing the complicated sequences as Billy enters and, subsequently, flourishes in their world. Despite the pushing and shoving of their new would-be-dancer (intruder, if you like) we ultimately believe that, at heart, they really do support him.

I think a word is due here to the trainers, carers and minders of these talented youngsters. The task of keeping them safe, humoured and in good working order on a long tour of such magnitude and toughness and stopping in hotels should not be underestimated. What we get to see at the theatres are children who are obviously deliriously happy at what they are doing and audiences who become deliriously happy at what they see. Long may delirious happiness reign.

Referring back to comments I made in my last review about the magnificent, consistent brilliance of the principal adult cast and their alternates, it was Amy who played Mrs. W on the previous Thursday. I had seen her performing the role a couple of times before in Annette’s absence and she was outstanding but she went up another notch on this occasion with a 5-star interpretation (full of individual nuances) of Billy’s determined ballet mentor. Wonderful to watch and enjoy.

With Amy otherwise engaged on that afternoon it fell to Assistant Resident Director and longtime London Billy stalwart, Deborah Bundy, to take over Amy’s usual role which was a pure joy and so much fun to watch not to mention the “This and This” tearjerker. Deborah was back onstage again this week playing other Ensemble parts. For me, the presence and involvement of Deborah as well as those other great legends of the London show, Barnaby and Daniel, in the company makes the Tour that extra bit special. It must have been a devastating blow to them to hear of the passing of Ann Emery during the show’s Edinburgh run.

Returning to the subject of ‘wor current Billys all of their Electricity’s are mindblowing. When that note is hit on the MD’s keyboard every one of them knows that, for the next five minutes, they are going to be, all on their own, staring down the barrel of 2,000-3,000 pairs of eyes (depending on theatre size) who will listen to their words, watch their every move as the scene progresses. A terrifying prospect for most, including me, but these small but big-hearted superhumans are the exact opposite and have the skills and confidence to prove it. When they have finished it is a privilege to join in with the rapturous applause and cheers and enjoy their beaming but humble feedback smiles.

During the Finale and as the final curtain descends you can feel the surge of electricity between us, the audience, and cast. They have done their job - to make us supremely happy. We couldn’t ask for more. I have a feeling the Creator is most pleased.

Pat
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Barry Appleby
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Barry Appleby »

12th Jan matinee / 18th Jan evening / 19th Jan matinee & evening

Get all the Christmas chaos and trimmings out of the way, so I made the effort to see Billy in Manchester, for four shows and blimey, four different Billy's, my look was in. Travelling over I thought it was going to be one of those days my first train was cancelled, anyway with a bit of, who you know, I wasn't going to be late into Manchester, I had decided to come to Manchester via Sheffield which is over the lovely run by the Hope Valley, great views of the Pennines, that soon went out the window, it was foggy, I can be smug because two of the gang had problems also, I arrived first. So Just a quickie first on Adam, Haydn and Lewis

I saw Adam, the week previous, in the Thursday matinee, actually he is my most seen Billy now, he was outstanding, as usual ably,, supported by Elliot and Evie. Annette was missing so Amy filled in as Mrs Wilkinson, I thought she gave a strong, gritty performance and I'm looking forward to seeing her again in the future. It was great to see Deborah Bundy on stage in many disguises, she has been a stalwart for this company in London and on the tour.

Wednesday night it was Haydn, so pleased to see him again, as it was early Cardiff, the last time I saw him, he really is top! draw now, I so like the way he plays the crafty Billy , Samuel was Michael and Evie was Debbie

Thursday matinee was Lewis my least seen of the Billy's, Wow, he gave another strong performance, very enjoyable, and he crowns his Electricity, with those Liam spins, Henry was Michael, Lilly was Debbie.

So Thursday night was Emile our latest Billy, so I was well chuffed catch all four Billy after each other. Emile plays a serious Billy following in the footsteps of Matthew. Anyone who hasn't seen the meet the Billy's video, watch Emile's, this lad was so excited and thrilled to be chosen to play the part of Billy. Emile I hope you enjoy Hamburg, hope its hot for you.
Emile has settled down and I thought he was superb throughout, Expressing Yourself with the wonderful Samuel, will be as good as you will ever get. The letter scene was a tea jerker, plenty of hankies out in the audience, excellent skipping in B2 B, Daniel Page is a scream the audience loved his antics. Temper and frustration came out in a powerful Angry Dance, he looked shattered coming off stage. Emile is a real lightweight for Luke, I thought he was going to land in the balcony on the wire in Dream Ballet. A perfect Electricity, stunning! The relief on Emile face was a picture when he finished, with the audience's ovation, he looked so relieved, he just then relaxed and gave a smashing smile, he really showed his enjoyment, in the finale, this finished off an excellent performance from him, I have no doubt his family are so proud of him.

This show has gone from strength to strength in my opinion, the audiences have proved this, big credit must go to firstly the senior cast on the tour Martin, Annette, Scott, Andrea, Leo and Daniel,the fantastic Ensemble, the ballet girls, Michaels – Bradley, Elliot, Henry and Samuel, the Debbie's – Italia, Lily and Evie and lastly integral to the success, the wonderful Orchestra.

The audiences on the tour seem to pick up the punchlines and gags very quickly and show their appreciation more than in London, I suppose there is more English speaking people visiting the show in the sticks. Coming out of the first show after seeing Adam, I've never, in the times I've visited Billy, heard so much chatter about what a brilliant show they had seen.

Just a little thing to finish off with, in the finale I wish the Michaels and Debbie's could have a little longer for their well deserved applause.

A very enjoyable couple of days,travelled home via Huddesfield, it was sunny and clear!!
Sheffan
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

Fri 13 Jan, Sat 14 Jan (matinee), back home then returning for Mon 16 Jan & Tues 17 Jan

With the Christmas festivities over, what an antidote to the usual January blues it was to indulge in this 4 show “Billython” especially as it is one of the nearest tour stops to my home, only 30 miles or so away. Despite visiting the Palace Theatre several times over the years, this was perhaps the longest stay I have had in Manchester. I've always found this city's size a bit intimidating, with many fine old buildings but somewhat drowned out by it's modernity. It was a pleasure to explore during the day (more later).

Wow, this tour is still in rude health. The level of dedication of cast and crew, consistency and talent
continues to be a joy to behold. In my December review, I said I found the audience a little slow on the uptake. I can take that comment back now. Whilst not the loudest audience of the tour (it would be quite a feat to match the Sunderland and Dublin crowds), what immediately was clear from all 4 shows was that they were applauding very liberally where there is only usually laughter. For instance Michael cheekily taking over the beer can after Deep Into The Ground, the moment when Mr Braithwaite starts to dance with Billy during Born to Boogie, Michael's nutcracker joke and immediately on “takeoff” in Dream Ballet.

Only one lucky Bristol audience witnessed it, but Manchester will go down in my memory forever as the first time I had the shear unadulterated joy of seeing Emile on the Friday night, followed by another opportunity on the Monday. Although I am moved every time I see the show, it doesn't always translate into tears, but out of the blue I was quite tearful on several occasions here. What is immediately evident is his astonishing ability to telegraph his emotions to the audience - with every look and movement, he embodies the spirit of Billy to the core. He is absolutely convincing whether it is during the more comic moments or the more moving scenes like The Letter. The end of Electricity was met with a huge roar and wild applause, the many looks on his face as he bathed in the audience's reaction are impossible to put into words. We are so lucky to have him after his triumph in Matilda. His rendition of Angry Dance was perhaps the best of the tour so far. Many fans have commented before, that in any production of Billy, the applause is often a little subdued after this number. No so here – there was loud appreciation as he indignantly stormed off stage.

For the other two shows during my stay, Billy was played by Lewis. What more can I say after what I said before? Like the other children, he continues to amaze and refine his skills. You can see from the look on his face he still loves to be here and is far from bored. His acting skills seem now to be especially sharp and the pathos he radiates is amazing to behold.

Manchester will be special to many members of the tour as it is their home or near it. Unfortunately, I missed Samuel on this occasion, who comes from nearby Middleton. No doubt he had some well deserved downtime with his family. I did however manage to see Henry, also a local, twice. If you read my reviews, earlier in the tour it is evident I was a little slow to “get” his take on Michael. No such concerns now. I'm in stitches with laughter with his wacky, zany over the top facial expressions and blistering tap abilities during Expressing Yourself. Like all the best Michaels he perfectly balances comedic prowess with his more sensitive moments such as those in the Christmas night scene.

I'm so glad Bradley was around during my time here (as tall boy on Saturday and Monday and Michael on Tuesday). He comes from near Sheffield, like myself. He's a master of facial expressions. Intense scowls during He Could Be A Star or sheer sunny smiles during Expressing Yourself he is equally in his element.

Elliot was Michael on the Friday evening. He is really growing up now but luckily still well below the age when leaving the show is imminent. I'm especially enjoying his always appropriate ad-libs particularly during the soup kitchen scene. On this occasion he also sang Girls Just Want to have fun for a second time when looking in the mirror during Expressing.

It has finally happened after seeing 20 performances so far! I have succeeded in seeing Haydn as Tall Boy. Whilst in my view not indignant enough when spitting during He Could Be A Star, nevertheless his portrayal of the posh boy was very impressive.

Martin is from nearby Warrington so this leg of the tour will also be very special to him. To myself, he is the perfect actor to play Dad – the right playing age with real life children of similar if slightly younger age, expertly blending machismo with a genuine emotion and pride. The audience can see the tears in his eyes as he says “He's my son!” after Electricity and react similarly. These are real tears.

Leo Atkin as George who is 65 and was on the verge of retiring before getting this part, is reportedly considering changing his mind after his experience with this show, a dream come true, according to an interview in the local media. Evidently, he lives near Manchester so he is travelling from his home daily to the theatre whilst the show is here. His portrayal is a piece of theatrical magic – outspoken but with a heart of gold, we all know someone like George in our lives whom we love but have to live with as a bit of a pain on occasions. No disrespect to Martin, but it would be nice to see Leo's “Dad” portrayal sometime!! But due to Martin's 100% attendance I haven't had the chance.

On the Friday and Saturday, Annette was still recovering from a cold, I was told, so I had the pleasure of seeing Amy Rhiannon-Worth for a second and third time as Mrs Wilkinson after seeing her in Edinburgh. She was very good once again, I especially love her portrayal during the massive Solidarity dance routine. When this happens, you realise how flexible and talented the ensemble cast are – Amy's usual role as audition supervisor needs covering and also many of the small females roles in Stars Look Down, He Could Be A Star, etc. are played by different people on these occasions.

What a true professional Andrea Miller has been as Grandma – a real trooper. Like Martin, she has had 100% attendance of the shows I have attended. Whilst the odd fan has struggled to get used to her portrayal, she is demonstrably very well qualified for the role and meshes with Scott & Martin brilliantly.

Many reviewers, myself included, always mention Angry Dance or Electricity in our reviews on this forum. But I thought I would mention that in Manchester (and many of the other northern tour stops) audiences find He Could Be A Star and Once We Were Kings equally moving. Also I am now trying to conserve some energy myself to full appreciate these parts of the performance more. There were many tears in Manchester during these two scenes especially when the miners shine their lights into the audience as they return to work. It is scenes like this that show what a remarkable actor Scott is in the role of Tony. Many previous actors have been a little too blindly angry and it was sometimes therefore hard to work out the family's change of heart about Billy. On the tour, you realise Tony like Dad loves his younger sibling dearly despite his bravado. Hopefully if and when the show returns to London, West End audiences will be able to admire this scene as well. These scenes play well in the slightly older, gloomier theatres, like the Palace, only adding to the atmosphere.

I must give a special vote of thanks to Patrick Hurley, the young MD of this show. Like the previous MD at the VPT, he has to play keyboards on occasion as well. I always thought the excellent VPT cast struggled with the in my view, poor sound system. Patrick's band of 9 make a luscious sound, punchy and crystal clear at every venue. Patrick is always cheerful and friendly especially when people on the front row catch his eye before the start of the show or during the interval.

I read yesterday in the press, that theatre attendance has been linked to warding off dementia and other mental health conditions. It is such a joy to be part of this tour, it infuses my heart and soul with joy and happiness. It has also been a way to explore UK cities I haven't visited or at least not for a long time. In Manchester there are quite a few budget hotels within 100 metres or so of the theatre and similarly a couple of nice Italian restaurants nearby. During the daytime, I visited the Science & Industry Museum, Manchester Cathedral, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Peoples Museum. My politics are quite centrist, but Lee Hall would love the latter museum as it details some of the struggles depicted in BETM. Also fascinating and quite near the theatre, is the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. It was fascinating to escape the traffic and see Manchester by walking on the towpaths of it's Victorian canals which are gradually being opened up to leisure, dining and tourism.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Southampton – a 3 show “Billython” on 15, 16 and 17 February. I was last at the Mayflower Theatre 26 years ago to see the UK tour of Chess The Musical. There will be a large range of maritime attractions to explore during the daytime between shows. Many of the previous tour stops have been port cities, which always seem to have vibrant cultural and artistic traditions. With Liverpool and Hamburg, the most iconic are probably yet to come.
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porschesrule
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Re: Manchester Reviews

Post by porschesrule »

To all who have taken the time to post such detailed and well written reviews... a sincere THANK YOU!

I know I'm guilty of not saying that enough. We have so many people here at the Forum who are such excellent, descriptive writers and, as Billy Whiz often says, reading these brilliant reviews is the next best thing to being there.

Please keep them coming!
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