Hamburg Reviews

Sheffan
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Hamburg Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

A place for fan and press reviews of the BETM UK tour stop in Hamburg. (I'm attending the last 3 shows so will post here in due course)
dancingboy
Billy
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by dancingboy »

Sheffan wrote:A place for fan and press reviews of the BETM UK tour stop in Liverpool. (I'm attending the last 3 shows so will post here in due course)

??????
Real Geordie
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by Real Geordie »

http://www.ndr.de/unterhaltung/Standing ... ot148.html

Google Translation : Standing ovations for "Billy Elliot" premiere By Petra Volquardsen, NDR 90.3

One of the most successful musicals of the London West End is now also to be seen in Hamburg: The English-language original production of "Billy Elliot" with the music of Elton John, Theater celebrated. Standing ovations in the middle of the piece, goose bumps and not a single faint scene: the musical "Billy Elliot" is without a doubt a show of world format in Hamburg. The youngest in the ensemble are certainly the stars: A slim, slender boy stands completely alone on the stage. When he begins to dance, his shadow appears large on the back of the stage. "This piece is worn by children as the main actor," says Mehr! Entertainment boss Maik Klokow, the "Billy Elliot" first brought to Germany. On the premiere evening in Hamburg Emile Gooding is on stage as Billy . The audience immediately closes the young actor - and is amazed at the performance of the twelve-year-old boy. From the first to the last scene, he is present, the awkward steps of a dance starter must just as credibly as demanding pirouettes to the final.

The story is known to many in the audience already from the film of the same name: Billy lives with his father, his brother and his grandmother in a small town in North-East England. In the Thatcher era, in the mid-1980s, nearly all mine workers are on strike. Billy, who is supposed to be boxing, as his father wants it, accidentally falls into the ballet class of Mrs. Wilkinson and discovers the dancing for himself.

The musical "Billy Elliot" is worn by children as the main actor. Played in London's original version. The ensemble sings in English, on screens to the right and left of the stage, the text is displayed in German translation. This is unusual at first, but soon you have got used to it as a spectator - and the musical texts in the language in which they were written is a pleasant change. Much is different in "Billy Elliot" than in other well-known musicals. The language is rough as the life of the miners. The lyrics in Northern Slang are bursting with expressions of violence and insults, of which "asshole" or "fat jellyfish" are still the most harmless.
Time and again, the action jumps between the everyday life of the children and their families and the strike action. Powerful as the miners fight in the streets of the small town against London police. Heartfelt, as Billy shows his ballet teacher a letter from his deceased mother. Surprisingly, as his grandmother reminds her husband and leaves behind looking hardly a good hair at him.

With all this, the musical also contains a decent dose of British humor. The audience favorite is - alongside the main actor - Billy's friend Michael, who likes to dress up women's dresses and exchange a football with an autograph by Kevin Keegan against a Barbie doll. Be different from the others and stand for fighting for his dreams - that's what Billy Elliot is all about. When Billy finally arrives at the Royal Ballet School, many people spontaneously jump out of their seats and applaud. The performance will last around three hours - thanks to the premiere guests, the ensemble is greeted with loud cheers.

After eleven years in England the success story "Billy Elliot" finally arrived in Hamburg - unfortunately only for four weeks. Until the 23rd of July, Theater am Großmarkt. Tickets are available at all well-known presales.
Real Geordie
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by Real Geordie »

https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/i ... mburg.html

GoogleTranslation Audience celebrates musical "Billy Elliot" in Hamburg

Hamburg - "Be loyal to you" - Billy Elliot's mother asks her little son, shortly before her death, in a tearful letter. Thus the little boy in a poor British mining town struggles during the mining strike in 1984 for his big dream: he wants to become a ballet dancer. The story "Billy Elliot" was a thrill of millions of people as a film, and it made it into the musical stage in 2005. Twelve years later this version can be seen in Germany - but only as a guest game for four weeks. The almost 2000 premiere viewers in the Hamburg-based Mehr! -Theater celebrated the production on Thursday evening. Already in between there were cheering and ovations for some dance scenes.

Before Billy (Emile Gooding) is in the boxing ring before the ballet bar, Every week his family scrapes the money for lessons, even if the boy has little fun. The audience laughs as he struggles in boxing - and his movements to the horror of his teacher are more like a dance. By accident, Billy lands a little later in the ballet-hour of Mrs. Wilkinson (Anna-Jane Casey) and wants to dance from now on only. He has to train secretly, because a boy at the ballet - his father, a simple mine worker, does not mind. Down to the smallest roles the production is great. Emile Gooding and Samuel Torpey, who plays Billy's friend Michael, are particularly enthusiastic about the audience. Four boys aged between 12 and 14 play alternately the Billy role, a total of 23 children are part of the production. "It's incredibly moving to see what a child can do on the stage," says Stephen Daldry, director of the film and the musicals, which also came to the Hansestadt for the premiere.

The play creates the constant change between touching moments and comedy without problems. With a few quick hand movements the stage image changes, the scenes flow into each other. This creates great momentum: while Billy imitates the movements of the girls in the ballet hour, police and miners are already standing on the left and right of the stage on the strike. It was Elton John, who had the idea to make a musical out of the cinema film, and wrote the music. The lyrics and the book were written by Lee Hall, who was already responsible for the screenplay of the Oscar-nominated film. Not only ballet can be seen here, as Peter Darling also plays tap dance, jazz and hiphop in his choreographies.

The award-winning musical has already seen around eleven million people worldwide. For many years attempts were made to show a German version throughout the year. According to More! -Entertainment, it was too difficult because of the Children's and Youth Protection Act. Too many outstanding children were needed. That's why it was decided to invite the original production as a guest performance. In order to create no copy, there are deliberately some differences between musical and film. A great variant of the scene has emerged in which Billy's father discovers his secretly trained son at Christmas. The boy dances parallel to his older self (Luke Cinque-White) and flies on a rope across the stage. The father now understands what Billy means to dance, and becomes a strike breaker to finance the ride to audition at the Royal Ballet School in London . "How does it feel when you dance?", One wants to know there from the boy. "As if a fire were burning inside me," Billy replies, and with a brilliant punching-in, takes the shot to the school.
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Lola
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by Lola »

A few thoughts on the two Tour performances I got to see on Friday and Saturday matinee

The Billys:
I really hoped to see Haydn so seeing his name on the cast board cheered me up big time after walking through Hamburg’s rainy weather. Haydn is an amazing allrounder. Even though his dancing was very good, especially the tap, I felt the acting was his strongest point. First of all, his timing was very good since he knows how to include pauses – of the right length. Further, Haydn was reacting to the scene even when the focus wasn’t on him. For example, when Dad told George and Big Davey that Billy got in, Haydn made two fists and held them up triumphantly, looking very proud. Another scene that I remember very well was right after “me mum would have let us!”. I have never seen any Billy building up his anger as convincingly as Haydn, and also his screams during the dance were bloodcurdling! Singing is not Haydn’s strongest point, but the way he performed ‘Electricity’ was just amazing. It really felt like Billy struggling to explain his feelings to the judges, not a boy performing an Elton John ballad. In addition all that, Haydn is a boy with loads of charisma and charm and I could tell the audience adored him. After Michael’s good-bye the whole audience was at their feet, and did not sit down again. You could not hear the tap at the beginning of the finale because people were clapping and cheering so loudly. It was just amazing to witness :)
Lewis was the Billy the next afternoon and I have to admit that I liked Haydn’s performance a little better, but then again I had a much better seat on Friday and could see Haydn's facial expressions which was hard from the back of the theatre on Saturday. That said, I could not fault Lewis's dancing at all and his singing…WOW what a voice! His diction was crystal clear and his singing just beautiful. Both boys were very good but have different strengths, so which one you like better depends on what you are looking for in the role.

The Michaels:
My first time seeing Elliot. I liked him very much, even though sometimes it felt like he tried too hard to be funny. His Christmas scene had the people in stitches, though.
This was my third time seeing Bradley and even though I hoped to see Samuel or Henry, I was not disappointed. Bradley feels at home in this part and it shows. He just looks and sounds so natural on stage. His Christmas dance certainly has changed a lot and now includes a pig and a snake ('sssss' so funny!). I love how far he has come in this role since I first saw him in January 2016.

Adult cast:
Was that really the same Martin Walsh I saw in Cardiff one year ago? I liked him so much better now! Back then I felt like he was not angry enough in certain scenes, like when he confronted Billy after Solidarity. Oh, so much anger now! Also ‘Deep into the Ground’ was much better now, sung with more emotion. I really like his portrayal now, even though David Bardsley is still my favourite.
Scott Garnham as Tony did not change his portrayal a lot, but he was already convincing last year. Anna-Jane Casey is a very feisty and fit Mrs Wilkinson and I liked her portrayal a lot. You could tell how much she hated teaching the girls, which I criticised Annette for. Her good-bye scene was also very emotional.
The new Big Davey really is a giant! Everyone looked so tiny besides him ;)

Translation:
Most of the time I watched what was going on on stage but sometimes I was just curious. How would they translate that part? They were actually very creative with the insults. ‘Fat f**ny’ turned into ‘fette Qualle’ = ‘fat jellyfish’ and ‘dickhead’ turned into ‘Arschgeige’ :D overall, I felt they translated into believable colloquial language and the audience seemed to be able to follow the scenes and dialogues. I felt sorry for Michael because his ‘People will think you’re mental’ did not get laughs in both performances. It probably was lost in translation…The cast even spoke some German during the show! In the beginning of the second act, Tony asked the audience to donate for the miners in English, but after that he took a brochure which said ‘Deutsch für Anfänger’ (German for beginners) in giant letters and asked in German, which got a big laugh. In addition to that, during the finale, both Haydn and Lewis said "Mädchen. Und Jungs." instead of "Girls. And boys." They even said 5, 6, 7, 8 in (very good) German. That was such a lovely addition!
Beforehand I was worried that the audience would be quiet because they'd be busy reading the translations. I couldn't have been more wrong. Both audiences were among the loudest and most enthusiastic I have ever seen anywhere!

The theatre:
Definitely not my favourite :/ the acoustics were alright but it simply does not have the charm of an old cozy theatre. It used to be a big market hall and is used for all kind of events nowadays. On the sides, the auditorium was semi-open to the bar and toilet area which I really did not like. But this could not damp my excitement!

I am so happy I got to see the tour again! The cast is in top form, so you should go and see it. On both occasions the audience gave very loud applause after every dance and song. The Germans certainly love it and I heard and read nothing but raving reviews!
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Then I saw her face
Small Boy
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Re: Hamburg, Germany, June 28-July 23, 2017

Post by Then I saw her face »

A review on Germany's public northern TV-channel:
http://www.ndr.de/unterhaltung/Standing ... ot148.html
Translation by Google with a little help from myself.

Standing ovations for "Billy Elliot" premiere
By Petra Volquardsen, NDR 90.3

One of the most successful musicals of the London West End is now also to be seen in Hamburg: The English - language original production of "Billy Elliot" with the music of Elton John has hat it's premiere at the Mehr! Theater on Thursday. Standing ovations in the middle of the piece, goose bumps and not a single faint scene: the musical "Billy Elliot" is without a doubt a show of world class in Hamburg.

The youngest in the ensemble are certainly the stars: A slim, slender boy stands completely alone on the stage. When he begins to dance, his shadow appears large on the back of the stage. "This piece is worn by children as the main actor," says Mehr! Entertainment boss Maik Klokow, who brought "Billy Elliot" first to Germany.

On the premiere evening in Hamburg Emile Gooding is on stage as Billy. The audience immediately takes the young actor into their hearts- and is amazed at the performance of the twelve-year-old boy. From the first to the last scene, he is present, the awkward steps of a dance starter must just as credibly as demanding pirouettes to the final.

Family's daily life and Worker's struggles:


The story is well-known to many in the audience already from the film of the same name: Billy lives with his father, his brother and his grandmother in a small town in a small town in Northern England. In the Thatcher era, in the mid-1980s, nearly all mine workers are on strike. Billy, who is supposed to practice boxing, as his father wants it, accidentally falls into the ballet class of Mrs. Wilkinson and discovers the dancing for himself.

Played in London's original version, the ensemble sings in English, on screens to the right and left of the stage, the text is displayed in German translation. This is unusual at first, but soon you have got used to it as a spectator - and the musical texts in the language in which they were written is a pleasant change.

Rough tone, great emotions

Much is different in "Billy Elliot" than in other well-known musicals. The language is rough as the life of the miners. The lyrics in Northern Slang are bursting with expressions of violence and insults, of which "asshole" or "fat f**ny" are still the most harmless.

Again and again, the action jumps between the everyday life of the children and their families and the strike action. Powerful as the miners fight in the streets of the small town against London police. Heartfelt, as Billy shows his ballet teacher a letter from his deceased mother. Surprisingly, as his grandmother reminds her husband and leaves behind looking hardly a good hair at him.

Fight for dreams


Aboe all, the musical also contains a decent dose of British humor. The audience favorite is - alongside the main actor - Billy's friend Michael, who likes to dress up women's dresses and exchange a football with an autograph by Kevin Keegan against a Barbie doll. Be different from the others and stand for fighting for his dreams - that's what Billy Elliot is all about.

When Billy finally arrives at the Royal Ballet School, many people spontaneously jump out of their seats and applaud. The performance will last around three hours - thanks to the premiere guests, the ensemble is greeted with great cheers.

After eleven years in England the success story "Billy Elliot" finally arrived in Hamburg - unfortunately only for four weeks. Until the 23rd of July, Theater am Großmarkt. Tickets are available at all well-known presales.
milno
Audience Member
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Re: Hamburg, Germany, June 28-July 23, 2017

Post by milno »

I have seen the show last weekend and was once again totally excited and deeply impressed (I didn't thought that this is possible after having seen it so many times). And I didn't expect that the german audience is able to react so enthusiastic (the people of northern germany are actually rather restrained). The whole theater standing after "electricity" and intensive cheering and applause made my skin crawl. Once again it was an unforgettable show.
Sheffan
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by Sheffan »

Nice review from Kulturfeder.de (click on the Billy Elliot review title)

https://translate.google.co.uk/translat ... rev=search
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atreyu
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by atreyu »

Here it is 2:45 AM local Hamburg time and I have to get up in less than 5 hours to catch a flight. But not before a couple comments on the brilliant performance by Haydn and the company in the UK/Ireland Tour finale. In addition to an absolutely top-notch performance - not perfect, but truly thrilling - by Haydn, he had a couple surprises for the cast as well. In the first Letter scene, he did grab hold of the letter at the point where Mrs. W usually takes it out of reach and after a second Haydn let go. Second surprise was more significant, during Once We Were Kings, Tony handed Billy the lamp, but did not get the chance to give him the usual friendly middle finger, since Haydn grabbed him in a bear hug instead. Quite touching.

There was a mashup at the end involving multiple Billys, Michaels, Debbies and ballet girls, but I would not be able to do it justice if I tried describing it right now in brief. Best thing I can say is the way the Tour went out was nothing short of Wunderbar!
Todd
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Re: Hamburg Reviews

Post by Todd »

Sounds like a great final show ! Glad that Haydn got the nod to do the last performance. I saw him in Milton Keynes last month and thoroughly enjoyed the way he plays the part. Lots of smiles and a genuinely warm nature that he exudes, which makes the audience root for him even more. His dancing and singing were very good as well. Glad you were able to make the trip over there for the finale, Atreyu !
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