March 2011 Reviews - NYC

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KiwiT
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by KiwiT »

Tuesday 8th March

Jacob/Ben/Alex with Alex Ko as Tall Boy and new Debbie Lilla making her debut.


Once again the Broadway BETM roster has been extremely kind to me! This was a very special performance as not only did I get the incredibly talented Jacob as Billy, Ben Cook, who normally plays Tall Boy, was instead playing the part of Michael and totally unexpectedly Alex Ko played the part of Tall Boy/Posh Boy. To cap it all off we had a new Debbie making her debut and I also ended up sitting next to small boy Alex’s dad.

This was only my second time seeing Jacob play Billy but he is quickly becoming a favourite of mine and having been privileged to see some 27 Billy’s that is no mean feat!

As seen in his Samsung keynote commercials, his acting is superb and entirely believable throughout. He adds numerous touches of his own which is something I always love to see and he certainly knows how to get the crowd going. I think one forum reviewer described him as a “showman” and that is undoubtedly true. His unique pause at the Billy sign with his back to the audience builds anticipation and ensures he gets a rapturous reception. Absolutely brilliant! His interaction with everyone on the stage with him, whether it is grandma, dad, Mrs W, Michael or anyone else is always spot on. Highlights for me included his look of horror when grandma says the S word, his long and carefully worked reaction to Debbie’s “offer” and an emotional letter scene with Dead Mum where he produced real tears - Dead Mum used her thumbs to wipe away some of Billy’s tears which is not something I have seen before but which was a very tender moment and a really nice addition to this scene. Jacob’s singing is some of the best I have heard from any Billy and of course his dancing is extremely impressive too – without a doubt a real triple treat.

Ben has been a terrific tall boy demonstrating acting skills well beyond those required for the role and it was fantastic to see him given the chance to demonstrate them in the more demanding role of Michael. Needless to say Ben did not disappoint. He was awesome and with Jacob they make a dream team! Express was as hilarious as ever and the camaraderie between Jacob and Ben was clear for all to see. Loved it! Even a slight glitch when Ben was putting on the tutu was quickly and very professionally improvised so that most of the audience would not even have noticed. Well done Ben you are a real star and I hope you will have a great future.

Seeing Alex Ko was a wonderful surprise as I had reluctantly concluded that I had probably seen him on stage for the final time in BETM since my next trip to Broadway will probably be after he has retired. So to see him one more time as Tall Boy/Posh Boy was a definite bonus. I must confess it seemed a little strange seeing him in another role but I now have this wonderful image of Alex as Posh Boy engrained on my brain! He certainly looked the part. Nice one Alex and thanks for providing me with more happy memories of your time in BETM.

A quick shout to Lilla who made her debut as Debbie. Although she is tiny she has a great stage presence and showed no sign of nerves at all. She seemed to take an age to say “see ya then” after being told that Billy’s mum was dead but the delayed reaction was actually rather effective.
Little Alex Drier as small boy was terrific too. Even though his dad was only a few feet away from him in the press ups scene he did not even glance in our direction. In fact the only time he really swayed from his usual performance was to wave to Dad after the final curtain.

All in all a very special performance.
61 Brilliant Billys, 44 Magnificent Michaels
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Rich B
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

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Thanks for the review, Tim. It was nice meeting you in NY - glad to hear your last NY show on this trip was memorable! :D

Rich
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porschesrule
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

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Thank you, KiwiT, for the usual excellent review. It was, indeed, a special show. I'm glad that you were able to experience it but selfishly more glad that you decided to review it so the rest of us could experience it as well.

Jacob appears to be at the peak of his abilities as Billy with all parts of his triple threat repertoire functioning like a well oiled machine. Nice to see Ben getting the chance to play Michael and yes, it would appear that this young man has a very bright future ahead of him in the performing world if that is what he desires.

Also nice to hear that Lilla's debut went well. She seems well prepared and ready for a very successful run as Debbie.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts on this special show, KiwiT.
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ERinVA
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for that review, Tim. It was nice to meet you in NY. I hope the rest of your BETM Odyssey is going well.
Ellen



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CJ-Rochester
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by CJ-Rochester »

It was great seeing you again in NY that weekend Tim! It's hard to believe it was only 10 days ago. I hope the rest of your cross-country Billython turns out just as enjoyable. :D
porschesrule wrote:Jacob appears to be at the peak of his abilities as Billy with all parts of his triple threat repertoire functioning like a well oiled machine.
After seeing Jacob perform twice that weekend I couldn't agree more!
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dongringo
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by dongringo »

Killer review. Thanks.
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atreyu
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

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KiwiT wrote:his long and carefully worked reaction to Debbie’s “offer” and an emotional letter scene with Dead Mum where he produced real tears
Those were a couple standout moments from when I saw his performance as well. Jacob can sure work a crowd and draw the audience into experiencing Billy's feelings for themselves.
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KiwiT
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

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Thanks for the comments everyone. It was indeed great to meet ErinVA and Rich B and to see Angelenroute and CJRochester again with the amazing and very hospitable Thommie Retter. Role on my next trip to NY.
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by alexandre »

And now the next installment in “Postcards from the plastered : NYC edition” :mrgreen:

Just spent a grand weekend in the large Apple enjoying the fine hospitality of occasional poster and full time nice guy, ajnyc. Managed to catch all the Billy’s on current rotation, cannot ask for much more than that.
Before I rejoin with my elderly pal KiwiT in Seattle, I’ll just take a few minutes to bash out some thoughts. It’ll be fairly stream of consciousness as I’ve got an early flight tomorrow and I’m high on my $20 bag of peanut and pretzel M&M’s :o

NYC was just as pleasant as I remember it from last year. The weather was positively balmy however today, the one full day for sightseeing, was fair cruddy. Hence I journeyed to the Guggenheim, the only major museum I’ve yet to visit. There’s quite a nice exhibition at the moment of western art in the early 20th century. Got me thinking, I wonder if I can draw some parallels between the art I saw there and BETM and make it comprehensible. Unfortunately the answer is no but here it is anyway.

Watch out for your eyes, dear reader, as I’m about to draw some very long bows :roll: :lol:
Clicking on the pictures links to and enlarged image and more information on the Guggenheim website :ugeek:

Jacob Clemente
Image
Franz Marc, Yellow Cow, 1913
Franz Marc was a leader in the short lived movement “Der Blaue Reiter” who “believed in … the connection between visual art and music; … and a spontaneous, intuitive approach to painting”.

Rather than using colour, Jacob uses the full palette of facial expressions and voice inflection to convey the honest emotion in the story. The result is indeed a “spontaneous, intuitive” performance and I’m glad I managed to see him twice. My fellow Aussie fans were right, he is pretty special and this painting, like Jacob’s shows, made me smile.


Peter Mazurowski
Image
Camille Pissarro, The Hermitage at Pontoise, ca 1867
At first glance, a fairly simple landscape scene, nice enough but no real depth. But look closer and see the terrific and intelligent interplay of light and dark. Delve into the history and learn that at the time, paintings of the common man were considered radical and vulgar.

At first glance, there’s no way this skinny kid could ever manage to pull off being Billy, a slightly stiff breeze would knock him over! But stick with him and you experience both the light of his sweet singing and the dark of a particularly strong Angry Dance. Add to that the heartbreak of when he says “My mam’s dead” in Solidarity. There is a lot of thought put into Peter’s performance and when you look closer, you see it all.


Joseph Harrington
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Wassily Kandinsky, Black Lines, 1913
Kandinsky is beginning his experimentation with non-objective forms believing abstraction to be the route to a truer expression of our world. In time he will become one of the greatest artists of the early 20th century.

The newest and youngest Billy on Broadway is beginning his journey in professional dance and ballet, the form of dance I believe to be it’s apotheosis and the form that brings us closer to a state of transcendence. As in the painting, there are vibrant flashes of colour in Joseph’s show and more than mere hints of the world class dancer he will soon become.


Alex Ko
Image
Wassily Kandinsky, Composition 8, 1923
Ten years on and Kandinsky has refined his expressive abstract style. The geometric shapes are precise but the overall effect is dynamic.

The most senior Broadway Billy has matured delightfully from when I saw him almost exactly one year ago. Alex is now a master of the precise forms and shapes that ballet requires, his Dream Ballet is exquisite and he holds nothing back in a dynamic Electricity. As his time in Billy nears its inevitable conclusion he can be confident in knowing his progression has been outstanding and that bodes extremely well for his next field of endeavour.


A few more quick points:

Missed Greg Jbara as Dad AGAIN. However, Joel Hatch was a worthy replacement. Probably the crispest version of Dad’s song I’ve ever heard.

Stephen Hanna as Older Billy is just phenomenal, truly without peer worldwide.

Particularly demented Grandma on Broadway! :? :D

Cameron as Michael is a revelation. A cross between Joel Slater and Connor Kelly (you know you’ve seen the show too many times when you make these sorts of cross references) :P

I miss the piano flip after B2B and the pants off bit in the breakfast scene (though not sure why). Also its time to change the “break his bloody legs for him” line :evil:

Sorry if I’ve forgotten to say something but it’s past midnight again.

Oooh, one more thing; thank you to Thommie Retter and hugsy2k for some great company, can’t wait to get back! :mrgreen:
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porschesrule
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Re: March 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by porschesrule »

Thanks for the well written and very creative piece of art that is your latest review, Nathan. :lol:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, all the time with a smile on my face. :)
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