April 2011 Reviews - NYC

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StevenKing
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by StevenKing »

Yep it's there but you have to look for it, and be close...and still miss it sometimes lol
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by Billy Whiz »

The first NY Billy I heard say that was either Michael or Dayton - I can't remember which but I know he was Australian as I wondered if it was something they had brought from Australia. I never heard any of the original 4 say it.
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cincinnati
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by cincinnati »

Thursday April 28th
Billy - Peter
Michael - Cameron
Tall Boy - Ben
Small Boy - Alex

I last saw Peter about 18 days ago and was shocked over the transformation that has taken place with his stage ability. Peter has leap frogged into a level of confidence that is very impressive and oh my does it show with his work. This show would further back up my asumption of that. Peter comes to me as a Billy that is goal driven to be a success and stays focused on the end result. The style of delivery of his lines is steady and sound, his body language matches. It is obvious he is more relaxed as he smiles more, (Jacob is the champ of this LOL) at the appropriate times. Peter has simply nailed the ballet and tap the last two times I have seen him. I do want to highlight the thing I think Peter does best, and that is cry! I used to say that Jacob was the faucet on stage....well Peter is a fire hose.....my gosh....I was sitting on the second row...and I could see in the first letter scene....You could see Peter prep himself to cry just before it was time.....you could see him close his eyes, bite his lip and start to choke the tears up....what brilliant acting, just simply brilliant. When the time came to end this part and start B2B....he had 50% of the patrons in tears themselves....brilliant work here by Peter.......Peter was really happy in the finale...it was obvious to me that he knew he kicked some Broadway butt with an amazing show and he had a ton of fun in the end......I am a big fan of Joseph's take on Billy at this time...but I will tell you with Peter's solid work this past month...Billy has two solid performers for some time with these two. This was my second time to see Cameron in the role of Michael. I have come to the conclusion that the role of Michael is always loved by the patrons.....when I think back over the numerous times I have seen the show...the crowd always loves Express....Now I am big fan of Keean Johnson and Dillon Stevens and their take on Michael, but the role of Michael and the music is so well written I find myself really enjoying seeing the different actors play this part. Cameron has very very good timing, his delivery of lines is steady and exact. He had this crowd really going at the end of Express to say the least. Cameron is an excellent actor, his facial expressions are very on cue and match the lines. Ben Cook is like reaching in your desk drawer and finding that winning lottery ticket. It's (BEEN) LOL , there all the time and just now are finding out....Ben Cook is simply brilliant on stage, you can tell that Ben LOVES to be on stage, it's like he can't wait to get up there....the press-ups and the head shake.....next time you go to the show...listen when the boxer kids are running to the stage and hear what Ben says....LOL....or when they run to the stage for Merry Xmas .....it's very very funny...I mentioned to Ben what I heard him say and he just howled with laughter. Ben and Drew McVety are very funny during M Xmas.....Alex is made for the stage....I can see Alex being a Billy or Michael one day.....he is right at home on stage.....the choke motion he makes during Merry Xmas is very funny....when you sit down front, Alex will look right at you and smile...even point at you...LOL LOL....he remembers faces....LOL....I find the show in very good health on Broadway, this cast is really doing a great job. The time is fast approaching very sadly for the great Alex Ko to depart. I have so much respect for Alex and his determination and dedication that it will be an honor to be at his last show. Alex Ko is a class act on stage and off.....
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dongringo
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by dongringo »

What a great detailed review cincinnati. Thanks! :D
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porschesrule
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by porschesrule »

Ditto what dongringo said, cincinnati.

Your review is a great read, filled with descriptions of the performances of the younger cast that are heartening to hear.
cincinnati wrote:I find the show in very good health on Broadway, this cast is really doing a great job.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
jsd337
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by jsd337 »

Hey everyone! I just found this board, being that I got to see Billy Elliot for the first time on Broadway a few weeks ago, and then two more times after that :lol: I was lucky enough to see three different Billys on three different nights too, but all three had a lot of cast changes as people like Gregory Jbara were out. Even so, I got to see Peter, Alex, and Jacob perform as Billy, and it was great to see how each boy plays the title role so differently.

First time I watched, it was Peter with Cameron as Michael. I had awful seats though (rear Mezzanine, partial view), but being that it was my first time seeing BE, I didn't really care and I just enjoyed it. I thought the musical in general starts off a tad slow, but it builds up from Shine to Grandma's Song and then anything from Solidarity onwards blew me away. I kind of wish my first show was at orchestra level as I probably would've been blown away more, but I guess just the idea that I thoroughly enjoyed the show even from a crap seat shows how good the show was. Peter was a great Billy to introduce me to the Billy Elliot world. I mean I'd seen clips of the original West End and Broadway Billys so nothing was too surprising, sans a few numbers. I was really amazed at the jump rope/tap combo in BTB, and how surreal Dream Dance is in person. Peter's voice/accent is very distinct as compared to the other two. The accent he puts on is a lot thicker, with a lot more emphasis on certain words. He's also the only one of the Billy's that I saw do a jump off the piano (assisted by Mr. B - Alex just did some more ballet which I believe is because of his injury? and Jacob did a little tap dance to end the routine.) The guy who played Dad, whose name escapes me now, was also really good, as was Michael (Cameron at this play) but I could tell he was one of the newer kids to join the production. I would say more about Peter but because I was so far away, I don't think I can say as much as I can re: Alex and Jacob, so let's move on.

I really wanted to see the show from Orchestra level, but I also wanted to see Alex because I had heard he was a great dancer and was also about to leave the show. With some help from websites that track which Billy is doing so that night, I took a risk on Friday night hoping it would be Alex (Tues-Thurs was Joseph-Jacob-Peter in that order). All things seemed to fall into place that day because not only was Alex there, but I went and bought the Orchestra ticket 2 hours before the show, and the lady sold me the seat right behind the conductor! It was an amazing seat. Front row and center. I couldn't believe my luck. Plus, the show was incredible. There's something about the way Alex portrays Billy that makes you feel so bad for him and just hope things become better. He plays Billy more sorrowfully and sadly than Jacob did, or even Peter did. It was like a sad hope. I think that paired with the heartwarmingly charming and adorable smile that Alex has, the crowd's heart just sinks when things go wrong for Billy, and this was the only show of the three I saw that the crowd actually leapt up and applauded when Billy got into the RBS. I think everything about how an amazing dancer Alex is has been said. He was absolutely stellar in the Dream Dance and Electricity. During Elecrticity I was literally :o when he did all the flips and acro (Peter's was more ballet and he didn't do a backflip to open the dance routine; Jacob also had a lot more ballet and like, arm movement than the other two - I'm not an expert with ballet lol). Loud and long applause post-Electricity as with all Billys! You could see though that Alex was outgrowing the role, but he still did a great job. In the script, it's changed to "he's just 12" instead of 11, but I'm not sure how that works with the rest (Jacob/Peter both had "11" though). It was so wonderful to see Alex dance. The definition of graceful. And I was more amazed to read that he had a long road to recovery after a bad injury! I noticed he was wearing these knee brace like cloth things but I thought that was just for support, not because he actually injured his knees badly before. My heart also sank more when I read that his father had died when he was young. Really an amazing boy. He was so cute in the finale, really enjoying himself, and then went up to the conductor and did this high-five claws thing which I didn't see any of the other two do. Lol. Funny story, I waited to get my playbill signed after the show, and Alex was cool and smiling so adorably and saying Thank You to everyone. When he came up to me, I told him he was so great and he said thanks, then we had a 2-second stare off. We both realized neither of us were holding pens. So I was like "It's okay nevermind." But the person beside me had a pen, so Alex grabbed it and was like "I can just do this" and still signed mine. Good kid. I wish I could see him one more time before I leave NY and I wish I had gotten a picture but I didn't have a camera at the time, and due to my schedule it's impossible now. But I'm so glad to have seen him before he leaves. He seems like such an inspiration and such a genuinely nice guy. And I wish him the best of luck when he leaves the show.

For my third night, I got to see Jacob (and Neil, who was also with Alex, and btw, Neil is fantastic and hilarious. His delivery of the nutcracker line got some of the best applause of the show, even with a mic problem that plagued that whole scene on this night). Jacob's Billy was the complete opposite of Alex's. While Alex's Billy was kind of more sad and dejected, Jacob's Billy was, as I've read around the board, the "angry" Billy. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw him. He had a deeper, more gritty voice, and had the least amount of accent thrown in from all three. It wasn't just frustrated Billy, it was really angry Billy lol! And it worked for a lot of the show, surprisingly for me, because I felt the sad Billy would be more loved by the crowd, but what I realized was with an Angry Billy, you root for him instead of feeling bad for him. You want him to tear people apart instead of just feeling sorry and hoping for the best. His Angry Dance was unreal. It was amazing. Also probably because Tap is his main background right? Anyway, really blew me away with Angry Dance. His ballet is also spot on, but when he was doing Tap, it was incredible. He was also the only one who didn't mess up the jump rope/tap bit. So props to him. I'm sure that's one of the more difficult routines. Jacob also has a strong, powerful voice to belt out the songs. I noticed he also delivered lines a lot faster than the others, and the show finished 10 minutes earlier both at intermission and at the finale lol. I loved that he "broke character" a bit after Electricity and he kind of just smiled and took in the huge applause, something that I don't think Peter or Alex did, or at least not as long as Jacob did. It was great to give him the applause he deserves, and I wish the other Billys would take more time to take that in. They deserve it. Anyway, Jacob played off with the dad a lot more and was really great in the part before they go to the Royal Ballet. He was playing bongos on the dad's bald head. Hilarious. But he was really a great contrast to Alex's Billy and it was great to see him show his talents in all the parts. I didn't get to meet him post-show 'cause I had to run though.

So there's my first steps into the Billy world. Side story. During the night where I saw Alex, I was seated beside this guy who started talking to me telling me this was his 79th time to see the show and that he buys the same exact seat (right beside the seat I had) every single performance months in advance (and I got my seat the day of! Lol). I was really surprised. I thought at most I'd probably see it 3 or 4 times because I wanted to catch all the Billys, as they all seem to perform Billy differently, and every show was different, but to watch it 80 times over and over? After watching Alex though, and hoping to see more of the show, I understood why. I'm sure a lot of people here have also hit the 70s and 80s mark in watching BE. It still amazes me that one could spend so much time and money on a show, but I completely understand why someone would. If I had that much money and time, I'd probably go and try to catch all the Billys.

Sorry it's long! The last night was May 1st though so it really should be in the May thread but I'll place it in here. Lol.
gpcolo
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by gpcolo »

Great insights given in your 3 Billy performances. You are now under the spell of Billy and will do everything in your power to see the show again. For me, it always seems every viewing is a as fresh as the first- with each new viewing providing a deeper understanding of the show. And, no, you can never write too much. I enjoyed all of your words. Thanks.
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porschesrule
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by porschesrule »

Thank you for the great review, jsd337 and welcome to the Forum! I hope you enjoy your time here and will post often.

Glad you got to see three great shows (and three great Billys).

And, by the way, there's no such thing as a "too long" review :D
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ERinVA
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for your excellent review, jsd337. Welcome to the forum. :D Hope you will enjoy it here.
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Re: April 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by CJ-Rochester »

My thanks as well for this excellent review jsd, and welcome to the forum! You certainly are off to a great start as a BE enthusiast. :D
I was seated beside this guy who started talking to me telling me this was his 79th time to see the show and that he buys the same exact seat (right beside the seat I had) every single performance months in advance (and I got my seat the day of! Lol).
Hmm I wonder if this was anyone we know? I do believe someone with the initials JC was there on Fri, April 29 in seat Orch A114 (per a post in the "When are you going to see BETM Broadway next" section). :roll:
-Chris
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