December 2011 Reviews - NYC

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Billy Whiz
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December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by Billy Whiz »

A place for December's reviews.
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BEfan
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by BEfan »

Here is my review:
I arrived to nyc on december 3rd and went to the box office to get tickets for sunday the evening show in the rear mezz, the day arrived december 4th my first show :)
On the board was the name of joseph H. As billy, cameron (michael) and julian elia was tall boy. The surprise was that we can move seats, so instead of seeing the show on rear mezz i saw it in front mezz.
Everything was awesome and emotional from act I to the end, joseph is a great actor and an amazing dancer, he sings really beautiful and all the dialogues were really clear. Love every dance: solidarity, dream ballet, electricity, angry dance.
Cameron looks so tiny on stage but he is GREAT, i love every minute of his performance. He got a lot of applauses at the end of expressing yourself.
And the rest of the cast....bravo!!! Love them too.
Somethings that i like: iin the begining of the act two, i think is the character of george that sings it's not unusual after he ask something to small boy, when billy is accepted to the rbs dad sings i feel good.

After the curtain call they ask for donations to the aids organization or something like that and they auctioned a backstage tour.

So this is all :) BETM rocks!!!!!
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ERinVA
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by ERinVA »

Thanks for your review BEfan. I'm glad the show met your expectations and more! :D
Ellen



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-George Balanchine 1904 -1983


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angelenroute
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by angelenroute »

Thank you BEfan! =)

So glad you enjoyed it!!!

Sean
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porschesrule
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by porschesrule »

A very nice short review of BETM Broadway's production on Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/billy-elliot-ne ... ymXJhSpSdw
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atreyu
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by atreyu »

BEfan wrote:Everything was awesome and emotional from act I to the end, joseph is a great actor and an amazing dancer, he sings really beautiful and all the dialogues were really clear. Love every dance: solidarity, dream ballet, electricity, angry dance.
Great that you got to see Joseph, he is quite special.
BEfan wrote:Somethings that i like: iin the begining of the act two, i think is the character of george that sings it's not unusual after he ask something to small boy,
It used to be George that was MC for the second half . . . of the Easington Miner's Christmas show! More recently it is actually Big Davey (Danny Rutigliano) who leads off Act 2 with the kids.
BEfan wrote:So this is all :) BETM rocks!!!!!
No arguments there. ;)
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angelenroute
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by angelenroute »

Thursday, December 8, 2011, 7:30 PM

Billy: Julian Elia
Michael: Cameron Clifford
Debbie: Lilla Crawford
Tall Boy/Posh Boy: Joseph Harrington
Small Boy: Alex Dreier
Tony: Austin Lesch

It was a great night out for live theatre that began in a most charming way. As we emerged onto 33rd Street from Penn Station, it was perfect timing that we met my partner Andy on his way home from his job in the city. Then not six blocks further up 8th Avenue, we had another surprise run-in when I noticed my cousin Susie walking right at us. She hadn't seen us, nor had my sister seen her either, but I've learned to keep my eyes open when walking that particular road between Penn Station and the theatre. I run into so many friends and Broadway stars alike on that stretch! Susie asked me somewhat knowingly, "You've seen the show before, right?" but she didn't realize how much. My sister Peggy encouraged me to tell her. "Tonight will be my 41st time seeing it." I'm sure there were some people on the block who didn't hear her response, but plenty must have, as her "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" was as honest a reaction as you'll get, she was just completely shocked. I really think you could pickpocket someone after delivering a fact like this to them, so confused and bewildered is the look they give you. :lol:

Once we took our seats, second row from the stage, my guests knew they were in my home away from home, the place where this red-headed Irishman finds his gold every single time.

This was not only their first time seeing the show, but a couple of firsts for me as well. It was the first time I saw Julian Elia as Billy, and the first time I saw Understudy Austin Lesch as Tony [he usually plays the role of Pit Supervisor].

Julian was great! He has a real talent for acting, and does a lot of it with his eyes. There were so many times in the show when his acting was so pure, you thought he became the character in some kind of "Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost" way. You'll see this especially in his scene with Grandma in the kitchen at the start of the show, and again with her at the beginning of "We'd Go Dancing". It sounds unbelievable to those of you who have seen the show many times, but it will feel like it's the first time you've ever seen this part of the show, that's how REAL he makes it!

His "Angry Dance" was also fantastic, as his tapping seemed really good, and by the time the number ended, your body is as tense and angst-ridden as Billy's. So much so that with his scream and slow rise, we applauded and cheered as usual but then his stage-forward stance and sad, angry look just stalled the place silent as he walked off. This number never ceases to amaze me at how powerfully it affects the audience!

Tony was played by Austin Lesch, who I'd never seen in the role before. He makes his Broadway debut in the show and is usually in the role of Pit Supervisor. Austin's not even the "usual" backup for Tony. David Larsen is. But wow!!!!!! If you ever see Austin perform as Tony, you will absolutely LOVE him!!! He's really, really good, and because he totally looks age appropriate for the role, you completely believe he is Billy's older brother. I've seen many guys in this role over the past four years, but Austin easily leaps to the 1st or 2nd best I've ever seen. He plays Tony exactly as he should be played, angry but passionate and sincere, and he doesn't overact at all. His simple but spot-on portrayal was just awesome! And he's very easy to look at too (not required for the role, but a nice bonus).

Two brief notes on things I hadn't seen before:

1) When Billy and Dad "arrive" at the Royal Ballet School, Julian silently mouths a "wow!" as they face the audience, which was very funny.

2) And Dad (Daniel Jenkins), after handing over his cigarette, slaps on the wall a few times searching for the way out. Very funny!

Really great show and I'm so happy my sister and friends got to be there!

I encouraged them to come with me to Stage Door after the show to meet my friend Thommie (Thommie Retter, Mr. Braithwaite). He was so sweet and friendly as always, and they loved meeting him, posed for pictures with him and got his autograph. They also got pictures with and autographs of the child cast members (Julian, Lilla, Cameron, and Alex Dreier). My friend Megan also got to talk with Musical Director extraordinaire Shawn Gough and got his autograph too. =)

Then Thommie, after signing some other people's Playbills (they were at the special student program at The Imperial earlier that day), turned to Meg and said, "Wanna go stand on a Broadway stage???!!!!!!!" You'd think someone jolted her with "Electricity" as she began shaking with excitement and couldn't speak so wide was her smile. Thommie rushed us all inside before they even realized this moment was real and there they were, on stage at The Imperial Theatre on Broadway. It was so exciting for me watching their excitement, and I learned something of the uplifting spirit it must be for Thommie to be able to share this magical possibility with people each time he's able to do so.

More pictures on stage, got to meet and congratulate Austin on a job well done, photos with him, Thommie, Julian and Joseph. Just lots and lots of fun!

Megan has said since that "nothing will ever top that" and "Best night of my life!!!" and my sister Peggy told me she felt like history had just been made.

It was a really great night of theatre and I'm so happy I was able to share my favorite show with a few more of those closest to me. And suddenly I'm flyin', flyin' like a bird, like electricity!!!
:D :D :D

Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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porschesrule
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by porschesrule »

Wow, Sean! What a great night -- a great show and enjoying it with people you love who seem to have appreciated it as much as you did. Does it get any better than that? Thanks for sharing.
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dongringo
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by dongringo »

Sean...Outstanding! :D
.......__o
.......\ <,
....( )/ ( )
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Re: December 2011 Reviews - NYC

Post by Todd »

angelenroute wrote: Then Thommie, after signing some other people's Playbills (they were at the special student program at The Imperial earlier that day), turned to Meg and said, "Wanna go stand on a Broadway stage???!!!!!!!" You'd think someone jolted her with "Electricity" as she began shaking with excitement and couldn't speak so wide was her smile. Thommie rushed us all inside before they even realized this moment was real and there they were, on stage at The Imperial Theatre on Broadway. It was so exciting for me watching their excitement, and I learned something of the uplifting spirit it must be for Thommie to be able to share this magical possibility with people each time he's able to do so.

More pictures on stage, got to meet and congratulate Austin on a job well done, photos with him, Thommie, Julian and Joseph. Just lots and lots of fun!
It's stories like this that make me realize how much I'm going to miss seeing this show in New York. The way the cast go out of their way to do extra things for the fans (like back-stage tours) is part of what makes the Broadway show such a special experience - above and beyond any other place I've seen it performed.
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