When will BETM return to London

Will "Billy" be staged all over the world? A place to discuss.
We will move posts, if starts, so has own section, like London, New York etc
andrewcraig
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When will BETM return to London

Post by andrewcraig »

The announcement of the final tour show in Germany is timely for 2 regulars from Melbourne Australia who are planning to go mid 2017 to London. We are considering including the last of the touring show.
But what news is available as to which theater will stage the return and what timings.
I have not taken much notice of London bookings [opening night] but would love to plan to be there.
kport
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by kport »

andrewcraig wrote:The announcement of the final tour show in Germany is timely for 2 regulars from Melbourne Australia who are planning to go mid 2017 to London. We are considering including the last of the touring show.
But what news is available as to which theater will stage the return and what timings.
I have not taken much notice of London bookings [opening night] but would love to plan to be there.
As far as I am aware, there are no plans announced for the return of Billy Elliot the Musical to London's West End at this time. Old Vic Productions plc lists only the current tour on its website, with no indication of a relaunch in London. http://www.oldvicproductions.com/produc ... ctions.php

As you probably know, the Victoria Palace Theatre is undergoing renovations for the opening of Hamilton in November 2017.

As regional and community theatres are currently licensed to produce BETM, perhaps it will be taken up by some local theatres Down Under before long.
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Then I saw her face
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by Then I saw her face »

Hello,

from the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2015 of Greene Light Stage PLC, formerly Old Vic Productions PLC, filed at the CompaniesHouse by end of June 2016:

QUOTE:
The year to 31 Dec 2015 yielded disappointing figures with a loss of ... This was mainly due to lower pofitability from Billy Elliot in London and fewer hit shows in our West End activities.
...
The change in the relationship with the Old Vic Theatre and the realization that Billy Elliot, like all good things, would not last indefinitely lead the Board to seek opportunities that would enable the business to continue its development.
...
Billy Elliot lives on in the UK Tour, which has enjoyed standing ovations wherever it has gone so far and is set to continue for another year or so.
UNQUOTE

I think it is worth mentioning that Stephen Daldry is one of the directors of Green Light.

I must confess that my optimism that BETM will return some day in the future has suffered to a certain extent since I posted this: http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... 63#p115896

I hope that the strong attendances on the tour (Hamburg f.i. is selling strong as far as I can observe at this early stage) lead the leading creatives to the conclusion that BETM deserves to be performed in the West End.

See ya
Then I saw her face
cheltonian
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by cheltonian »

As a person that experienced the show for the first time only a few weeks ago, in Bristol, on the current UK tour, this show has kind of entered my soul and I cant bear the thought of being without it.

I would love for it to have a lasting west-end venue again, but at the same time the success of the current tour maybe highlights the fact that a night out at a west end theatre is an unrealistic proposition for many people who are not either wealthy or London residents. If you add together your train fare, ticket price, and hotel costs for one show you are talking hundreds of pounds.

I'm sad that the show has lost its permanent home, but glad, very glad, that that has made it more accessible to me.

The idea that the show will just die after the current, extended, tour is unthinkable. Please God don't let it happen.
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by Real Geordie »

As with most London productions there is, and always will be, heavy reliance on attendance from tourists to balance the books, especially long running productions. Whenever you attended a performance of BETM at Victoria Palace you could overhear just about every language from all four corners of the planet. That is one of the major differences of the tour. The audience is predominantly local, and I think that is why there is a greater appreciation of some of the “one liners” which those from overseas simply were not able to understand. There are many people throughout England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland (and in due course Hamburg) who have now had the opportunity to be introduced to Billy. The response has been phenomenal in every city. Whether this would translate into subsequent increased attendances at a new London production is questionable, though I'm sure anyone visiting London who had seen a tour performance would make the effort to see the show. As has been said, the cost of a visit to London from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, with all associated travel and hotel costs, is prohibitive. To that my bank balance will attest as a result of many overnight (or two or three nights) trips leading up to the final night at VPT earlier this year.

What I think (and hope) will happen is that the tour will run its course. There may then be a gap of a few years to whet the appetite. A new production will then be announced, probably based in London to great anticipation, and the cycle will start again. But maybe not for a multi year run ? However, the producers have a habit of pulling rabbits out of hats - and occasionally severed heads. Who knows ?
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by accessmenj »

I agree with Real Geordie that there are two major reasons that Billy Elliot the Musical will probably not return to the West End soon; and both of these reasons are also why BETM will not return to Broadway in the near future.

In both cases, the productions have priced themselves out of the pocketbooks of almost everyone. Transportation, hotels, restaurants and show tickets are certainly undoable for families at either site, and barely achieveable for some individuals. For most people, a visit to either the London or New York production is a once in a lifetime expense.

Therefore, every visitor must carry home the message of Billy Elliot the Musical with them and tell everyone that they know that no visit to New York or London is complete with attending this spectacular show. But this did not happen enough to have all foreign visitors put the show on their "must see" list. And as Real Geordie points out, the strong Geordie accent had much to do with it.

We in this forum love the Geordie accent, but we have to admit that first time visitors can not appreciate what they do not understand. I talked to many first time viewers who complained about being unable to understand much of the dialogue. These people thought that the show was "nice but too long". Several thought that the show was overrated. None of those who had trouble with understanding the dialogue thought the show was "the best". This is not how you get people to convince their friends to spend money to attend the show.

The good news is that the local productions around the world avoid much of these problems. It is usually much cheaper to attend locally than Broadway or The West End. And the language of the local productions is adjusted to the local language, accent and customs. I attended the Venice, Florida production three times for less than $100. I talked to seven people after these shows and they all said that they would heartily recommend Billy Elliot and they fully understood the dialogue.

Broadway and The West End should reliize that world visitors must understand and enjoy the show or the production will not generate the necessary income. Both venues should limit the dialogue to very generic British if they ever present BETM again.
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by Real Geordie »

.......And as Real Geordie points out, the strong Geordie accent had much to do with it...........
Just to clarify like ! You may (or may not) have a valid point about the Geordie accent, but as someone who was raised with the accent I am somewhat biased and so make no comment. I frequently absent-mindedly talk to myself, and can understand myself perfectly ! I was in fact referring in my comment regarding the UK tour to colloquialisms or commonly used phrases, rather than the accent itself, which are familiar to all UK residents but may not be easily understood by overseas visitors. My comments (half tongue in cheek) under the Hamburg thread were specific to residents of Hamburg and surrounds who might speak very good English but who would still maybe struggle with a combination of the accent and phrases. I wonder if the production will make any effort to modify or tone down the performance in Hamburg, accepting that there will be subtitled translation ?
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by Then I saw her face »

@accessmenj

Well, yes and no.

If this all was true what you said, it wouldn't explain for a successful run of BETM over eleven years in one of London's greater theatres. I think the Geordie accent isn't a big issue for non native speakers, other than for native speakers. I didn't expect to understand anything when I attended BETM the first time, but due more to restrictions of my vocabulary rather than to pronounciation. I believe that non native speakers are somewhat more tolerant with respect to the pronounciation. It's the way like everyone specializes during the course of ones socialization. Infants are far more capable to distinguish faces from individuals of races other than their own than adults. For the latter of them, all long noses / blacks / etc. look the same. Interistingly, BETM Live receives a higher rating at the German website of that well known mail order business with the capital A than at the UK and US website, 5.0 out of 5 stars. If native speakers complain about something of BETM, then for the strong language. Probably, this might be an advantage for non native viewers. My little son asked me some time ago, what Small Boys salute to George meant, when he left the stage. I told him that I will explain this later. I like BETM exactly the way that it is and would regret for an accentless version.

Otherwise, I must admit that I was well prepared for my first visit by viewing BETM Live numerous times. With reference to the prohibitive costs of a visit, I must admit, too, that I live in Germany in the vicinity of an international airport with regular service to London and therefore might be priviliged. The costs of a visit to BETM in London depends a bit on what you expect. I usually was able to book for roughly 150 EUR for the return flight plus 70 GBP for the ticket. If I booked the saturday matinee, I travelled back to Germany with the last flight on the same day to avoid the overnight stay or by bus and ferry over the English Channel, riding through the middle of the night. If I stayed for the night, then in Youth Hostels. (My wife might have a different opionion whether these visits have been affordable.)

@ Real Geordie
I agree with your assessment that it might return after a few years whetting the appetite for a new tour starting in London. For me, the original London show has has produced a five-star musical with unequaled and perfect conditions, starting with the perfect machine-like across-the-country casting and accomodation, education and training for the young cast at and around the Billy House. I doubt any tour production will come close to this perfection.

I wished that I knew BETM before BETM Live. And now I piss off before I start to cry.
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by Real Geordie »

I wished that I knew BETM before BETM Live. And now I piss off before I start to cry.
Haha ! Be careful, you may have seen BETM too many times, and are starting to acquire a British sense of humour.
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Re: When will BETM return to London

Post by cheltonian »

accessmenj wrote:Both venues should limit the dialogue to very generic British if they ever present BETM again.
I don't agree with that, I think that would fundamentally change the character and, in a sense, integrity of the show.

One of the performances I attended in Bristol was subtitled, with displays on each side of the stage. At first I thought these would be an annoying distraction but, even as an Englishman, I found them quite useful for clarifying some of the lyrics. Perhaps these would be a good idea more generally
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