Kansas City reviews

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atreyu
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by atreyu »

Todd wrote:Another issue was my having trouble adjusting to such a younger appearing Billy than what I've seen before. Had I not had a preconceived notion of what Billy was supposed to look like (in terms of age), it probably wouldn't have been a big deal for me. But as it was, I had a hard time projecting the anger, the standing up to his dad, and the ability to master difficult dance steps on someone who looked so young.
I speculate that it comes down to the fine line of whether one considers "Awww look at the little kid dancing and singing...." to be charming or a distraction. While all Billys can be termed "kids", most are teenagers or close enough to be regarded as teen age. Which is quite distinct from "little kid", a la Small Boy.

A very good friend of mind was skeptical of BETM since he's not a big fan of "kid" movies or other works of art, even such a classic as Stand By Me. When I took him to see BETM in Boston, Ben Cook was on and clearly, the "kid" question was moot. My friend acknowledged that Billy is a "real Broadway professional" as opposed to - as an extreme example - the latest child prodigy Youtube sensation. Had we seen BETM's smallest Billy ever...not sure how my friend would have responded.

This may well lead to the debate as to what Billy age/appearance is more "authentic" and/or true to the movie. But that's for another thread.

For full clarity's sake, these ramblings should not be construed as any diminishment of Mitchell's performance in any way. My analysis is of the observer and it should be clear to anyone how Mitchell's talent shines through.
Todd
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by Todd »

Your comments about the advantages/disadvantages of older vs. younger Billys were very well stated, Atreyu. I agree with everything you said, and concur that Mitchell is obviously a very talented dancer. . . .otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen among several thousand applicants to play the lead in a Broadway-caliber musical. I do normally feel that someone with more experience (a.k.a. older) is more likely to have the stage presence, confidence, and advanced skill levels to really "wow" an audience . . . such as in the case of Ben Cook, Kiril Kulish, Colin Bates, etc. who were a bit older when they began playing Billy. But on the other hand, two of my all-time favorite Billys are Tade Beisinger (Broadway) and Harrison Dowzell (London), who also happen to be two of the smallest and youngest Billys.

So I can see where both schools of thought are valid, as to whether it's "better" to have a more teen-age portrayal of Billy or a younger, more vulnerable portrayal of Billy. I imagine it comes down to the tastes of the viewer and to how well they connect with that particular actor. I see it as one of the things that makes this such a great show, as each Billy puts his particular style or spin on the role depending on their personality, age, and particular strength of skills.
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by Todd »

Friday, January 25, 2013

Billy - Drew Minard
Michael - Sam Poon
Mr. Braithwaite - Damien Brett
All other cast were regulars

As Joe has already mentioned, there was a last-minute change involving Ben being replaced by Drew, which I would imagine is what accounted for the 10-minute delay in starting the show. My fear was that someone was going to come out on stage and say, "I'm sorry to have to announce that due to a technical malfunction, we will not be able to perform the show tonight." Guess that's just the pessimist in me, as I seem to have jinxed a number of performances - what with a handful of show stoppages, several in-show cast replacements due to injured Billys, and one show in London being cancelled at the interval due to a technical problem. Thankfully it wasn't anything that bad, although I was disappointed to not see Ben as Billy after seeing his name on the cast board when I arrived.

If Ben was going to be replaced however, I was glad it was by Drew, who's performance I thought was fantastic several days before. I also looked forward to seeing him from a better vantage point than I had Tuesday night when I was very far from the stage. I was 8 rows from the stage this time - albeit on the left side - and it really made a difference in being able to see just how good an actor Drew is. From my distant view on Tuesday, I was still able to tell what an excellent dancer and singer he is. But sitting up close, I could see that he seems to have an innate ability to give just the right reaction in a situation that appears very believable. It's almost like he's not even acting, but just giving a natural reaction that anyone his age and in his situation would give.

An interesting sidelight occurred that I haven't seen at too many BETM performances. After the conclusion of "The Letter," the side door near me opened up and tip-toeing into the audience to sit in some of the open side seats a few rows behind me came Sam Poon, Jake Kitchen, several ballet girls, and a few of the adult ensemble. They stayed throughout "Born to Boogie" and gave a loud and appreciative reaction at the conclusion of the number. Then as the lights dimmed to begin the confrontation scene between Dad and Tony, they all got up and exited back out the side door. They apparently wanted to come watch and support Damien Brett in his big number, since he rarely gets to play Mr. Braithwaite. Just another neat example of how close the cast seems to be, as they obviously wanted to come out and support their friend.

Speaking of Sam Poon, I really enjoyed getting to see him as Michael for the first time. The kid's a natural ham and is clearly uninhibited up on stage. In "Express Yourself" when Billy called out Michael's name while he was rummaging through the closet, Sam (as Michael) turned towards Billy and said, "That's my name . . . don't wear it out." It's always fun to see what personal touches the different actors put into their respective roles. Sam and Drew both did a great job with their accent and were especially clear and easy to understand. It led to a much better reaction from the audience during their bantering back and forth in this scene as well as the Winter Scene.

However, as Joe noted in his review, the audience generally was not as responsive as they were in the other two shows I've seen this week. It must have been the "tired after a full week of work" blahs that hit them, as I heard several people during intermission and after the show saying things like, "Boy, this show is long" and "The second act kind of drug." I kind of agreed with them about the second act, but I think the main reason why it felt that way was because of the audience ! When the audience doesn't offer much of a response or much enthusiasm, then I think the blame can often unfairly fall on the performance itself. Such was not the case tonight, though, as Drew, Sam and all the adult cast turned in an A+ effort in my opinion.
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angelenroute
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by angelenroute »

Todd wrote:An interesting sidelight occurred that I haven't seen at too many BETM performances. After the conclusion of "The Letter," the side door near me opened up and tip-toeing into the audience to sit in some of the open side seats a few rows behind me came Sam Poon, Jake Kitchen, several ballet girls, and a few of the adult ensemble. They stayed throughout "Born to Boogie" and gave a loud and appreciative reaction at the conclusion of the number. Then as the lights dimmed to begin the confrontation scene between Dad and Tony, they all got up and exited back out the side door. They apparently wanted to come watch and support Damien Brett in his big number, since he rarely gets to play Mr. Braithwaite. Just another neat example of how close the cast seems to be, as they obviously wanted to come out and support their friend.
What a wonderful thing to do!!! I love this cast and the true family they are for one another!!!

Todd wrote:I heard several people during intermission and after the show saying things like, "Boy, this show is long" and "The second act kind of drug." I kind of agreed with them about the second act, but I think the main reason why it felt that way was because of the audience!
I totally agree! An audience like that does it to themselves!!!
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maria
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by maria »

porschesrule wrote:For those who think it's Drew in the picture -- congratulations!

Here's the link to the actual picture used in the story -- note the name included in the link:

http://www.mediamikes.com/wp-content/up ... _SMALL.jpg
Thanks Gary! No doubt about it from that photo - it's Drew!

And many thanks for the wonderful reviews from Kansas City so far Joe and Todd.

Interesting comment about older versus younger Billies - I have always been struck by the fact that the US Billies (until recently) have appeared older than the London Billies.
<- A new use for the Billy Bag!!!
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jdmag44
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by jdmag44 »

Kansas City Sat Mat

A DOUBLE DOSE OF DREW

I got to see Drew again (wow two in a row). Unlike Fri night today he had a VERY enthusiastic audience due partly to the presence of hundreds of Drew,s friends bussed in from Iowa. Boy did they light a fire in the hearts of the cast, what a great show.
As great as Drew was on Fri eve,today (and I can hardly believe this was possible) he cranked it up a notch. He gave a VERY angry angry dance. He was perfectly synchronized with his older self in dream ballet, in Electricity he added more handsprings, no hands cartwheels and raised arms on his final pirouettes.

He was paired today with Jake and together they were magical. Jake had the crowd every moment he was on stage. he has developed a great comic style mixed with a likable vulnerability. Great Job Jake

I can not say enough about this amazing young man, there are no words, not enough superlatives. Drew is an unbelievable talent. HE IS A MUST SEE?
Todd
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by Todd »

In visiting with Drew and his mother this past Tuesday night, I had heard about his group of supporters from Iowa who were planning to be there again this afternoon to see him. I was afraid since he had performed last night that there might be a different Billy on this afternoon, meaning that all his supporters would miss seeing him. Glad to hear it all worked out, though. I bet he's looking forward to a breather for the next few days !
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porschesrule
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by porschesrule »

Noah posted these pictures of the curtain call last night on his public Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... permPage=1

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... t=1&ref=nf
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jdmag44
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by jdmag44 »

Kansas City Sat Eve. NOAH/SAM

I didn't, realize that last night was # 50 for Noah. My guess, maybe he was ,because he was really animated and particularly joyful thought his performance. He always delivers and gets better every time I see him, such a joy to watch him dance, He "shines".
I have been having trouble warming up to Sam I have seen him several times. I love his voice,his tap skills and his confidence on stage but always felt he underplayed the role, I was always looking for more "flair". Well let me say last night he was wonderful, everything (in my not so humble opinion) a Michael should be. I enjoyed him very,very much and so did the audience.
Right now I am in starbucks and its only about an hour from the Sun Mat. I am so anxious to see Mitchell. Even though I have a decent 5th row seat I think I will bring my binoculars, I hear he is quite small!! LOL.
missmere
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Re: Kansas City reviews

Post by missmere »

First off, I must admit I have been a lurker on this forum for over a month now, but for very good reason. Drew Minard was just an active, adorable 3 year old when I first met him and I continued to watch him grow through the years, eventually having the honor of choreographing four solos for him in the three years leading up to him fulfilling his ultimate dream, dancing the part of Billy Elliot! Being the nosy dance teacher I am, I wanted to be able to keep my eye on him from afar and happily stumbled across this website. Thank you for all of your wonderfully descriptive reviews of Drew's shows, I felt like I was right there in the theatre each time!

Finally, yesterday I had the opportunity to see Drew shine up on the stage. In my many dance experiences, this was one of the most powerful events of my dance career! Just as you had all said he fits the role perfectly and his passion for this role radiates through his every movement, note, and facial expression! The curtain went up and I already had tears in my eyes and the tears continued to flow through several momentous moments in the show. Drew is a turner! Watching him flit and fly across the stage as an inexperienced dancer brought a smile to my face, but the first beautiful turn he does in the first act brought me to tears again. My anticipation for seeing Drew perform "Electricity" was high. I had choreographed a dance to "Electricity" for Drew two years ago, the emotion and connection he had to this piece then was so powerful, but his performance singing and dancing it was absolutely moving. This young man has so much passion for everything he does and it was so well captured in this role. I was an extremely proud dance teacher yesterday and am so honored to have the opportunity to work with such talent.

Drew was so gracious and brought to tears by the several dance friends, family, and supporters who greeted him after the show. He was absolutely exhausted after performing two shows in a row, but just thrilled to have so many adoring fans surround him. After showering Drew with my many compliments and favorite moments of the show, I told him, just think you are amazing in this role now after only a month of shows under your belt, you keep working hard and the level you will reach is unimaginable. His response, with the Drew signature grin I've seen all too many times, I plan on it!

Yes I may be biased, but if you haven't yet seen this little dancing man in action, do it! Thank you forum members for your reviews and allowing me to keep track of this little rising star!
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