Las Vegas Reviews

[KiwiT]

Sun 19th May Final Show in Las Vegas

I will post more detail when I get home but here are a few snippets from the final show:

- when the cast announcements at the start were made there was a brief reference to the fact that it was Ben and Sam's last appearances as Billy & Michael.

- Ben and Sam were both on fire and determined to give stellar performances for their last time.

- sadly Debbie didn't get to give Billy a hug when he got into ballet school.

- there was well deserved applause for Sam as he left the stage at the end of the winter scene.

- in the letter reprise instead of turning and walking off as she usually does dead Mum instead walked towards Billy and gave Ben a huge hug.

- Ben managed to hold it I together really well until the end of the letter reprise but there were tears as he left the stage to walk up the aisle for the final time, both from Ben and many of the audience too!

- after the finale Mrs Wilkinson stepped forward and gave a beautiful speech to farewell the three cast members who were leaving - Craig (Big Davey), Sam and Ben (more detail later)

- an awesome night that I will never forget.

[porschesrule]

Thanks for highlighting last night's show, Tim. I'm glad we will have some record of Ben and Sam's last show and look forward to a more complete review from you in the future.

[kport]

I would have lost it at

'See ya. Michael.'

'Ya. See ya, Ben.'

[angelenroute]

What Gary said! I want more!

But of course so great that you were there. Any Aussies with you Mr. NZ Kiwi? If ANYONE reading this was there, please give us your review!!!

Sean

[CJ-Rochester]

I would have lost it at

'See ya. Michael.'
'Ya. See ya, Ben.'

Is that what they said or are you just guessing? KiwiT didn't mention it in his review. One would think either both would use their real names or both would use their character names.

[KiwiT]

It was actually

See ya Sam

Yeah See yah Ben

[Todd]

Sunday matinee, May 19, 2013

Billy - Mitchell Tobin
Michael - Jake Kitchen
Tall/Posh Boy - Sam Poon
All other cast were regulars

I had assumed my final time seeing the tour show would be in Hartford, CT next month but when I heard that Ben Cook was leaving a month early, I wanted to see his final show. I've always enjoyed his performances going back to his days on Broadway, and had missed seeing him perform in Kansas City back in January due to his being sick. So I made a quick weekend trip to Las Vegas and caught both shows on Sunday.

First off, I give high marks to the Smith Center in Las Vegas as it has a very classic design and excellent sound, as everything was very crisp and plenty loud. The audience was really into it, laughing enthusiastically at every humorous line and applauding with gusto. Pretty much every seat in the place was filled from what I could see. There appeared to be about 4 or 5 levels to it and I couldn't see how many seats were filled in the upper ones. I suspect the view from those upper two levels would have been similar to watching ants dance around on the driveway from the roof of your house !

I thought Mitchell had improved since I saw him in Kansas City. As is nearly always the case, experience seems to pay great dividends with the Billys, and I'm sure he will continue to improve on his diction and line delivery as he goes along. He did seem to have a keen sense of timing on his humorous lines, which drew a positive reaction from the audience. His acting was also quite strong in the "Letter" scenes, as he seemed to be crying real tears. For someone so small in stature, he also gave a very powerful "Angry Dance" with lots of screaming, hard kicks and heavy tapping.

An enjoyable show, and a nice prelude to the emotional performance which would follow that evening . . . . .

[Todd]

Sunday evening, May 19, 2013

Billy - Ben Cook
Michael - Sam Poon
Tall/Posh Boy - Jake Kitchen
All other cast were regulars

As Kiwi mentioned in his post, this was a very memorable night of theater and one of the most emotional performances I've ever seen. It was one of those shows where there was a buzz in the air beforehand, as Mitchell Tobin was spotted in the audience as was Kylend Hetherington, who has been a great supporter of the show and of his friend Ben over his final few weeks in the show. I was hoping the departing cast would get more of a public send-off at some point besides the quick mention before the show that it would be Ben's and Sam's "final performance with the touring company."

Happily, everything went pretty much spot-on throughout the performance without any glitches or stumbles. Knowing it was the final show for several of them, it's always fun to look for little side glances, smiles, or anything out of the ordinary as they show their subtle appreciation for their fellow departing cast. "Express Yourself" was one of the best I've seen, as Ben and Sam were clearly having a ball together and tapping up a storm in perfect sync with smiles on their faces. When they were towards the back of the stage right before the part of the song that goes "Everyone is different it's a natural fact . . . " Ben and Sam gave each other a quick hug, celebrating the final time they would perform that fun number together.

Towards the end of the 1st act when Mrs. Wilkinson is reminding Billy about his audition at the Royal Ballet School for the following morning, Ben revived the original line of "For f*** sakes man, I knaw ! You told me before" when Mrs. Wilkinson replies back with, "And another thing Billy . . . try to keep your mouth shut." In the matinee show, Mitchell had said, "Bloody hell man, I knaw !" I'm glad they've gone back to having them say something that makes sense for Mrs. Wilkinson to say her follow-up line. For quite awhile now - at least in the U.S. version of the show - Billy wasn't saying anything crass enough that would make sense for Mrs. Wilkinson to scold him about keeping his mouth shut. Not surprisingly, it wasn't getting much of a reaction from the audience.

After a superb "Angry Dance" to end the first act, the fun continued with a very humorous winter scene in the 2nd act. Sam did a great job delivering his lines and was very funny putting on the tutu. That along with the nutcracker line and putting on his coat to leave drew some of the loudest laughs from an audience that I've ever seen for this. One woman in particular was in near hysterics, which caused the rest of the audience to keep laughing as well, since her high-pitched cackle was very contagious. In fact, she was still howling as Ben reached up to shut off the lights to begin "Swan Lake." This number was the first point in the show where it began to hit me that the sad end was drawing closer. Ben and Older Billy were clearly enjoying themselves as there were lots of appreciative smiles throughout. As they turned to look at each other right before Billy pirouettes over to Dad to end the scene, I saw Ben say something with a warm smile on his face - probably to the effect of "thank you" or "I've loved this" as a final farewell to his older self. Another case of art imitating life.

"Electricity" was flawlessly done and beautifully sung by Ben. He brought out an occasional vibrato and sang forcefully, which is how I've always enjoyed hearing this number performed. It seems to be a good way to portray Billy's determination and passion for dance, as opposed to when it's occasionally performed softly. His dancing was excellent and he was clearly enjoying himself, putting his all into every flip and turn and in every note he sang - truly giving this number the respect it deserves. When he came to his finish position, he received a long and loud ovation. Given the fact that it was his final time performing it in the show, I was hoping the audience would respond with a standing ovation but sadly it didn't occur. This is where I think it makes a difference when someone comes out on stage beforehand to make an announcement that it's someone's final performance. It almost always clues the audience in that they're in for a special treat, and they pretty much always respond with even more gusto in appreciation of the actor who's leaving.

As Kiwi mentioned, Ben held his emotions in check up until "The Letter Reprise." He began tearing up before he started singing, giving the number an acute sense of authenticity. I began getting choked up even sooner, probably at the end of "Once We Were Kings" when Billy is left standing alone on stage looking up at the Durham Miners Association banner as he prepares to venture out into the unknown and begin his new life. It's moments like this that make this part of the show especially emotional when you know that the actor playing the part is going through the exact same thing in real life - almost like their life is playing out in real time on stage. And then of course when Billy asks Dead Mum "See ya soon?" and she replies back with, "I don't think so. Do you?" and you know that's true as well. For the first time I ever remember, Dead Mum ended the song by using the actor's real name, as she sang "Love you forever - Ben" instead of saying "Billy." She then gave Ben a hug before leaving the stage.

After a sad "See ya Ben" followed by "Yeah, see ya Sam," Ben Cook made his way up the aisle for the final time, concluding one of the great careers of a child performer in BETM. His story is especially inspirational, what with his dedication to the show through hundreds of performances of tall/posh boy on Broadway followed by a solid stint as Michael on tour. And as has been documented so eloquently by his father in his blog, Ben continued to follow his dream of one day playing the lead role of Billy which he has been doing superbly for the past 10 months or so. If anyone is a living example of the message of Billy Elliot - to follow your dreams and never give up - it would be Ben Cook.

Happily, after the "Finale," Janet Dickinson gave a heart-felt speech for the departing cast members. She mentioned Craig Bennett's longevity with the show, how Sam Poon "is already a bigger star than I am !" and spoke glowingly of how well thought of Ben is among the company. She said she wished that everyone in the audience "could get to know this young man to see what a wonderful person he is." It showed once again what a close family the cast and crew of this show are, and how difficult it must be when any of them leave the show and move on. As the sounds of "Happy Trails" came from behind the closed curtain, the sad feeling of goodbyes began to be replaced with the excitement of wondering what shows these talented performers will end up in, somewhere down the line. One has a feeling that for them, it's not the end - but actually just the beginning.

[porschesrule]

Wow! What a great review of Ben's last show, Todd! Bravo! Very well phrased and written. I enjoyed reading it very much.

I especially loved your final paragraphs.

If anyone is a living example of the message of Billy Elliot - to follow your dreams and never give up - it would be Ben Cook.

Great line and so true. Ben is indeed the epitome of BE's major theme.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recording this milestone in BETMUS history for all of us who couldn't be there.

[jdmag44]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TODD. What a great review. I have only seen one “final” performance (Zach) but I will never forget it. I saw Ben’s debut as Billy in Louisville and so wish I had been at his final. Only someone very familiar with the show and someone who loves it and is tuned in to every nuance as you would have noticed those special moments. Sharing them with us was a “gift” . It was a little bit like being there. I was very moved by this review and love the wonderful tribute to Ben at the end.
Joe