April 2011 Reviews - London

[porschesrule]

TimeOut London reviews BETM 6 years in:

http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/e ... he-musical

A brief, but well written and spot on review of the show. Thanks for finding and sharing it, Ellen.

[dongringo]

Nice review.

[Barry Appleby]

Hi
So Dean, the Billy I've most seen, did 2 shows on Thursday, I was luckly to be at the matinee, a good enthusiastic audience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was the first time I'd seen Caroline Deverill as Mrs Wilkinson, I was very impressed, when you look on the board and see Dean & Connor Kelly you know you are in for a treat, especially in Expressing Yourself, it must be so difficult keeping a straight face playing along side Connor K, he always has me in stitches anyway.
I've picked out Dream Ballet this time a I thought the blend between Barnaby & Dean was just outstanding so very graceful.
For me Tom goes from strength to strength as Tony, David's portrayal as Dad was excellent, Emily Williams has really settled down as Debbie, loved it! Emily.
Back to Dean, he show's so much effort and determination throughout his performance, "Well Done" your skipping in B2B was great. He's been in the show for such a long time starting as the small boy and Michael, so he should be knighted Sir Dean Charles Chapman of Romford, sounds good "done it"
Should be back down again 11th/12th May.

Barry
P.S My corny joke - Went to visit one of my old flames the other day, they call her Oneeater, cause she only has one tooth! She said, while I'm washing the pots, go with my gun into the woods and go game hunting, so I did, all of a sudden a naked woman came from behind a tree, I said Wow! are you game, she said, Yes young man!! "I'm game", so I shot her.

[patc]

Thursday 21st April - All Day

April 14th, 1912. A Night To Remember. Capt. E J Smith steered his vessel, the RMS Titanic, to disaster.
April 21st, 99 years later, Capt. D C Chapman sailed his vessel, the good ship “Billy”, around the world twice in the same day and returned to a rapturous welcome at the quayside at approx. 22.30. A Day To Remember. (Thanks, Bob )

This was as good as it gets or is ever likely to be got at the VPT. As regulars we take it almost for granted that a Billy can do two shows in a day but, when you sit back and relax afterwards on the Lounge Deck and think about it, the mind boggles at the skills, strength, dedication and staying power required so to do. Whatever engine this boy runs on is not of our seas. Performing one Angry Dance, One Dream Ballet and One Electricity a day is beyond the capabilities of most but doing two of each to the incredibly high standards that Dean has set for himself leaves us, the lucky lookouts, up to the gunnels in admiration and respect.

In the old days sailors deemed it bad luck to have ladies aboard but the good ship Billy cannot do without them. There were two scintillating 5-star performances from Caroline Deverill as Mrs. W. This is the very same lady that has made a legend of the RBS Receptionist role in the show.
And Romy, the wonderful Romy showed for the umpteenth time that “Grandma Rules, OK” and is loving every minute of it.
The ship's “Chorus Girls” were fully on song and and led Capt. Dean a merry mermaid dance in Shine.

Standing side by side with Capt. Dean on the ships' bridge, David Bardsley and Tom Lorcan stood out like lighthouses. Tom has brought a whole new dimension to the role of Tony. Every word, every pause, every look carefully tailored to suit whatever seas he encounters. David has been around for a long time and thank goodness Neptune saw fit to keep him aboard at the crew change in November. A master stroke. The show's powerful emotions is one of the main reasons I love it and can't get enough of it. The short crowbar scene between Dad and Tony provides only a hint of what is to come later but, no matter how many times I have seen the Pit confrontation, yesterday's rendition by these two great actors was breathtaking and no wonder on both occasions there was thunderous applause when the safety curtain came down and we could all take a swift breather to regain our composures.

The Comedy Theatre on this remarkable vessel has some brilliant entertainers. Connor K and Reece both tickled ribs and plucked hearts. "Long John" Chris McGlade entertained us in his own unique and mischievous style with one or two passengers being singled out for special treatment at the start of Part 2. Chris has amazing control over his eyes and, like Morse Code, their every movement signals a message that something is coming. But can you decode it in time? Kevin Patricks' spectacular backward dolphin flips at the end of a brilliantly entertaining Boogie would not have been out of place at Sea World.

Gentle Giant Derek Richards, aka Big Davey, tasted an early sample of the onboard food. From my vantage point on the Bow deck I'm not sure that it looked all that appetising or healthy but he devoured it with some relish and delight.

Two of the young Wilkinson daughters aboard, Francesca and Emily W, did their very best to rock the boat and cause general havoc but all their efforts were frustrated by their mother and, unlike what often happens on long cruises (or so they tell me), they failed to “get their man” in the end. Nevertheless, their untiring efforts brought much amusement and enjoyment to the proceedings.

A special mention goes to Cabin Boy, Ashley, who has consistently given great performances over a long period and has totally mastered the art of being bashed into the curtain.

There were more, many more, too numerous to mention, who contributed to the ship's safe and glorious voyage from the time the anchor was raised. But, at the end of the day, the performance by Capt. Dean was the highlight and it was no surprise that he received several standing ovations including the longest I have witnessed at the end of his stunning second Electricity in a day to truly remember. His happy smiles as he savoured that very special moment have been recorded in the ship's log for posterity.

At the end, as I walked down the gangplank, I overheard a Dad say to his young daughter, “We will have to come and see it again”. Amen to that.

Pat

[Billy Whiz]

Pat. This is not just a review - it is a masterpiece.

Thank you for taking the time to write it.

[porschesrule]

There seems to be some confusion as to who played Michael in the two performances on April 21st. I've currently got Connor Kelly for the matinee and Reece for the evening performance. But in the tracking thread, Connor Lawson was reported as doing the matinee.

Is the way the master chart in the tracking thread is showing correct now?

[dongringo]

Pat. This is not just a review - it is a masterpiece.

Thank you for taking the time to write it.

^ This

[Billy Whiz]

I, for one, am guilty of not going back in threads so I would hate this review by patc to be "sunk without trace"

After the review was posted porchesrule asked a question about who played Michael and this seemed to take over the thread for a day or so to the detriment of this fantastic review. So if you have not read it then do so and appreciate the work that went into it.

Thursday 21st April - All Day

April 14th, 1912. A Night To Remember. Capt. E J Smith steered his vessel, the RMS Titanic, to disaster.
April 21st, 99 years later, Capt. D C Chapman sailed his vessel, the good ship “Billy”, around the world twice in the same day and returned to a rapturous welcome at the quayside at approx. 22.30. A Day To Remember. (Thanks, Bob )

This was as good as it gets or is ever likely to be got at the VPT. As regulars we take it almost for granted that a Billy can do two shows in a day but, when you sit back and relax afterwards on the Lounge Deck and think about it, the mind boggles at the skills, strength, dedication and staying power required so to do. Whatever engine this boy runs on is not of our seas. Performing one Angry Dance, One Dream Ballet and One Electricity a day is beyond the capabilities of most but doing two of each to the incredibly high standards that Dean has set for himself leaves us, the lucky lookouts, up to the gunnels in admiration and respect.

In the old days sailors deemed it bad luck to have ladies aboard but the good ship Billy cannot do without them. There were two scintillating 5-star performances from Caroline Deverill as Mrs. W. This is the very same lady that has made a legend of the RBS Receptionist role in the show.
And Romy, the wonderful Romy showed for the umpteenth time that “Grandma Rules, OK” and is loving every minute of it.
The ship's “Chorus Girls” were fully on song and and led Capt. Dean a merry mermaid dance in Shine.

Standing side by side with Capt. Dean on the ships' bridge, David Bardsley and Tom Lorcan stood out like lighthouses. Tom has brought a whole new dimension to the role of Tony. Every word, every pause, every look carefully tailored to suit whatever seas he encounters. David has been around for a long time and thank goodness Neptune saw fit to keep him aboard at the crew change in November. A master stroke. The show's powerful emotions is one of the main reasons I love it and can't get enough of it. The short crowbar scene between Dad and Tony provides only a hint of what is to come later but, no matter how many times I have seen the Pit confrontation, yesterday's rendition by these two great actors was breathtaking and no wonder on both occasions there was thunderous applause when the safety curtain came down and we could all take a swift breather to regain our composures.

The Comedy Theatre on this remarkable vessel has some brilliant entertainers. Connor K and Reece both tickled ribs and plucked hearts. "Long John" Chris McGlade entertained us in his own unique and mischievous style with one or two passengers being singled out for special treatment at the start of Part 2. Chris has amazing control over his eyes and, like Morse Code, their every movement signals a message that something is coming. But can you decode it in time? Kevin Patricks' spectacular backward dolphin flips at the end of a brilliantly entertaining Boogie would not have been out of place at Sea World.

Gentle Giant Derek Richards, aka Big Davey, tasted an early sample of the onboard food. From my vantage point on the Bow deck I'm not sure that it looked all that appetising or healthy but he devoured it with some relish and delight.

Two of the young Wilkinson daughters aboard, Francesca and Emily W, did their very best to rock the boat and cause general havoc but all their efforts were frustrated by their mother and, unlike what often happens on long cruises (or so they tell me), they failed to “get their man” in the end. Nevertheless, their untiring efforts brought much amusement and enjoyment to the proceedings.

A special mention goes to Cabin Boy, Ashley, who has consistently given great performances over a long period and has totally mastered the art of being bashed into the curtain.

There were more, many more, too numerous to mention, who contributed to the ship's safe and glorious voyage from the time the anchor was raised. But, at the end of the day, the performance by Capt. Dean was the highlight and it was no surprise that he received several standing ovations including the longest I have witnessed at the end of his stunning second Electricity in a day to truly remember. His happy smiles as he savoured that very special moment have been recorded in the ship's log for posterity.

At the end, as I walked down the gangplank, I overheard a Dad say to his young daughter, “We will have to come and see it again”. Amen to that.

Pat

[Westletonion]

I agree. A fantastic review. Was probably good seeing it even from the 'crow's nest'.