MESSAGES TO THE BROADWAY CAST FOR THEIR FINAL SHOW JANUARY 8

[ERinVA]

Please express your good wishes and thanks to the cast and crew of BETM on Broadway for their final performance in this thread.

[BillyElliotLover]

Dear Billy Elliot Cast,
Hi there :) My name is Sarah Madi. Last year, I was able to take a trip to New York with my advanced theatre class. We were told we were going to see a Broadway show (which I was super ecstatic for!) called Billy Elliot. To be completely honest, I have never heard a word about that show nor have never seen the movie, and the title, for some completely weird reason, struck me that it was going to be about some old man and his struggles to get to be rich and happy...... Why the title made me think of that? I have no idea, but it did. So, I walked into the show with a bit of a negative attitude wondering why we were going to watch a show that most of us kids would find boring. But, right when Small Boy got on stage, I knew this was going to be amazing. From the first minute, to the last minute, I was in awe. This play is so unpredictable, so emotional, and so realistic. During the show, every audience member went through the stages of grief, as if they were right there the whole time instead of watching the play. There is so much talent throughout the whole thing. Each kid puts in their own personality to the part, every ballet girl, and even though I've only seen one broadway Billy (Peter Mazurowski- he was so amazing, I even made a facebook fanpage for him :) - http://www.facebook.com/PeterMazurowskiFans), I'm sure every Billy puts in their own touch to the part as well. I remember walking in, having no idea what the play was about, and seeing a bib with "Born to Boogie" on it. I was extremely confused about it then, but as I was walking out from the play, I wanted to run over to the merchandise section to get it! I also remember the intermission time... All of my friends were getting up to go out somewhere- grab some candy, use the bathroom, or whatever- but me? I made sure not to get out of my seat for one second until it was over, I didnt want to miss one second of it! I sadly never got to see Billy Elliot on Broadway again, and I dont think I will be able to, since I am young, and my parents wouldnt be able to drive all the way over to NY :'( The day it was released to the public that Billy Elliot was closing on Broadway, I was on the verge of tears. I told my friend the next day about my crazy hope, that I genuinly wanted to happen, but it was now crushed- to live in NY when I was older and see Billy Elliot everyday, or at least every weekend- she laughed at me, but nodded (she was one of the few that actually understood my obsession). I just wish somehow we could stop Billy Elliot from going away..... I feel like I cant live without it! All I talk about all day is Billy Elliot, which made some friends annoyed (they never saw it, so they dont understand) and some friends smile (they were the ones who did see it :D) Sorry for the longness, but what I'm trying to get at, is that everybody in the cast and crew are amazing. The children, although it has been over said by many, have so much talent, its uncomprehensible.... But not only them, I feel like the adults dont get as much credit as they should, but all of them are amazing as well. So much talent is being expressed in such an amazing play, and Billy Elliot can never EVER be replaced on Broadway. My love for Billy Elliot will never fade <3 I hope they will come to their senses and bring Billy back once more. But for now, we will miss you all!!!! I hope every cast and crew member gets another acting/dancing/technical job at another play so we can still enjoy their amazingness! Thank you for sharing your talent with everyone and sharing the story of Billy Elliot to everyone :) Good luck for your future, and hope to see you all soon in future productions! SOLIDARITY FOREVER! :)

Hahaha, this is so long, it's like I'm explaining my life story or something :P

[ERinVA]

Thank you for starting this thread off in fine style, Sarah.

[Billy Whiz]

Wow! What a great message.

Well done.

[BillyElliotLover]

Haha, thanks
Billy Elliot is so amazing, it deserves such praise

[ERinVA]

Bumping this up again. Now is the time, folks! If you want to send a message to the Broadway cast, you need to post it here sooner rather than later.

[cws8998]

This message is meant to be a part of the tribute and expressions of appreciation to the cast of Billy Elliot The Musical, and the entire body of the Imperial Theatre, which has brought so much joy to the thousands upon thousands of us blessed to have had the opportunity to experience the equisite talent, production, and messages you have delivered to us.

Alas, gratitude would seem to me to be near an impossible task. How I wish I could speak to each of you individually which, of course, would simply appear out of the question. However, I can only offer a voice of one, to all of you...as I have traveled from the heartland of Indiana on four separate occasions over the years and since your opening in New York, both to be mesmerized and uplifted by the emotional impact of the story, and the extraordinary energy of talent which has moved us to both laughter and tears, never having misses a beat throughout you tenure there.

Besides the original cast, some of you came to the Imperial by way of Chicago/Toronto; some from the Tour, and some by way of the glorious Victoria Palace in London. I have been most fortunate to have seen you in one and all of those venues, always relishing my return to the visions of the stage at the Imperial, because it is there that you seemed to have been the core, the anchor of our experience with this musical. Frankly, I consider the 8th of January, to be a sad day in hell because you will be leaving us. In my heart of hearts I can never accept that leaving, though I know I must. Being a show of transformation and inspiration for children and adults alike; money be damned, your unique presentation is "priceless," and should be a required visionary experience for parents and aspiring youngsters alike, and everywhere. Obviously, hyperbole in reality, but just an intensely partial thought on my part.

This is a long tribute, I know. But, please...allow me to salute you. Allow me to sing your praise. Allow me to wish all of you well as you pursue your careers in other avenues. Those of us who have known you so well, will not soon forget your magnificent contributions that made BETM so real to all of us. And speaking as that voice of one, I thank you beyond anything you can know...you have profoundly affected my life in very special ways. I will suspect no surprise whatsoever in that so many others may will share the same sentiments with you. You will surely remain in our hearts forever.

My sincere thoughts and love to all who have experienced BETM at the Imperial.
Colin. W. Stetson, Culver Academies, Culver, IN

[ERinVA]

Thanks for your contribution, Colin.

[dongringo]

To all cast and crew of Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway. It's been only nine months since I saw BETM on tour in Portland, OR. While I never had a chance to see the show on Broadway, I was able to see Giuseppe Bausilio perform as Billy on tour who went on to perform the role on Broadway. Seeing the show on Broadway was quickly added to the top of my list of things to do before I die. In fact, if it wasn't for the Broadway run and it's success, there most likely would never have been a tour, let alone a second tour. So I thank you all for your incredible talents in bringing together this heart warming story of following one's dreams and the solidarity of community and family. I'm saddened that I'm not able to afford to be there on your last night, but will be cheering for you from across the country. I'd say something like, "Good luck on future endeavors," but I already know you will all have plenty of opportunities to do what you love, on stage or behind the scenes. At any rate, "Always be yourself."

John

[ERinVA]

Thanks for your message, John.

Now that the ball is rolling, I hope we will begin to get lots of messages. If you want your message printed out to be presented along with the poster in NY, the deadline for messages in this thread is noon EST (5 PM GMT) on January 4. The thread will remain open for online messages after the deadline, but only messages received before the deadline will be printed out.