MESSAGES TO THE BROADWAY CAST FOR THEIR FINAL SHOW JANUARY 8

[angelenroute]

wow, you guys! loving all of your messages, they're heartfelt and beautiful!!!

[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.

I will add to this that if anyone would prefer to send his/her message via pm prior to the deadline, you may certainly do that. If you want to send a pic of yourself with a cast member or members at the stage door, you can do that too. Send photo attachments to me at be.forum@billyelliottheforum.me.uk . Deadline for everything is noon EST on January 4.

[angelenroute]

To the cast (past and present) of Billy Elliot The Musical,

Some of you have been stopped at stage door for photos and autographs with people you've never met. Some of you have not. But that doesn't mean that each and every one of you is not worthy to receive such adulation and affection from strangers. You are ALL stars worthy of the spotlight on a Broadway stage, and it has been my distinct pleasure to watch all of you shine!

I was there at First Preview, and I will be there on January 8, 2012. But I will also be there beyond that, supporting every one of you in any way I can in the future. Whenever I see YOUR name in an article or Playbill with Billy Elliot in your credits, I will smile and know, like you do, that you were once part of something very, very special. And because of this something special, I know your career will always be blessed!

Billy's story is about overcoming adversity in the face of insurmountable obstacles to his true passion. But as Tony says, it's not just "about a bairn who wants to dance." It's about all of us, and everything we all want from life, and every passion each one of us pursues. Now that class with Mrs. Wilkinson is over, like Billy you all go onward to the next step in your careers and in your lives.

In Solidarity we began, in Solidarity we continue, in Solidarity we'll always be there for each other, whatever the future holds.

THANK YOU for bringing the gift of yourself to this absolute gift of a show. May God bless each and every one of you!

Love you forever,
Sean Patrick Brennan
Malverne, New York

[BillyElliotLover]

Whenever I see YOUR name in an article or Playbill with Billy Elliot in your credits, I will smile and know, like you do, that you were once part of something very, very special.

Sean, that was amazing! I literally got shivers when I read that......

[ERinVA]

Wow! Thank you for expressing what we all feel in such an excellent way, Sean.

[gpcolo]

October, 2008. I had one free night left in New York City. I asked someone in the hotel lobby if they knew of any good shows. They had seen Billy Elliot in previews the previous week and gave it a high recommendation. I wandered over to the Imperial Theater to grab a ticket. I wasn’t so sure of this choice. A musical with kids dancing was not my cup of tea so to speak. I had not seen the movie so the story line was unfamiliar to me. If it was really bad I could sneak away at intermission.

I settled into my seat on the left side with a good view of the stage. The lights went down and the musical did not start. Instead this man who claimed to be the director (Yes, later to find out it was Stephen Daldry) bounded up on stage. He said this was a special evening as a new “Billy” was making his Broadway debut. Oh great I thought, this could be a train wreck. Maybe I could sneak out now. The boy’s name: Trent Kowalik. Okay, he had done the role in London so this wasn’t his real first time. I decided to stay and it was the best decision I ever made.

The night was electric as young Trent and the rest of the cast left me spellbound. I remember tossing and turning in the hotel bed that night trying to get to sleep. But I couldn’t. The messages and inspiration that came out of those three hours were too much to absorb. More viewings would be needed.

I returned over the next several years seeing six additional Billy’s (Kiril, David, Tommy, Liam, Dayton, and Michael D.). They each left me with their own special interpretation of a show I now understood at a much deeper level.

I had planned on another visit this March but alas all good things… mmm, can’t bring myself to say it.

Thank you to the entire cast and crew for providing so much magic into my world. You will be missed. May life’s path bring you all the best there is to offer. You certainly did that for me.

Greg (GPCOLO)

[kport]

To All the Cast and Crew, Past and Present, of the Broadway Production of BETM:

A fine innings! A fine innings indeed!!

You have graced us with more than three years of wonderful productions of BETM on Broadway. Many of us agree that each performance we have attended was the best three hours of entertainment that we have ever enjoyed. Every show is unique. You have taken a story with which all of us can relate, and you have acted and sung and danced it , laughed and cried it, and transported it into our hearts. Through you, we have seen Billy’s world as our own: as the Small Boy, so eager to be like Billy ; as Michael, whose vulnerabilities ring true in us all; as Tony, proud and boastful yet, underneath the bravado, as scared and uncertain as his younger brother; as Older Billy, who like Small Boy provides a reflection of what is to come (yet is already there, hidden, waiting to be discovered); as Billy’s Dad, whose life has been one smack down after the other and yet, like a proud Geordie fighter, rises once again to fight for his son; as Grandma, touching, funny, and a lot more ‘there’ than people realize; and as Dead Mum, who reminds us that life is fleeting, and we best grasp it while we can.

‘All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his life plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.’

To all of you, Cast and Crew, past and present; the truly wonderful Debbies and Ballet Girls and the indomitable yet fragile Mrs Wilkinsons; the Swing Dancers and Ensemble; the musicians and lighting crew and techies and stage crew and dance teachers and chaperones and tutors and anyone I have forgotten.......the curtain will soon ring down on this stage of your lives; but the next will open, and I and many others will be there to see what the next act contains. May your next entrance be as graceful as your exit!

You see: A few years ago I went to see 'just a musical play'. That play still profoundly affects me; and, years from now, when I am in a later act of my life, I will recall again the lessons it taught me; and I will pass them on to my kids, and my grand kids when that day comes: To follow one’s dreams, no matter the obstacles in the way; no matter what anyone says; no matter in which of the seven stages of your life…………….

The show isn't over. It will live on in everyone touched by it.

Good luck; Godspeed; Break a Leg!

And, above all: thank you!

[ERinVA]

Thank you for your messages, gpcolo and kport. The more I read in this thread, the more obvious it is to me that this show is so much more than just a show. I know that everyone concerned with the production is going to love these messages.

[angelenroute]

this man who claimed to be the director (Yes, later to find out it was Stephen Daldry) bounded up on stage. He said this was a special evening as a new “Billy” was making his Broadway debut. Oh great I thought, this could be a train wreck. Maybe I could sneak out now. The boy’s name: Trent Kowalik.

What a treat it was reading this message, especially the way you phrased it, bringing us back to that special day and the expectations you had before the show, before those expectations were squashed. =) Thank you very much!

Sean

[angelenroute]

Through you, we have seen Billy’s world as our own: as the Small Boy, so eager to be like Billy ; as Michael, whose vulnerabilities ring true in us all; as Tony, proud and boastful yet, underneath the bravado, as scared and uncertain as his younger brother; as Older Billy, who like Small Boy provides a reflection of what is to come (yet is already there, hidden, waiting to be discovered); as Billy’s Dad, whose life has been one smack down after the other and yet, like a good Geordie fighter, rises once again to fight for his son; as Grandma, touching, funny, and a lot more ‘there’ than people realize; and as Dead Mum, who reminds us that life is fleeting, and we best grasp it while we can.

‘All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his life plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.’

Bravo kport on a beautiful piece of literature here, and wonderful comparison to the seven ages! I especially loved the reminder that Older Billy reminds us that we ALL have talents that are "hidden, waiting to be discovered". It's a perfect parallel to the reminder from the original movie's trailer: "Inside every one of us is a special talent, waiting to come out." Thank you for this great message!

Sean