Boston Reviews

[angelenroute]

I wish they would do away with the dancing in the box in “AD” that is supposed to represent the outhouse from the movie. I get that we’re supposed to feel that Billy is boxed in, ready to break out, but it really seems to throw the momentum off of what’s happening, almost like the actor is moving in slow motion.

Here, here! After seeing the show again after a long break, I completely agree. The box is stupid (in my opinion). I was also struck by the fact that the miners look more like a giant carpentry crew, building a box, moving sheetrock around. They're one step away from (angrily of course) painting the set and hammering in sconces. It's silly. I LOVE the number and the music, but the frenzy could be improved greatly if we had more fighting between the police and the miners.

[johnnyc]

I wish they would do away with the dancing in the box in “AD” that is supposed to represent the outhouse from the movie. I get that we’re supposed to feel that Billy is boxed in, ready to break out, but it really seems to throw the momentum off of what’s happening, almost like the actor is moving in slow motion.

Every time I see that part of AD, I think back to the time in London where Colin Bates kicked and punched the box so violently that he actually damaged it during one performance. As I recall. all of the London Billy actors I saw kicked that box more realistically than have any Billys in the U.S. Perhaps when the AD was radically changed for Broadway, the new box could no longer stand up to much stress? I wanted to ask Giuseppe about this during a backstage tour he gave a few of us, but the opportunity never arose.

[Todd]

What I especially liked was that he timed his vocal shouting at momentary breaks in the music, so we could actually hear what he was ranting about. Most other Billys shout during the music, and the vocalizations are all but lost to us.

I had never noticed this before until I saw Kylend in Des Moines a couple of months ago and Ben in Boston recently. They both do a great job of timing their screams so it fits perfectly with the rhythm of the music. I wish they would coach all the Billys to do this - or maybe they do and it's just one of those things that's difficult to time correctly what with everything else Billy has to focus on.

Does anyone else get really nervous at the buildup to “AD”? I don’t know if I’m wrapped up in the character, or if I’m really nervous for the actor who has to put out so much in that one number. I don’t know how to explain it; I haven’t got the words, but I have this great anticipation for Billy (or the actor) for some reason as we approach “AD.”

Yes, I'm the same way ! I think part of it is due to the anticipation of what's about to happen on stage. But like you say, it's also the anxiety of hoping that the actor playing Billy is sufficiently fired up and ready to exert the effort that it takes to pull off this number.

[jdmag44]

I agree -- THE BOX DOES NOT WORK! If you saw the film it worked, but not on stage the few times I was seated more to the right of the stage I could not even see Billy inside. In my recent experience of Kylend I was very impressed with his angry dance he clearly understood how to time the screams. To me the key to leading into the AD is Billy’s line and it is often said to quickly and not understood and the dad comes back too quickly. Oh well its one of my personal peeves with the show very often “key” lines are said much to fast to be understood or they are screamed where delivering them loudly and with passion is what is needed. To me after seeing many shows my excitement is at a peek every time they lead into AD and I am always left with my heart pounding as the curtain comes down. Absolutely brilliant ending to the first half of a magnificent show.

Joe

[ERinVA]

Here's an extemely positive review by Jan Nargi for Broadway World Boston. I don't recall having seen this one before.

http://boston.broadwayworld.com/article ... n-20120817

[atreyu]

Thursday August 16 with Noah/Ethan/Zach

A little extra drama tonight at the start of Dream Ballet. As the opening strains of the violins take over the sound stage, Noah is in position spinning the chair and the sets roll away off the sides . . . but not the back. A few audible clunks are heard and still the back set refuses to budge. The light from a few flashlights from stage crew members can be seen and us BETM veterans are starting to worry if the flying sequence is in jeopardy. Surely, Billy can't fly with that equipment in the way.

This goes on for almost 15 seconds. The audio system is still playing the opening note and Noah is still in place, spinning the chair, but the delay is long enough for him to steal a glance back to see what's going on . Just in time to see Older Billy (Chris Howard) enter from stage left. They then commence the dance as the audio launches into Swan Lake and fortunately a few seconds later, the back set finally separates and disappears.

A glitch like this could get rattle a performer a bit and the Dream Ballet was not quite the usual spectacle. I suspect, though, it may be more a result of there not being the same rapport between Billy and Older Billy as there has been with Max Baud. Chris Howard is talented enough, but hasn't had the reps with Billy that produce a completely seamless dance. A separation of just 6" here or there will make the difference between full extension and having to bend a knee slightly, resulting in less than clean lines. I expect that will be ironed out soon enough.

A little different take on George tonight with Joel Newsome (normally Mr. Wilkinson) playing the role. This George doesn't go over the top. "Sorry, Billy? Sorry, Billy?!?" does not need to be delivered in an infantile manner and "you great fat f**ny" doesn't need a silly gesture. The jokes work perfectly well on their own without "enhancement". George's final scene congratulating the bonny lad, however, was not a good adjustment this night. After Billy blocks the hit to the head, George should not merely do another boxing move, he needs to do a dance move. Joel Blum's routine works quite well there.

One last comment to make about the Billy/Posh Boy exchange. The particular combination of Noah punching Zach and Zach running off crying . . . well, it doesn't quite work as well as other Billy/PB combinations . I see from the archives that there was a time or two on Broadway when Tade and Giuseppe had this situation and that must have been quite amusing. Noah/Zach isn't quite that extreme, but still requires more, ahem, artistic license. This isn't a complaint and I'm not faulting anyone, just have to note the anomaly.

[BEtourfan]

Here's an extemely positive review by Jan Nargi for Broadway World Boston. I don't recall having seen this one before.

http://boston.broadwayworld.com/article ... n-20120817

Truly a great review.

[kport]

I was there on Thursday and saw the delay to the Dream Ballet. I was no more than 50 feet from Noah and saw no concern - he held the position and twirled the chair while there was audible clunking on the set to get it to move. By the time Chris Howard was in position the action began but, with no signal to commence, the music and both dancers were a tad out of synch. Everyone carried on perfectly but just not quite together. Now, anyone who has acted or played the piano knows that you do not stop if there is a glitch - you carry on until things fall back into place. This is what happened, and by the time the chair sequence finished, all was in place. Knowing the difficulty involved, I commend both Noah and Chris for turning a problem into a solution. My guess is those there for the first time would have noticed nothing out of place. The slight lack of synchronicity was - very slight.

...............................

Last night I paid special attention to the wooden box (crate?) that is used in the Angry Dance. If I remember correctly, in the film it is a solid room - probably an outdoor 'cozzie' - outhouse - at the VPT it rises from the floor (Billy enters it from a trap in the stage floor) and is solid; this 'crate' used on the tour seems to be made of a packing crate with bits of corrugated steel, assembled like a cheap copy from IKEA -almost like a metaphor on ... the poor housing conditions? .....the wreckage from the riots? Its flimsiness and lack of relevance (Billy cannot kick it without it flying into bits) seems like a poor idea when they scaled the set down. If nothing else, they could wheel on a solid cozzie, like they do the loos, made of corrugated metal that would give an almighty crash when kicked. Or be done with the thing! Even Kylend, who probably knows more about his role than anyone, looked as though he was lost in the thing!

................................

Regarding the audition scene with Noah 'punches' Zach, I saw no particular issue. Last night Kylend 'punched' Ethan. Perhaps the fact that Zach is considerable taller than Noah and Ethan shorter than Kylend makes a difference in the way this can be played. Now, Zach takes a different take on the role of TB than Ethan, yet both performances work. I have come to treasure the fact that different performers slightly alter their characters, and would not want to see the show watered down into a homogenized one-size-fits-all production. Where those of us who are frequent visitors might find such changes less appealing, another might disagree; you can bet that if the producers find a scene not quite working, one of those famous 'Billy notes' will be given to the performer with suggestions about improvements. I have yet to attend a performance where I have allowed any such quibbles to affect the absolute brilliance of the whole show! (But I would like to issue my own 'Billy note' concerning that wooden crate in Angry Dance!)

................................

In fact, over the past 18 months I have seen the quality of the Tour do nothing but improve, if such a thing is possible!

[angelenroute]

Last night I paid special attention to the wooden box (crate?) that is used in the Dream Ballet.

Angry Dance. But I knew what you meant. =)

[angelenroute]

Here's an extemely positive review by Jan Nargi for Broadway World Boston. I don't recall having seen this one before.

http://boston.broadwayworld.com/article ... n-20120817

Wow! What beautiful writing! Some of my favorite lines:

He expresses a combination of embarrassment and intrigue when he discovers that ballet shoes seem to fit him better than boxing gloves. He also travels in that adolescent grey area between childhood and adulthood with such emotional honesty that his yearning for cradling one minute and independence the next is palpable.

Grandma...shares with Billy her memories of the few happy moments she enjoyed with her husband in an otherwise abusive 30-plus-year marriage. With crystal clear poetic lucidity, she is letting Billy know that she understands how important an escape dance can be.

“Solidarity.” Coal miners and policemen in riot gear square off against each other violently, each faction united in opposition to the other, while the young girls in Mrs. Wilkinson’s ballet class stumble innocently through their exercises in an effort to dance as one. Billy finds himself caught in the middle of all three, dodging SWAT shields and jumping away from flailing arms and feet. Simultaneously the choreography shows the uniformity within each group and the dramatic discord among them. The staging is a stroke of genius and makes the juxtaposed brutality and beauty in Billy Elliot cohesive.

Wonderful job, Jan Nargi!