June 2011 Reviews - London

[Barry Appleby]

THURSDAYS MATINEE 9th JUNE 2-00pm

For a Yorkshireman & a Irishman(mentioning no name!) to leave the theatre speechless is quite something after another fabulous show with Sir Dean Charles Chapmen at the helm. Carry on Dean as long as you can, you can go to school all your life but you can't always be a "Billy". What a wonderfull audience, one of the best I've been in for a matinee, they were just great, Gosh their were so many nationalities there also.
To me another great performance throughout from Dean, this is a bit different I know but I loved the disgust on his face when putting the half eaten pasty in the bin, the sniffing of his trainers, thats so natural how many times do you see kids do this, great smiles and giggles in Grandma's Song also and the look of dispair in "Shine" after been pushed around so much.
Fine performance from Connor Lawson with the mixture of mischief, cheek and innocence also his natural Geordie accent stands out.
Again loved Francessca performance she is a wonderfull Debbie, love the Grrrrr!!
in the Farewell scene when she not allowed to talk to Billy.
The Openning of act 2, Tom and David Bardsley could have gone on all afternoon and didn't need the car!, the audience were really up for it. Must mention the new little boy he looks a bundle of fun.
Another very enjoyable show,"Thank you Cast, Stagehands" and the audience for great afternoon.

Barry

[patc]

Yes, Barry, speechless. Dean, Connor Lawson, Francesca & Co. had sent possibly the best Thursday matinee audience I have ever seen home on cloud 999. If there had been a million at the show there would be 100 million going tonight. I was on such a high that I would love to have been going to the evening show (the Josh spectacular was due to begin at 7.30pm) but my jet was standing by at Gatwick.

Dean has been around for so long that we have long since run out of adequate words to describe his stunning performances but I will just say that I have never seen anything better than yesterday. I have heard people say about other West End shows that sometimes they, and the principals therein, look a bit tired of it but not Dean. At the end of a three-hour marathon he looked as if he could do it all again at 5.35pm and would have delighted in doing so. What an inspiration he was to all the youngster groups present who, themselves, lit up the auditorium. The vibes in both directions were Electric.

And the emotions. During the Letter I could see the tears streaming like a waterfall down the face of the gentleman in the seat in the row in front. As Barry has said the front of curtain scene with David Bardsley was hilarious with no car required. Connor Lawson has a way of extending the Winter Scene slightly longer (even to the extent that we hear the sad music end and the "next bit" begin). This is so well done because he has expertly paced out the transition from the excitement of getting to wear the tutu to having to leave the hall and his friend. The poignancy in this scene is sometimes spoiled by somebody starting to clap (and others then join in) as Michael leaves or even before that. Thankfully, this didn't happen yesterday and you could feel the respectful hush of the audience as Connor went out through the doors. The Dream Ballet (always and ever my favourite scene and the most beautiful I have ever seen on any stage anywhere) followed and the sheer poetic motion of it was breathtaking. In third-party reviews of the show this scene seems to be top with most. The final scene as Billy departs was just as emotional. Billy has already said goodbye to Mrs. Wilkinson, Dad, Tony and the miners have gone down the pit, Dead Mum has bade farewell to her Billy and now it is Michael's turn. In the odd third-party review of the show some said that they would have preferred to see the ending as per the fillum. Not me. The sad, lonely figure of Michael on stage staring after his friend is a perfect, classic ending and Connor's rendition of this yesterday was sublime in the extreme. This time the tears were streaming down my face.

The cast of Billy Elliot are something very xxxxxxx special. Every week these wonderful characters big and small are brought to life in such an engaging way that you know that come hell or high water you will be back again to see them as soon as possible. There will be different actors and actresses playing different parts but it doesn't make any difference. Even at Small Boy, Tall Boy level it's the same. Barry has mentioned the new Small Boy and I would add the new Tall Boy. I'm not sure if this was his first time but he did brilliantly as Posh Boy. His "hit" on the curtain drew loud gasps from the crowd such was its realism. He must have been tutored by Ashley.

The news that the show has been extended to December 2012 is very exciting. During next year's London Olympics millions more will see and/or hear about this astounding show. Their lives will be all the more enriched for it.

Pat

[Billy Whiz]

Thanks everybody for the great reviews. They are the next best thing to actually being there.

Keep 'em coming.

[dancingboy]

Yes, Barry, speechless. Dean, Connor Lawson, Francesca & Co. had sent possibly the best Thursday matinee audience I have ever seen home on cloud 999. If there had been a million at the show there would be 100 million going tonight. I was on such a high that I would love to have been going to the evening show (the Josh spectacular was due to begin at 7.30pm) but my jet was standing by at Gatwick.

Dean has been around for so long that we have long since run out of adequate words to describe his stunning performances but I will just say that I have never seen anything better than yesterday. I have heard people say about other West End shows that sometimes they, and the principals therein, look a bit tired of it but not Dean. At the end of a three-hour marathon he looked as if he could do it all again at 5.35pm and would have delighted in doing so. What an inspiration he was to all the youngster groups present who, themselves, lit up the auditorium. The vibes in both directions were Electric.


And the emotions. During the Letter I could see the tears streaming like a waterfall down the face of the gentleman in the seat in the row in front. As Barry has said the front of curtain scene with David Bardsley was hilarious with no car required. Connor Lawson has a way of extending the Winter Scene slightly longer (even to the extent that we hear the sad music end and the "next bit" begin). This is so well done because he has expertly paced out the transition from the excitement of getting to wear the tutu to having to leave the hall and his friend. The poignancy in this scene is sometimes spoiled by somebody starting to clap (and others then join in) as Michael leaves or even before that. Thankfully, this didn't happen yesterday and you could feel the respectful hush of the audience as Connor went out through the doors. The Dream Ballet (always and ever my favourite scene and the most beautiful I have ever seen on any stage anywhere) followed and the sheer poetic motion of it was breathtaking. In third-party reviews of the show this scene seems to be top with most. The final scene as Billy departs was just as emotional. Billy has already said goodbye to Mrs. Wilkinson, Dad, Tony and the miners have gone down the pit, Dead Mum has bade farewell to her Billy and now it is Michael's turn. In the odd third-party review of the show some said that they would have preferred to see the ending as per the fillum. Not me. The sad, lonely figure of Michael on stage staring after his friend is a perfect, classic ending and Connor's rendition of this yesterday was sublime in the extreme. This time the tears were streaming down my face.

The cast of Billy Elliot are something very xxxxxxx special. Every week these wonderful characters big and small are brought to life in such an engaging way that you know that come hell or high water you will be back again to see them as soon as possible. There will be different actors and actresses playing different parts but it doesn't make any difference. Even at Small Boy, Tall Boy level it's the same. Barry has mentioned the new Small Boy and I would add the new Tall Boy. I'm not sure if this was his first time but he did brilliantly as Posh Boy. His "hit" on the curtain drew loud gasps from the crowd such was its realism. He must have been tutored by Ashley.

The news that the show has been extended to December 2012 is very exciting. During next year's London Olympics millions more will see and/or hear about this astounding show. Their lives will be all the more enriched for it.

Pat

For me personally Billy is emotional and poignant. I know from personal experience what it is like to read a letter from a loved one who is no longer alive and whenever I see the show the Letter scenes mean a lot to me. I amstill on holiday in Switzerland for a couple more days but am managing to keep up with the Forum. I am looking forward to seeing the show next Friday,my 12th visit to VPT.

[billyforlife]

My sister, who is currently travelling in London, was given the opportunity for really cheap tickets to the Thursday June 9th Mat, and decided to go. When she told me the day before, I was of course incredibly jealous but also really excited for her, because it was her first time seeing the show. I was also amused that she finally went to see it after having made fun of me for 2 years about being so obsessed. She took a picture of the cast board for me, but didn't send it in her email, but someone on this forum probably knows who was playing. Though she did tell me that the Billy was "Dean someone" (it is times like these that I realise that some people who see the show don't actually know all of the names of the performers ).
The first thing she told me in the email was that she "LOVED it", which made me incredibly happy and proud . She mentioned that the show went by incredibly fast and that she couldn't believe it had been almost 3 hours when the show had finished. Her favourite character was Michael (anyone know who was playing him that arvo?), she was wowed by his talent and express. She also loved Grandma and Mrs. Wilkinson, but her favourite part of the show was Swan Lake, saying "it was really cool how they kept the chairs spinning while dancing and the older guy was an incredible ballet dancer.. I liked how he was a reflection of where Billy was going". She didn't mention much about Billy particularly but she said that she was more impressed with the cast as a whole. Unfortunately she doesn't have much time to email or talk but I am pushing her constantly for more details, and if I get some more of her thoughts I'll post them here. I just love hearing from someone who has never seen or had anything to do with the show before. And now maybe she'll understand why I love the show so much

[porschesrule]

She took a picture of the cast board for me, but didn't send it in her email, but someone on this forum probably knows who was playing.

From the London Tracking thread here on the forum:

9 - (Mat) Dean/Connor L/Francesca/Harry/Matthew

With regard to your comment about London BETM theatre goers not knowing who's performing, that is because of the fact that many don't see the cast board because of its less than obvious position in the lobby and (most importantly) for the lack of a free program (like the Playbills which all theatre goers here in the US receive).
I can't tell you how many times I've traded twitter messages with random people that haven't a clue who they just saw perform in London.

Glad your sister loved the show!

[billyforlife]

With regard to your comment about London BETM theatre goers not knowing who's performing

Sorry if that comment was vague but that's not what I meant by that (sorry if I accidentally offended anyone!), I was just saying that if I was at the show I would know immediately who Dean and other cast members are just because I know the show so well and get so much info on this forum, as opposed to normal people who don't know who all of the performers are (beyond seeing their name on a board or in a playbill).

[dongringo]

My sister, who is currently travelling in London, was given the opportunity for really cheap tickets to the Thursday June 9th Mat, and decided to go. When she told me the day before, I was of course incredibly jealous but also really excited for her, because it was her first time seeing the show. I was also amused that she finally went to see it after having made fun of me for 2 years about being so obsessed. She took a picture of the cast board for me, but didn't send it in her email, but someone on this forum probably knows who was playing. Though she did tell me that the Billy was "Dean someone" (it is times like these that I realise that some people who see the show don't actually know all of the names of the performers ).
The first thing she told me in the email was that she "LOVED it", which made me incredibly happy and proud . She mentioned that the show went by incredibly fast and that she couldn't believe it had been almost 3 hours when the show had finished. Her favourite character was Michael (anyone know who was playing him that arvo?), she was wowed by his talent and express. She also loved Grandma and Mrs. Wilkinson, but her favourite part of the show was Swan Lake, saying "it was really cool how they kept the chairs spinning while dancing and the older guy was an incredible ballet dancer.. I liked how he was a reflection of where Billy was going". She didn't mention much about Billy particularly but she said that she was more impressed with the cast as a whole. Unfortunately she doesn't have much time to email or talk but I am pushing her constantly for more details, and if I get some more of her thoughts I'll post them here. I just love hearing from someone who has never seen or had anything to do with the show before. And now maybe she'll understand why I love the show so much

I'm glad your sister liked the show so much. I'm pretty sure she understands now.

I turned my brother on to BETM. In fact, I took him with me to my first show a couple months ago. Last night we went to see a really good aerial modern dance group (AWOL) which I usually really enjoy. Afterward, my brother who was with me said, "You know, after seeing Billy Elliot, none of these shows seem to stack up anymore."

[Deanfan5]

Saturday Evening 11th June.

Firstly a heartfelt goodbye to Nick Evans who left last night deservedly surrounded by a constellation of past Billys who were all sat together behind me in Row B. Colin, Fox, Tom, Layton,Josh F, and Sam. Also spotted in the audience was Rhys and Scott.
I spoke to Nick briefly prior to the show and wished him well but I feel that it would be nice if the Forum could write to him formally. Nick as we know had been the Associate Director for the London Show and in the past 3 years has directed 10 Billys and worked extremely hard for the future of the show. I had the pleasure of speaking yesterday to the Mother of one of the current Billys as we Day Queued and she put it so well when she talked of the guidance and mentoring Nick had given to all the children on a personal and a professional level. Nick will be greatly missed and a very hard act to follow. I always felt that he was a good friend to the Forum.

As to the show. Well this was my first time seeing Ryan and I must say all the plaudits I have read here and on Facebook about him were absolutely spot on. A thoroughly engaging young Billy with a street Electricity to die for. Such grace and athleticism. Even Fox must have been impressed. The fact that all 6 Billys sitting behind me rose as one at the end of Electricity to lead the standing ovation for Ryan spoke volumes for me. I and the audience were not slow to follow
What I find so refreshing about Ryan is the naturalness and freshness he brings to the role of Billy. I kept thinking that this was not an actor I was watching but a child having a really great time. Ryan is so in touch with the varying emotions of childhood that he can switch from petulance to rage to laughter to sadness with the greatest of ease. Lovely voice, very intuitive acting and what a dancer. As well as Electricity there had been a superlative Angry Dance. Even the ex Billys behind me (from their overheard comments) were gobsmacked at the intensity, rage and despair that Ryan managed to capture in this scene. Ryan was very ably aided by Connor Lawson and the 2 of them fitted like hands to gloves. The repartee and pure 'joi de vie' that both exhibited made for a memorable evening.
All in all a superb show which will no doubt leave Nick with really happy memories. As for Ryan. Wow, where do they find them?

[dongringo]

Thank you Deanfan5 for your review. That must have been such a treat.