Louisville Reviews

[CJ-Rochester]

Thanks Ellen, that's exactly what I meant. Thanks to everyone for the compliments.

[Yorkie]

Since Small Boy and Tall Boy are different characters, then these are two different paths to the role of Billy. Dean-Charles never officially played Tall Boy, and Ben never played Small Boy.

OK, I see my mistake Dean played small boy, Michael & Billy but Ben has played tall boy, Michael and Billy. They are both unique

I am of course aware that tall boy and small boy are different characters in the show; my brain just seems to have done a runner this evening

[Billy Whiz]

my brain just seems to have done a runner this evening

Been there. Done that

[KiwiT]

Thanks Chris for a terrific review of Ben and Ethan's debut. I can't wait to see them in Boston.

However I believe that Kylend also followed the same route as Ben playing Tall Boy/Michael/Billy.

Irrespective of which route they take though Ben joins a small and select group (Dean/Kylend/Ben - any others who have played three or more roles?) who have displayed great determination, sheer hard work and had lots of parental support to get to achieve their ambition of playing Billy. Perhaps because they have experienced other roles or because they have been with the show for a long time these Billys tend to have an even deeper appreciation for the role and, in my view, often produce some of the finest acting performances.

[ERinVA]

While Kylend has played Michael once or twice, I don't recall that he was ever officially listed on the cast website as a Michael. What we're talking about here is a step-by-step progression from one official role to another over the Billy's history with the show.

[ActingDude17]

Myles Erlick wasn't an official Michael either, but towards the end of the Broadway run he ended up playing Tall Boy/Michael/Billy all in one week. You've really gotta hand it to these kids who are ready to go on for more than one part, understudy or otherwise.

[ERinVA]

We seem to have gotten away from the topic of Louisville reviews. Does anyone else have one or more to add?

[maria]

Four shows in Louisville:

So after much back and forth, I finally booked the final four shows in Louisville, after some coaxing from friends. Almost did not make the trip as we had terrible weather back home the night before, and I lost power at my home, but that is another story. It did however impact my enjoyment of the shows on Saturday as I was preoccupied. By Sunday, I could relax considerably as I knew everyone back home was actually OK.

What a weekend it turned out to be! Two new Billies starting, two performances by a brand new Michael, and a farewell to another sensational Michael.

First up was Ben Cook’s debut as Billy, ably assisted by the newest Michael, Ethan Major. What a joy to see Ben on stage as Billy FINALLY!! Many of us have followed this talented youngster since his start as Tall Boy on the Broadway Stage. Then he “graduated” to Michael and I had the great pleasure of seeing him on the tour in DC. Ben has a fantastic stage presence, and just lit up the stage with his personality. Ben also seems completely comfortable on stage – if he had any nerves going (he must have!) they were not at all visible. He has a beautiful singing voice and his acting is top notch. And his dancing is amazing too – By the end of Angry Dance, his hair was soaking wet – this kid put his entire heart and soul into this performance. Someone described him as exploding on stage – like all this pent up energy that has been with him since he first wanted to be Billy was right there for all to see and experience. Someone will correct me, I am sure, I know Ben performed at least one aerial during Electricity, but it may have been two – either way, it was spectacular to behold – breath taking, actually. Ben is a natural on stage and completely engaging. He has been a part of the BE family for some time now, and what a joy to see him as Billy – well done Ben!! Ethan is adorable and got off to a great start. Was he nervous? He must have been, but it did not show. Express was pure joy! And the winter scene was also well done – a difficult scene, but beautifully performed. Well done Ethan!!

For the evening show, we got a couple of "old" pros – Ty and Cameron. Ty is UNBELIEVABLE! I saw him several times in DC, and he was superb then. Hard to believe he could get any better, but he did. His Electricity was amazing, starting with an aerial that resulted in a shocked response from the audience... And that was only the beginning. Ty is a sweet kid, and it shows throughout his performance. It was announced in one of the publicity pieces that Ty would be leaving soon – he is at the absolute top of his game right now. Aside from Electricity, it is always great fun to see a youngster completely comfortable on stage as Billy. Well done Ty!! Cameron is a bundle of energy and a hilarious Michael – he really knows how to work the audience, and is just a delight. Well done Cameron!!

Noah Parets gave his debut performance at the Sunday matinee and my reaction once again was WOW! This kid is amazing. I don’t think he had any prior acting/singing experience, and we all know what a great dancer he is from some youtube videos (check them out if you have not already). But trust me, this kid can sing and he can act. And he carries a wonderful accent. Noah is the smallest boy to play Billy on the 2nd US Tour. He plays the part as a tough kid, who hides tremendous vulnerability underneath that we see hints of every now and then (with Dead Mum, with Mrs. W., with Michael to name a few). I was blown away by Noah and am eager to see him again – he’s got IT, and this is only the beginning!!! I am sure his prior experience with dance competitions helped with any nerves he may have had. But carrying a 3 hour show is just no comparison to a dance competition in my opinion. One story about Noah’s first show – during the boxing scene, the chin strip on his boxing head gear got caught in his mouth. He tried to get it out but was having difficulty since he had boxing gloves on his hands. But it did not seem to faze him at all – he kept right in character, including speaking up with the strip in mouth. Eventuallly he managed to get it out, but no one would have known this was not intentional – Noah handled it so naturally. All the dancing was superb. Electricity was beautifully sung, acted and danced. Wow!! Well done Noah!! Noah was ably supported by Ethan who gave another terrific performance.

The final show featured Zach Manske and the unforgetable Jacob Zalonsky. I last saw Zach at his debut performance in DC. What a joy to see him again 6 months later. Although that first show was terrific, Zach has now acquired a comfort level with being on stage that he could not possibly have possessed back then, and that comes only with time. I believe that like Noah, Zach was a dancer, and did not have other acting/singing experience. And like Noah, he made the transition from dance competitions to carrying a 3 hour show effortlessly. Since I have only seen Zach twice now, I have not yet gotten a good feel for his take on Billy – I just need to see him again! Suffice it to say, his Electricity stood out as elegant, and with his lanky build, flowed beautifully. Zach’s acting has gotten to the point where I don’t think he is acting – he simply is Billy Elliot! Well done Zach!! And Jacob went out with a bang – it has been fun watching him grow up on stage since those early days in Durham when he had those long, curly locks. He is quite the personality, and I am sure we will see him again – I loved the final “see ya Jacob, see ya Zach.” It was very poignant, and because they had announced at the beginning of the show that it was Jacob’s last night, the audience got it, and gave extra applause for Jacob. Well done Jacob!!

This is getting way too long, but I wanted to mention the new Mrs. W., Janet Dickinson – she is terrific, and quickly became an all time favorite of mine – beautiful singing voice – the letter was just heart-warming, Solidarity fantastic. She had a great rapport with all four of her leading men that I saw. Rich Herbert is great as dad, always gets me in “Deep into the ground” when his eyes well up. And new small boy Cal Alexander is adorable and a real personality – another great find. So, in summary, the tour remains in very good hands!

[maria]

Chris,

Thanks for your great and detailed review of Ben's first show - brings back many wonderful memories!!

maria

[porschesrule]

And thank you, Maria, for your wonderful detailed review. It was great reading another viewpoint, especially about the two new Billys and new Michael. I'm glad your weekend turned out well and you were able to get to the shows.