Billy Elliot the Forum

Grandparents are some of the best fans of Billy Elliot. They support and attend the grandkid's activities and often disagree with the parenting. Grandparents appreciate the closeness between Billy and his grandmom. Just look around at the show and you will see many grandparents.

Perhaps using a video like this one that shows the special relationship between Billy and his Grandmother would be a good way to promote BETM to grandparents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMS18ShVrZw

Or perhaps this video, which shows the special relationship between the actors who play Billy and Grandma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ss0APqikA

Either way, grandparents should know how relevant Billy Elliot The Musical is to real-life close family relationships.

Another group that can appreciate Billy Elliot The Musical is an obvious one that is led by Elton John; this includes any young person who is at odds with his or her parents about the future direction of the child's life.
In this case, viewing BETM can be good for both the parent and child. Perhaps they both can gain an understanding of each other's opinion, and not be so rigid in their own stance. Since most families have these arguments at some point, we, the fans who really understand the serious theater side of Billy Elliot The Musical, can recognize the family conflict and strongly recommend the show. Also, promotions can point out that family reconciliation is a major theme of BETM.

I can relate to this since my Dad wanted me to go into the family business. I did not. The theme of reconciliation in Billy Elliot could have given us a common ground.

An unfortunate group that can appreciate Billy would be children who had a parent die. They could be comforted by Billy's Letters with his mother.

Luckily, children who have lost a parent are a small group in the total fans of Billy Elliot The Musical. But the comfort and support provided by the show can help them past the terrible loss in their young lives.

Alex Ko, and his use of dance to express the activities that he and his father shared, is an example of the healing power of art.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOh7Uh9TwJ8

People who can relate to characters in the show who remind them of their own relatives are bound to be fans of Billy Elliot The Musical. I had an elderly aunt who seemed to be the model for Grandma with her dislike for her husband and her obscene gestures and language.

There are those people who grew up with a strong father who believed "It's my way or the highway". Or a big brother who acted more like a surrogate parent than a sibling. Or a female relative who always took charge and took children under her wing like Mrs. Wilkinson.

These people will love the characters in BETM . Anyone have an idea how a promotion could be aimed to reach them?

A head-of-household father, the oldest son next in line as ruler, and a grandmother who curses and gestures obscenely---sounds like South Philly family that I know, but the grandma curses and gestures in Italian!