March 24th Liam/Trevor
Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:14 pm
I hope my first long review will be a payback for all of the other forum members who have painted their own visual picture for the rest of us to truly enjoy. A belated thank-you to all of those previous to me who have taken the time to share!
Background: My passion for this show began in October of 2008. I usually get to NYC on business about twice a year and extend my stay 1-2 nights so I can catch a Broadway show. It was October 8, 2008 and upon looking at the line-up, I noticed that a new musical called Billy Elliot was in previews at the Imperial. I quickly Googled it and realized it was based on the movie of the same name (which I had not seen) and the musical had won many awards in London since opening there in 2005. I decided to take a chance and purchased my ticket for seat C5. After struggling to get my 6’4” height into a row with legroom designed by someone far shorter than myself, up on the stage bounded Director Stephen Daldry. He explained this was to be a special night as it was the Broadway premier of a new Billy who had performed over in London- Trent Kowalick. I was a bit concerned at that point thinking I may have made the wrong choice for the evening what with this debut of a mere 13 year old in the lead role. Three hours later all of my concerns were laid to rest as I was blown away by the story, the choreography, and yes the performance by all of the actors especially young Trent. I was officially a B.E. addict, although on a somewhat limited scale.
Up until my visit this week I had seen the show a total of four times, each with a different Billy: 1) Trent/David 2) David/Frank 3) Tommy/Frank and 4)Kiril/Trevor. I decided with this recent trip I would stay a few extra days and do a Broadway marathon of 5 shows in four days (three B.E. along with Memphis and Addam’s Family). I know I am far behind in the number of B.E. shows by many members of this forum but I was hopeful that my 5th, 6th, and 7th viewing of the show would introduce me to another fine set of Billy’s and I got off to a great start.
March 24th Liam/Trevor (Seat N103 for my 5th B.E. show)
I was in my seat a full 15 minutes before the start time. A nice retired couple sitting next to me was bemoaning the appearance of all the “understudies” in this performance, evidenced by the many slips of paper in the Playbill. I politely intervened and explained the rotation system for the Billy’s, Michael’s, and small boys. We ended up having a great conversation about B.E. and other shows they had seen on Broadway (Jersey Boys was their all-time favorite). I wondered if a new #1 might be getting ready to take its place in their theater going experiences.
Liam has a fine singing voice and the orchestra sounded strong, crisp and clear- Much better than I remember from before but it could also have been my location in the theater. The first thing I can say about Liam is that the smile he generates throughout the show lights up the entire theater. He gave a flawless performance and with Angry Dance the audience responded with gasps of disbelief, almost stunned at what was witnessed as the intermission lights came on. The retired couple sitting next to me could only say “Wow” at the intermission. Liam’s “Electricity” in Act 2 ended with thunderous applause and he finally broke character with his trademark smile after what seemed like 30+ seconds of appreciative and thunderous clapping. No one standing at this point but I think part of it is the proper decorum and people feeling out of place to do a mid-show standing O. I may have to start my own at the next show when I am a bit closer. Liam plays a very compassionate Billy and one who goes through every emotion-from the happiness and sheer joy coming from BTB and Expressing Yourself all the way to the sadness emoted during the two Letter scenes. His acting skills are shown off too in his scenes of anger (being pulled from ballet class and getting stopped from going to the tryouts with Mrs. W). I could see the tears on his face as he headed up the aisle at the end of the show. He did have to dodge one early leaving couple from the first row on his return for the finale. The finale is much more polished than I recalled from before and Liam took every opportunity to show off all of the company’s skills. Liam in front of the Billy sign finally brought the whole crowd to their feet with a much delayed standing ovation.
This was my first time seeing Kate as Mrs. W and I was impressed. She plays the role in a way that you really believe she is a dance teacher in a small mining town- I am sure exactly what an actor is striving for- believability. She played off Liam very well (including flawless jump roping). My favorite part is her reaction just after Billy strikes the perfect dance position (“…chin”). Her body position and facial expression explain all of her feelings at this point. The audience is with her the whole way as the theater is eerily silent too for this great moment. She finally breaks the silence with a “hmmmmmmm” that was perfectly stated for the end of this scene.
Philip as Dad approaches the role with his own unique stamp, different from Greg J. but with all of the range of emotions that come with the role. His RB scene is quite a different take as he tries climbing off the stage when the male dance comes his way. No zipper fixing in the mirror but he still added a lot of humor to the situation with his gestures and facial expressions. I loved his performance.
This was my second time seeing Trevor and his voice has really deepened and matured. He sings all of his parts well though and matches almost perfect in height to Liam. His “Genie” imitation got no response at first with the young spring break audience, but once he started humming the theme song from that old comedy, the audience laughed with recognition. Trevor has gotten very comfortable with the part of Michael and I really now feel he is one with the role.
What more can one say about the performance of Carole Shelley as Grandma. She is the only one in one of the main roles that has performed in each of my five shows. Her timing is spot on and she worked well with the dancers (We’d Go Dancing) and with Liam, not only in this scene but in the earlier kitchen pasty scene and the later Postal scene. Carole looks like she is still having a ball playing the part. Carole is Grandma Elliot.
Will Chase was also excellent as Tony and brings anger and substance to a difficult part to play. He also did a great job of asking for donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids at the end of the show…”You can donate a dollar or a million dollars!”
Overall a fantastic show from start to finish- no flaws or stoppages just pure pleasure watching genius and giftedness unfold on the stage. I have been trying to put my finger as to why this show continues to grow on me. I have seen and enjoyed many other Broadway plays and musicals, with many of them getting repeat viewings, but none of them hold the passion I have developed for B.E. I think it may have something to do with how you feel coming out of the theater. No matter how your day may have gone or what mood you may be in at the start of the show, you will leave several hours later reinvigorated and in awe of what you just witnessed. I gladly get to experience this two more times this week. And if you were still wondering about the reaction of the retired couple sitting next to me: Jersey Boys has now slipped to #2 on their list!
Background: My passion for this show began in October of 2008. I usually get to NYC on business about twice a year and extend my stay 1-2 nights so I can catch a Broadway show. It was October 8, 2008 and upon looking at the line-up, I noticed that a new musical called Billy Elliot was in previews at the Imperial. I quickly Googled it and realized it was based on the movie of the same name (which I had not seen) and the musical had won many awards in London since opening there in 2005. I decided to take a chance and purchased my ticket for seat C5. After struggling to get my 6’4” height into a row with legroom designed by someone far shorter than myself, up on the stage bounded Director Stephen Daldry. He explained this was to be a special night as it was the Broadway premier of a new Billy who had performed over in London- Trent Kowalick. I was a bit concerned at that point thinking I may have made the wrong choice for the evening what with this debut of a mere 13 year old in the lead role. Three hours later all of my concerns were laid to rest as I was blown away by the story, the choreography, and yes the performance by all of the actors especially young Trent. I was officially a B.E. addict, although on a somewhat limited scale.
Up until my visit this week I had seen the show a total of four times, each with a different Billy: 1) Trent/David 2) David/Frank 3) Tommy/Frank and 4)Kiril/Trevor. I decided with this recent trip I would stay a few extra days and do a Broadway marathon of 5 shows in four days (three B.E. along with Memphis and Addam’s Family). I know I am far behind in the number of B.E. shows by many members of this forum but I was hopeful that my 5th, 6th, and 7th viewing of the show would introduce me to another fine set of Billy’s and I got off to a great start.
March 24th Liam/Trevor (Seat N103 for my 5th B.E. show)
I was in my seat a full 15 minutes before the start time. A nice retired couple sitting next to me was bemoaning the appearance of all the “understudies” in this performance, evidenced by the many slips of paper in the Playbill. I politely intervened and explained the rotation system for the Billy’s, Michael’s, and small boys. We ended up having a great conversation about B.E. and other shows they had seen on Broadway (Jersey Boys was their all-time favorite). I wondered if a new #1 might be getting ready to take its place in their theater going experiences.
Liam has a fine singing voice and the orchestra sounded strong, crisp and clear- Much better than I remember from before but it could also have been my location in the theater. The first thing I can say about Liam is that the smile he generates throughout the show lights up the entire theater. He gave a flawless performance and with Angry Dance the audience responded with gasps of disbelief, almost stunned at what was witnessed as the intermission lights came on. The retired couple sitting next to me could only say “Wow” at the intermission. Liam’s “Electricity” in Act 2 ended with thunderous applause and he finally broke character with his trademark smile after what seemed like 30+ seconds of appreciative and thunderous clapping. No one standing at this point but I think part of it is the proper decorum and people feeling out of place to do a mid-show standing O. I may have to start my own at the next show when I am a bit closer. Liam plays a very compassionate Billy and one who goes through every emotion-from the happiness and sheer joy coming from BTB and Expressing Yourself all the way to the sadness emoted during the two Letter scenes. His acting skills are shown off too in his scenes of anger (being pulled from ballet class and getting stopped from going to the tryouts with Mrs. W). I could see the tears on his face as he headed up the aisle at the end of the show. He did have to dodge one early leaving couple from the first row on his return for the finale. The finale is much more polished than I recalled from before and Liam took every opportunity to show off all of the company’s skills. Liam in front of the Billy sign finally brought the whole crowd to their feet with a much delayed standing ovation.
This was my first time seeing Kate as Mrs. W and I was impressed. She plays the role in a way that you really believe she is a dance teacher in a small mining town- I am sure exactly what an actor is striving for- believability. She played off Liam very well (including flawless jump roping). My favorite part is her reaction just after Billy strikes the perfect dance position (“…chin”). Her body position and facial expression explain all of her feelings at this point. The audience is with her the whole way as the theater is eerily silent too for this great moment. She finally breaks the silence with a “hmmmmmmm” that was perfectly stated for the end of this scene.
Philip as Dad approaches the role with his own unique stamp, different from Greg J. but with all of the range of emotions that come with the role. His RB scene is quite a different take as he tries climbing off the stage when the male dance comes his way. No zipper fixing in the mirror but he still added a lot of humor to the situation with his gestures and facial expressions. I loved his performance.
This was my second time seeing Trevor and his voice has really deepened and matured. He sings all of his parts well though and matches almost perfect in height to Liam. His “Genie” imitation got no response at first with the young spring break audience, but once he started humming the theme song from that old comedy, the audience laughed with recognition. Trevor has gotten very comfortable with the part of Michael and I really now feel he is one with the role.
What more can one say about the performance of Carole Shelley as Grandma. She is the only one in one of the main roles that has performed in each of my five shows. Her timing is spot on and she worked well with the dancers (We’d Go Dancing) and with Liam, not only in this scene but in the earlier kitchen pasty scene and the later Postal scene. Carole looks like she is still having a ball playing the part. Carole is Grandma Elliot.
Will Chase was also excellent as Tony and brings anger and substance to a difficult part to play. He also did a great job of asking for donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids at the end of the show…”You can donate a dollar or a million dollars!”
Overall a fantastic show from start to finish- no flaws or stoppages just pure pleasure watching genius and giftedness unfold on the stage. I have been trying to put my finger as to why this show continues to grow on me. I have seen and enjoyed many other Broadway plays and musicals, with many of them getting repeat viewings, but none of them hold the passion I have developed for B.E. I think it may have something to do with how you feel coming out of the theater. No matter how your day may have gone or what mood you may be in at the start of the show, you will leave several hours later reinvigorated and in awe of what you just witnessed. I gladly get to experience this two more times this week. And if you were still wondering about the reaction of the retired couple sitting next to me: Jersey Boys has now slipped to #2 on their list!