Billy Elliot the Forum

A place for March's reviews.

Saw the matinee on Sunday the 6th and can only describe the impressiveness of Alex's dancing by the show song title: Electricity. Maybe it's a result of Alex being a little older Billy at 15, but I find the power and expressiveness of his Angry Dance in particular and solo dances in general to be literally spine tingling. Excellent technical form combined with fully executed gestures and feeling. Complete range of happy tap, graceful ballet and emotion-charged grunge dances. Bravo, Alex!

One curiosity I observed in this show that might be normal and I merely haven't notice before but strange enough that I have to ask. In the first boxing class with George, are the laces of Billy's gloves supposed to remain tied together? Or was that a fluke that Alex just had to deal with under the principle that the show must go on?

It is an odd way to box for one thing and there were a couple places where one hand had to be dragged along by the connected laces. With all the things that each stage Billy has to deal with as part of the show, this seemed like a totally unnecessary complication and therefore leads me to think it was a prop malfunction.

Welcome to the forum atreyu. A few of us diehards were at the shows all this weekend. I noticed the same problem that Alex's boxing gloves were tied together. It is definitely not supposed to work that way. From where I was sitting I could see Alex make a few attempts to undo the laces. Once that failed he made do. He continued with the John Travolta bit, but kept his hands closer together than usual. I don't think most of the audience would have noticed anything wrong. Great job Alex!

Welcome to the forum, atreyu. Sorry we didn't have the chance to meet you at the show this afternoon. But we're glad you've joined us on the forum. Hope you will enjoy it here.

CJ-Rochester wrote:He continued with the John Travolta bit, but kept his hands closer together than usual. I don't think most of the audience would have noticed anything wrong. Great job Alex!

Ah yes, the Travolta segment. Billy would need his hands free for that. Wonder at what point George noticed and if there was any thought to using that to mock Billy's boxing even more. At any rate, guessing there's a new memo issued to make sure the gloves are untied before Billy goes on stage.

atreyu wrote:At any rate, guessing there's a new memo issued to make sure the gloves are untied before Billy goes on stage.

Keep in mind that the gloves have to be tied together in the breakfast scene where Billy has them hanging around his neck. Maybe they just have to review their knot tying procedures.

Couldn't decide if this belonged in the General Trip Blog section, but sticking it here as it contains a mini-review and some parochial NY content.

All's Well That Ends Very Well
I-95 southbound closed at Exit 21. Find Alternate route. So said the traffic signs even 100 miles away in Hartford. I tune in the traffic report for NYC on satellite radio to find this alternate route. The Hutch? A total mess. Saw Mill - closed because of flooding. Sprain Brook/Bronx River Parkway? All jammed. Major Deegan? Overloaded. So much for alternate route. Could it really be that bad that instead of the New England Thruway I would have to travel the Palisades to get to Manhattan?? (For those not familiar, this means travel from Connecticut to Manhattan via New Jersey, not at all efficient)

This could be trouble. (Not to diminish the actual calamity http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=13121602&sid=81 that closed the highway - that's real Trouble.)

My BETM ticket was at the box office, not emailed, for reasons that in retrospect seemed to spell American Idiot in bold letters. Per contract, the reservation expires at 7:25 and if traffic is so bad that I can't get there before the box office closes, I get completely shut out and make a total waste of the car trip.

6:20 With 27 miles to go according to GPS, traffic slows to a bumper-to-bumper pace. Not good.
7:00 traffic finally breaks free. 9 miles left. Boy, is this going to be close.
7:25 park the car on 43rd, but across 6th avenue. Ok, even if my G112 orchestra seat has been sold off, I could probably get in somewhere else. Things are starting to look up.
7:35 After running most of the way and wishing I had the fitness of a Billy Elliot (yeah right), I arrive at the box office, receive my G112 ticket and enter the theater to a multitude of warnings that the show is starting.

But first a pit stop; after 4.5 hours of traveling and high anxiety, it is sorely needed. Back into the theater, in the seat and lights dim 1 minute later. Can't believe I actually made it. Finally, I can relax.

And enjoy the show I did. Neil is so funny as Michael. First time I saw Laura Marie Duncan as Mrs. Wilkinson. I liked her portrayal; certain nuances and inflections made so much sense. And Alex got the boxing gloves untied this time and was free (literally) to do the full Travolta thing. Just wish he would allow the audience laughter to subside before delivering his lines. Alex's singing was rougher in a few spots than previous (found out later from a stage manager he had a bit of a sore throat that evening). But still top-notch dancing and a real fine show as evidenced by the loud laughs and occasional comments from the first-timers in the row behind me. Worth the trip, as difficult as it was.

Closing number. Recognition of the cast. Standing ovation for Alex. But what's this? Wait, folks there's more. Greg Jbara makes the appeal for BCEFA http://www.broadwaycares.org/home and for an additional donation, audience members can go on a backstage tour that includes a photo op with Alex! Talk about a no-brainer (did I mention the bonus check that hit the bank account on Friday? )

So now I have some real treasures to take home with me: An official BETM ticket with an Alex Ko autograph along with the photos of Alex and Greg. Really wish I had been able to convey better my appreciation for their time and fine talents to both of them right then, but for some reason I got a little tongue-tied upon meeting the stars. So, once again, thank you very much, Alex, Greg and the staff for these extras. The memories will be cherished.

I don't know if it's possible for me to have a better BETM experience than that, but I think - err, I know I'll be exploring those waters again soon. Even if the future events are half as good, they will be in the success category.

Thanks for posting this atreyu. It is nice to see what great lengths we fans will go to to get our Billy fix. I'm glad to hear that this adventure ended so well for you.

I've had a couple of close shaves like that in London and Chicago. I know how you felt! Glad that you enjoyed the show, and that you had the extra added pleasure of the special backstage tour.

Thanks for that atreyu. You definitely got there in the nick of time.

Greg is a great host and the nicest person you could ever wish to meet.

I must admit that I have been late for a couple of shows in London due to no fault of my own. Actually one was as I fell asleep in my hotel room