July 2011 Reviews - NYC

[Billy Whiz]

Thanks everybody for the reviews on Giuseppe's and Jacob's shows.

I almost felt as if I'd been there with you.

Hang on a minute - I was

[angelenroute]

Sunday, July 3, 2011
2 PM Performance
Giuseppe Bausilio's First Broadway Show

You know, it’s nice even just saying the words, “Giuseppe Bausilio from Switzerland.” And watching him perform the role of Billy Elliot is nothing short of a complete delight! It was late January 2011 on a very warm day in Charlotte, North Carolina that I arrived at the Ovens Auditorium there and saw Giuseppe Bausilio was on as Billy. I remember giving a big Tiger Woods-like fist pump when I saw his name on the board. No Billy is a bad Billy, and I have enjoyed all of the kids I’ve seen play the part between London, New York and the Tour, but watching the press for the boys playing the role on the 2nd North American Tour, I really wanted to see how this ballet superstar fared in the role.

This is a New York review, not a Tour review, but I will just say that he was of course awesome. His facial reactions, energy and smile brought his overall charisma in the role up to the rafters and really drew the audience in. From then on, I wished and prayed that he would find his way to Broadway. And whether it was built into his contract from the beginning or the theatre gods were smiling down on him, he finally got his chance, and New York is absolutely blessed to have him here!

A little birdie whistled in my ear one day late last week and the whistling—when translated into human—said that Giuseppe’s Broadway premiere would be the Sunday matinee. I had already gotten a free ticket for the evening show, so I was faced with a big decision. I don’t mean to sound like a crybaby lately when I say my money situation has been less than stellar, but it has. So the free tickets I’ve gotten have been an absolute Godsend! My Sunday night ticket was a generous gift from my good friend Mr. Billy Whiz, to whom I remain very grateful. Seeing Giuseppe at the matinee, then, meant choosing enjoyment over common sense. Using one of the great codes out there, I saved $50 on my Orchestra partial view seat and gratefully found myself in a most-cherished place to witness Giuseppe’s Broadway debut.

Except for Kiril’s show at the First Preview in 2008, I’ve never attended a “first Broadway show” before, so I wasn’t sure if an announcement would be made. I told the people behind me that it was Giuseppe’s first time performing the role on Broadway. I assured them they were in for a treat. Just before the show began, the resident director came out on stage to tell the whole of the audience the same—although when she first appeared, the couple I had spoken to said out loud that maybe I was wrong, fearing she was there to announce a substitution. It was a short but funny and kind speech. She said that in order to fund his time in the states, Giuseppe had created and sold his own lip balm. She also said something funny like, “We’re all grateful he did, and our lips are all a little moister.”

“Funnily enough”, Giuseppe shares other traits with Kiril too. Both are ballet geniuses, completely fluid and confident in their movements, and both speak several languages fluently. One occasional criticism Giuseppe gets is that he’s too good to be a kid from a mining town in England, but I promise you his grit, occasional grimaces and real-world reactions totally balance this. Besides that, you will be tickled pink to watch him dance, so more power to him! His tap is really good too!

Giuseppe’s voice is beautiful. He is quite proficient at switching to higher tenor for the high notes of some songs, and he has a really beautiful singing voice overall!

His acting is also superb. As I mentioned before, his face was just MADE for acting. I mean there’s just no two ways about it. Giuseppe Bausilio just looks like a world-famous actor. It has and will continue to serve him very well in the future. His mother is Brazilian and his father is Italian, and the combination makes for a great face just made to be on stage and on film. You’ll be glued. He has a way of acting with his face alone and you can tell his cast mates enjoy working with him for this among other reasons. Whether it’s Grandma singing to Billy, Tony yelling at Billy, Dad telling Billy he’s completely behind him or Debbie asking him if he’d like to see her hoo hoo, Giuseppe is completely and totally in the moment, his face speaks volumes, and it must help his acting partners very much.

Giuseppe’s Born To Boogie was particularly wonderful, but I won't explain why until the END of this review.

At the end of Electricity, Giuseppe got between 1/3 and 1/2 of the audience on their feet RIGHT AWAY with a standing ovation. From my vantage point on the far left wall, row E, I was able to sorta look around a bit and was SO HAPPY for him! He deserved it too, 100%! What a great reinforcement of his hard work and journey that has brought him to Broadway at last to get such a wonderful response from a very appreciative New York crowd!

As the show finished and we poured out onto the sidewalk, there was a light drizzle, so many of us stayed under the marquee. Plenty of people were crowded by the stage door too though, and when Giuseppe emerged, he was unmistakable. Dressed to the nines all in white from head to toe, he shined that A-List actor smile and everyone cheered. Because the rain was dripping more heavily along the wall, he didn’t walk the line behind the barricades but instead posed for photos and signed autographs right near the door with the outside guardian holding an umbrella over him throughout. A camera crew interviewed him for a couple of minutes too. I waited patiently, but couldn’t get through to him for an autograph. I’d had his autograph from Charlotte, but wanted to just congratulate him on a job well done for his Broadway premiere. Finally he began making a beeline for a limousine with the door opened and waiting for him, which we later learned was whisking him off to a congratulatory meeting at the Swiss consulate. I called out asking for an autograph and he said (in a very non-pompous way!), “Okay just one more.” A quick signature and he was in the limo. It was a very cool way to end my Bausilio celebration!

Later that night, after Jacob’s evening show, we were walking with Thommie to the car, parked in the garage next door to the theatre. Already on an emotional high after a long but fun day, Thommie called out to someone nearby, “Heyyy!” It was none other than Giuseppe Bausilio and his mother Sonia, both dressed up—on their way to Jacob’s party—and as always, enjoying every minute of life. I had met his mom briefly in Charlotte and she’s incredibly friendly and sweet, usually with the video camera at hand documenting Giuseppe’s fun theatrical experiences on and off stage. In Charlotte they even slowed down and waved—Giuseppe half out of the car window exuberantly waving his arms—as they pulled out of the parking lot, thanking us one last time for our support. But now it was just three of us plus Thommie, and he asked Sonia and Giuseppe to come over and “say hi to my friends please”. They were very happy to do so and we were delighted to talk to them.

I told them how I’d seen and met them in Charlotte and just “had to be here” for his first Broadway show. Then I told him how much I loved what he did in Born To Boogie. “When it came time for you to go over to the piano at the end, I suddenly remembered that you do the flip off the piano on the Tour, which they don't do here any more”. Maybe, just maybe he’d do it on Broadway now, I thought, even though no one else has since Michael Dameski left. “As the moment came,” I told them, “I said out loud, in a whisper loud enough to be heard by those just around my seat, ‘do it!!!’ hoping you’d do the flip. You did and I again said out loud, ‘yes!!!’” They laughed as I recounted the moment and I again told them I was so happy to see that on Broadway again. After the laugh, Giuseppe made a face and commented something like, “it’s not that big a deal,” in reference to them not doing it on Broadway, and Thommie said that it’s just been a risk/reward kind of thing. Sonia, along with Giuseppe’s dad, “are both professional ballet dancers and now own two Ballet Schools in Bern and Boll.”* Sonia and Thommie compared notes on the jump rope choreography as Giuseppe began dancing a bit in the parking lot. The party that night was in a place nearby, and Small Boy Alex Drier was calling out from a balcony, telling Giuseppe and Thommie to come to the party. Finally we were off and Giuseppe and his mom shined their million dollar smiles on us one more time as we headed to the car. A truly wonderful family, and Giuseppe is as much a gentleman and superstar off the stage as he is on. So be sure to see him in the role this summer! You will love him!!!

Warm wishes until next time,
Sean (Sean Patrick Brennan/angelenroute)

P.S. My review of Jacob Clemente’s final performance in the role of Billy Elliot will follow later today or ASAP this week.


*From Giuseppe’s Website at http://www.GiuseppeBausilio.com

[atreyu]

Thanks everybody for the reviews on Giuseppe's and Jacob's shows.

I almost felt as if I'd been there with you.

Hang on a minute - I was

Hope that minute does not represent needing to look at the pictures on your camera in order to ascertain that fact!

[tyty]

I thought Jacob and the rest of the case were absolutely wonderful at his final show on Sunday. But I have to comment about some of the embarrassingly terrible technical and directorial aspects of the show that reared their ugly heads. Before I start my rant, I double-checked the forum rules, and I saw nothing about criticizing the technical, directional, production, and managerial members of the show--and I'm not naming any people in particular, just their departments, etc. So even though my review is a bit harsh, it seems to fit the site's rules. And calling these departments out on their failings may actually help further the spirit and goal of the forum, since many of these issues negatively impacted the cast, especially the young cast members.

So onto the blunders, as some have already touched on:

Tonight was a show which promised a lot and delivered in every way apart from the amateurs that were in charge of running the show this evening.

[...]

First of all there was no announcement that it was Jacob's last night. The excuse we heard was that Stephen Daldry is not in town. SO!!!!!!

In Angry Dance when Jacob pushes the bed back down before he descends he was out by about half a degree which meant that the bed did not drop back down. He was not aware of this so descended the stairs and carried on with the dance. A stagehand at the side stopped Jacob and they then closed the curtains. There was no announcement and no attempt to lower the bed and continue with AD. This was Jacob's last show for heaven's sake. Surely they could have started again or even after the bedroom had descended but to just finish it there was a disgrace.

It was disappointing for the people who have never seen AD, it was disappointing for the fans who had turned up for Jacob's last night but I'm sure it was more disappointing for Jacob and his family.

Billy Whiz, I think you're being far, far too kind by calling the people running Sunday's show "amateurs." I've seen high school theatre productions that were better run! There's absolutely no excuse for these kinds of mistakes/oversights/shortcuts on Broadway, especially on such an important night. Being in theatre myself, I'm well aware of the difficulties the tech crew, directorial staff, and production are facing, so I'm pretty lenient about things going wrong in shows, but even factoring in my forgivenesses, it was still wretchedly done, even for local or regional theatre, let alone Broadway. I remember an NYT story about Billy Camp and their training, and Finis Jhung said with regard to the boys' training and expectations, "Out there are people who are going to pay $136 to see you dance, so you can't mess up!" Based on Sunday's show, these standards apply to the cast, but not to those behind the scenes--especially those in charge.

First off, it's downright shameful that there was no announcement made prior to curtain about this being Jacob's last show. Obviously Stephen Daldry isn't the only person capable of making such an announcement, so what about someone like the resident director? It seems like a slap in the face that the resident director came on stage to fawn over Guiseppe and announce his debut, but can't do the same a few hours later for Jacob's last show. I also saw the show's highest level casting directors there Sunday night, which would have been more than appropriate for making an announcement. Or just an announcement over the PA informing people that it was Jacob's last show. I just found this all extremely offensive, and can't believe they would essentially snub someone who has served the show for so long.

Second, the audio was simply wretched at many points throughout the night. I don't think it was equipment problems, but rather, just a problem with the sound mixing. There were way too many microphone pops and crackles, which was annoying and hugely distracting, but since the cause wasn't obvious, I won't dwell on that too much...even though someone clearly dropped the ball with preshow mic inspection, sound testing, etc. What's even more unforgivable, however, is the miserable timing of the sound mixer in switching mics on/off. All throughout the night the sound mixer would turn on various actors' mics too late, so the first few words of their lines were delivered before the mic was live, which means no amplification, which means the audience doesn't hear, which is just unacceptable. Again, this is not an isolated incident (in fact, it's something I've noticed over the past 2 or so months at BETM, and has gotten progressively worse), and entirely unforgivable on Broadway.

Then there was the Angry Dance fiasco. Ugh. This was especially disappointing because Jacob aways rocks this number and makes it incredibly emotional, powerful, and moving. I noticed that, as Jacob came down the stairs from his room, the bed didn't get pushed down, but I assumed it wouldn't be a problem. But when Jacob tapped to the far side of the stage after kicking the cabinet, I saw that he was stopped by a stagehand, and shortly thereafter the music stopped and we were left with the strange, eerie sight of an empty but fully set and lit Angry Dance scene. Then about a minute later the curtain dropped and the lights came on, with no announcement explaining what happened or telling the audience that intermission would begin early. You simply have a technical problem and leave an act so clearly unfinished and unresolved, then expect the audience to know whether it's proper intermission or if the house lights would just be up for a few minutes to fix a problem, etc.

And it wasn't just one mishap, there were so many problems with how this was handled. Obviously I didn't know at the time whether the problem was solely with the bed being up or if there was a more serious hydraulic or computer problem, but regardless, an announcement is certainly in order. I've never seen a show where the final scene in an act was abruptly cut and the house lights turned on without an accompanying announcement. Many fans who had obviously seen the show before looked confused and weren't even sure if it was really intermission or what.

Anyway, according to a tech person I talked to afterwards, the only problem during Angry Dance was that the bed didn't fall down. No hydraulics problems, no computer problems, the bed wasn't jammed, etc. And yes, they knew all the lift systems were fine at the time, so that wasn't a concern. It's shocking to think that this little bed frame sticking up can bring a massive, high budget Broadway show to its knees. Wow. That's just embarrassing. And I utterly disagree with commenters who have said that the backstage people weren't sure what the problem was, or that they just made a poor decision on the fly, or that there's no contingency plan for this. There's no valid excuse for how they handled all these problems--after all, this is one of the most popular, well-known shows on Broadway, not an amateur production from Central Montana Amateur Theatre! I'm sorry, but there's simply no room for these types of poor decisions at this level of theatre.

I can sympathize with the crew/techs/stagehands, it's a stressful and demanding job, one I've worked, but this was an epic fail. And I mean a failure on the part of someone in direction or production; I'm not saying anything negative about lower level crew who simply had to follow the misguided orders they were given. I've spent plenty of time behind the curtain, and there's simply no excuse for what happened. As the tech told me after the show, there was no problem other than the bed being up, and they knew this at the time! All they had to do was send a stagehand up to push the bed down, not a big deal--I've seen them sweep the stage to clear the mattress or other debris from the hydraulics pit when Billy doesn't throw them far enough, and this should have been handled no differently. And no contingency plan?!? First off, I think it's impossible they don't have a plan for this since it can so easily happen during any show, and you just don't let a potential recurring problem have an outcome that makes you stop the show. But maybe they didn't plan for it--after all, the fact that the set was designed this way shows so less-than-stellar planning. I'm shocked that the bed isn't on remotely controlled powered hinges that can bring it down if Billy's push isn't enough. It would have been cheap (they probably could have put it in for not too terribly much more than fogging effect used for Dad's burn egg...and it would be a slightly better investment, I think) and prevented many headaches and worries.

So plan or no plan, here's the basic universal theatre contingency plan: Fix what needs fixing so the show can go on. There's no excuse for making a poor decision on the fly--you do whatever you need to to ensure the show continues, so long as there's no risk of injury or damage, which there clearly wasn't. They knew the hydraulics were fine, so all they had to do was send a stagehand up the stairs to push it down. The cast and orchestra are clearly professionals and could have handled it: in the <1 minute it would take to send a stagehand up, they could have Billy tap in place on the edge of the stage where he was standing and the orchestra could just loop a few measures. If the stagehand finds that the bed is stuck, then close the act, and if not, continue the scene like nothing happened. Or, you can do what they did on Sunday: just give up and abruptly end the act with no announcement. Speaking of which, yes, it is absolutely standard practice to make a brief announcement telling patrons that due to tech problems, intermission will be beginning now, blah blah blah. The audience was clearly confused and it was painfully obvious that the scene and act didn't end as they should have.

Moving on to the second act--which to me seemed kind of out-of-place due to the unresolved ending and Act I. I haven't seen the show in a month or so, so I'm not sure when he change was made, but the scene with Posh Dad was utterly painful to watch. Apparently the Posh Dad scene is controversial on this board, but I LOVED it just the way it was. Maybe jokes referencing British class differences don't go over so well with American audiences, but the changes I saw on Sunday did nothing to address this, and just resulted in an awkward, unfunny scene. I really hope they don't keep this new version. Also, maybe I'm crazy, but I seemed to notice a lot of small changes to some scenes/dialoge compared to how I remember them 1-2 months. Not major changes, but subtle things, like cutting out a few words or lines or trimming scenes slightly. Does anyone know anything about this? Oh, and was any of the Finale choreography different? It seemed to be, but maybe it was just because of the perspective I had from my seat.

Finally, and one of the worst problems with Sunday's show, was Jacob and Neil not being able to say goodbye using their real names instead of Michael and Billy. Several people here have said that the boys were "strongly told" not to use their real names at the end. A cast member I talked to after the show put it much more strongly, saying the boys were "forbidden" to use their real names and if they did, would be disciplined for failing to follow direction, etc. I think that's all absolutely disgusting, and I adore the "tradition" of Billy and Michael saying their goodbyes using their real names at a final performance. It seems like nothing more than cruelty to not allow the boys to have this special goodbye. How can that possibly cause a problem? The only thing I can think of is that they're worried it might confuse the audience. Okay? Too freakin' bad! First off, maybe if they *announced* the boy's final performance before the show, there would be less confusion. And maybe if people actually **read** their Playbills and inserts instead of throwing them on the ground or if they **looked** at the cast board, there would be a little less confusion. My opinion: if you don't care enough to look at your Playbill, cast change insert, or the cast board, then 1) you're probably not paying attention enough to even notice that real names don't match the characters', and 2) you *should* be confused, then maybe you'll read your Playbill!

It seems like over the past few months there have been some unappealing changes to the way things are run, etc. Have there been any kind of policy or upper management/direction/creative personnel changes that might coincide?

Anyway, so wrap things up, Jacob and the entire cast were absolutely delightful on Sunday...the folks behind the scenes, not so much. Speaking of the cast, seeing David Larsen as Tony was a wonderful treat! I love Will Chase's Tony, but David Larsen's portrayal was a completely different interpretation of the character--the complete opposite of Will's explosive, red-hot-tempered Tony, and it worked perfectly. Too bad he's not replacing Will when he leaves...

[tyty]

Hmm, I don't want that rant to come across as me saying the things that went wrong made Jacob's performance look bad.

Just to re-emphasize: although the direction/production-related aspects were terrible, they didn't even come close to overshadowing Jacob's phenomenal performance at his last show--I don't think anything could, no matter what went wrong. He was absolutely brilliant, and I'm always blown away by his acting and singing skills, especially. It's a shame he's leaving, and the show is definitely losing a wonderful talent.

-Ty

[ERinVA]

Thanks for your reviews, everyone.

At this point I am going to make a request: Please observe our rules about what's okay to say or not okay to say (especially about the kids) in reviews. If you need to refresh yourself on the rules before you post, please click on the link at the top of any page. I realize that some people do not see the point in some of the guidelines, but as long as they exist in their current form, they will be applied according to our best judgment, and posts will be moderated accordingly.

Thanks,
Ellen

[Todd]

First off, it's downright shameful that there was no announcement made prior to curtain about this being Jacob's last show. Obviously Stephen Daldry isn't the only person capable of making such an announcement, so what about someone like the resident director? It seems like a slap in the face that the resident director came on stage to fawn over Guiseppe and announce his debut, but can't do the same a few hours later for Jacob's last show.

This makes me wonder if it's up to the family whether an announcement is made or not . . .since some Billys receive a pre-show announcement, and others don't. I think this has been discussed before on the Forum but I can't remember what the verdict was, or if anyone really knows for sure.

the scene with Posh Dad was utterly painful to watch. Apparently the Posh Dad scene is controversial on this board, but I LOVED it just the way it was. Maybe jokes referencing British class differences don't go over so well with American audiences, but the changes I saw on Sunday did nothing to address this, and just resulted in an awkward, unfunny scene.

Agreed. I wish they'd go back to the way they used to do it too. The whole point of the exchange between the posh dad and Jackie is to contrast their backgrounds . . . showing how the Elliots are "fish out of water" in the posh environment of the Royal Ballet School. Now it seems like they're trying to milk extra laughs by having the posh dad make silly faces and to play it more over the top. Surprisingly, it does seem to get quite a few laughs from the audience, so maybe we Forum fans are in the minority on this one.

David Larsen as Tony was a wonderful treat! I love Will Chase's Tony, but David Larsen's portrayal was a completely different interpretation of the character--the complete opposite of Will's explosive, red-hot-tempered Tony, and it worked perfectly. Too bad he's not replacing Will when he leaves...

I also liked David Larsen's less explosive version of Tony, and thought he did a very good job. However, Patrick Mulvey - who I saw as Tony in the Chicago show and who will be replacing Will Chase on Broadway - is excellent as well, and I look forward to getting to see him again in the role next time I'm in New York.

[ERinVA]

I couldn't agree more about the current characteriztion of Posh Dad (and also Clipboard Lady) in the NY production. Both are much less caricaturish in the Toronto production, as is Dad's reaction to the Scottish ballet dancer, which is too hammy in the Broadway production as far as I'm concerned. I wish they would all travel to Toronto and watch how the scene is played there. They could learn a thing or two from it.

[angelenroute]

Anyway, according to a tech person I talked to afterwards, the only problem during Angry Dance was that the bed didn't fall down. No hydraulics problems, no computer problems, the bed wasn't jammed, etc. And yes, they knew all the lift systems were fine at the time, so that wasn't a concern. It's shocking to think that this little bed frame sticking up can bring a massive, high budget Broadway show to its knees. Wow. That's just embarrassing. And I utterly disagree with commenters who have said that the backstage people weren't sure what the problem was, or that they just made a poor decision on the fly

Replying to the above because you're sounding off against those of us who tried to explain away the problem (none of us defended the problem). We did not speak to any stagehand nor did we claim to have done so with any gravity of knowing the situation well. You did. That's great. You're completely right that they should have fixed it. But please be gentler when calling out your fellow Forum members. =)

I haven't seen the show in a month or so, so I'm not sure when he change was made, but the scene with Posh Dad was utterly painful to watch. Apparently the Posh Dad scene is controversial on this board, but I LOVED it just the way it was. Maybe jokes referencing British class differences don't go over so well with American audiences, but the changes I saw on Sunday did nothing to address this, and just resulted in an awkward, unfunny scene. I really hope they don't keep this new version. Also, maybe I'm crazy, but I seemed to notice a lot of small changes to some scenes/dialoge compared to how I remember them 1-2 months. Not major changes, but subtle things, like cutting out a few words or lines or trimming scenes slightly. Does anyone know anything about this?

The scene with Posh Dad has changed again since I saw the show a few weeks ago. I referenced here on the Forum some of the changes I would like to see (removing all the crazy smiles from Posh Dad that went on forever and adding back the slow pronunciation of "It's our first time like you know" said in the Northern English accent) and to my delight, they made the changes. It works. Almost everyone laughed throughout. I'm sorry that you and others didn't like it, I am, but it was not in my opinion an "awkward, unfunny scene". Like I said, most of the audience laughed at most of the gags in that bit. ***One note though, your quoted lines above seem mixed, good and bad at same time, so maybe we agree, hard to tell haha.

Sean

[ERinVA]

It's true that I haven't seen the NY show since early March, so my comment above may be irrelevant by now, but what I did see at that time was shameless "mugging" by both Posh Dad and Clipboard Lady to the point of being caricaturish. I hope that the changes to which you are referring have toned this down because even though it drew laughter, I would say that the scene I saw was not worthy of the rest of the show.