Washington, D.C. Reviews

[angelenroute]

Looking forward to reading reviews from D.C. and posting one of my own!

Sean

[maria]

December 13 - opening night (preview night?) at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC

Billy - Ty Forhan
Michael - Jacob Zelonky
Tall Boy - Lex Ishimoto

How very odd to be seeing Billy after a day at work - I am used to traveling to see Billy and am often on vacation or at a weekend getaway, so it was a treat to see BE so close to home, though getting to the Kennedy Center feels like a major journey! Anyway, on to the interesting stuff!

Having just seen the show in London last month, I was excited to see it again. Overall, fabulous show, and the entire cast is top notch. I agree with many of the previous reviews that this cast is in top form. My first time seeing Ty and he was also great - beautiful dancing (of course) and I very much enjoyed his take on Billy. He was great at expressing emotions. Loved his singing too. I think Sean mentioned somewhere how there is now a harmony at the end of Deep into the Ground with Dad - love it! One Billy did something similar in London and I thought it was done just to accomodate his voice, but apparently not... A nice little addition.

Seeing the cast move the set around was a bit distracting at first, but this was no doubt due to the fact that I have seen it so many times without! After a while, I was just interested in how they did things, and they did a good job of making it look as natural as possible. Often Mr. B. was moving things out of the way, part of his duties of assisting with the ballet class, no doubt!

I enjoyed all the cast, with Ms. W. (Leah Hocking) and Grandma (Cynthia Darlow) being particular standouts. Tony (Cullen Titmas) will take some getting used to, I think... I will revisit him after I have a few more shows under my belt this coming weekend. He comes on rather strong, and I imagine some of my London friends finding him a bit over the top (Michael Peavoy during his first week, only more so!).

There were a couple of hitches during Dream Ballet - the first when the music just disappeared all of a sudden. Ty and Maximillien Baud just kept right on dancing - they were dancing to the music in their heads, and kept beautifully in sync. Luckily when the music was restored (without stopping the show), it was at the correct point in time so they kept right on going. The second hitch was at the end of Dream Ballet just as Billy was being lowered down - he almost made it to the ground, but stopped lowering with about two feet to go - he just hung there, with Older Billy holding on to him, but obviously unable to unhook him. The music kept playing, so the curtain went down quickly and we got a "technical difficulties" announcement. The show resumed quickly, with Billy safely back on the ground, unhooked, and he and Older Billy were facing the same direction with Older Billy's hand on Billy's shoulder. There was much applause and then they continued as if nothing had happened. It did take away a bit from the dramatic moment when Billy ends his dance in front of his dad, but I thought everyone had handled the glitch well with a minimum of disruption. Kudos to all - live theater excitement.

Ty is another mega talented Billy - since this was my first time seeing him, I am still learning about his take on the character. He was wonderfully emotional during both letter scenes and I found myself getting choked up. Express was great fun with him and Jacob. I last saw Jacob back in Durham at the very beginning of the tour - except for shorter hair now, he is as delightful as ever - and seems very comfortable in the role. The dancing dresses were OK, but a bit disappointing after London/BW and the earlier tour versions. Solidarity was fantastic - there are fewer ballet girls and ensemble, but it all works and is as powerful as ever. Ty left the audience breathless at the end of Angry Dance. It seems to me that there is more solo time for Billy in this tour version of AD, but I may be mistaken. Eventually the mayem happens, and as I have said before, takes the dance away from Billy for a while. But Ty grabs it back with an amazing ending.

Electricity started off with a handless flip (sorry, I don't know the technical terms for these) and you could feel the audience gasp. The rest was pure, flawless, beautiful ballet with some flips here and there. There was a long applause at the end.

The finale was wonderful and lively and engaging, and Ty looked like he was loving every minute of it. I think this version is shorter than the London version... I am sure others can confirm or correct...

So, what about the Kennedy Center. My biggest disappointment is that the stage seems so far away - We were in row E which is the first row, but there is this HUGE orchestra pit that gets in the way (they must have done away with rows A-D to accomodate the orchestra pit, which looked very empty). They have made a small path through it on the left side to allow small boy to get to the stage at the begining and for Billy to leave at the end, but other than that, all entrances and exits happened on the stage itself. I especially felt far from the stage during Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher were the cast tries to engage the audience. Perhaps not the best venue for BE... Which brings me to the audience. They were a quiet bunch to be sure. The elderly gentleman sitting next to me was confused by the story some - could not keep it all straight and was a bit shocked by the (toned down, mind you!) language. So, I think this is something important for us regulars to keep in mind, as others have said before. First timers seeing the show sometimes have trouble with it. Unfortunately, my neighbor chose to leave before the finale, but he did whisper to me that it was a great show afterall. With great trepidation, I am taking my parents on Sunday. I think they are intrigued because I have seen the show so many times... But they may have problems with it as first timers... We shall see...

More to follow as I return to the Kennedy Center this weekend!
maria

PS It's hard not to go every night! I want to support EVERY show, and knowing it is so nearby makes me want to go... But I do have a life outside BE, well sort of...

[angelenroute]

getting to the Kennedy Center feels like a major journey!

I'll plan to leave Long Island very early this Saturday morning so that I make sure I'm not worried about timing.

Ty is another mega talented Billy ... Electricity started off with a handless flip (sorry, I don't know the technical terms for these) and you could feel the audience gasp. The rest was pure, flawless, beautiful ballet with some flips here and there. There was a long applause at the end.

He sounds awesome! Really hope I get to see him!

So, what about the Kennedy Center. My biggest disappointment is that the stage seems so far away - We were in row E which is the first row, but there is this HUGE orchestra pit that gets in the way ... I especially felt far from the stage during Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher were the cast tries to engage the audience. Perhaps not the best venue for BE.

Ugh. Although that means my Row J seat is the sixth row, so I'll try to think positively haha.

With great trepidation, I am taking my parents on Sunday. I think they are intrigued because I have seen the show so many times... But they may have problems with it as first timers... We shall see...

I was a bit worried about my sister seeing the show, not because of the cursing but because of the smoke (she can be a hypochondriac at times) and accents (doesn't have a tuned ear and Emily Skinner's "accent" didn't help!). I prepped her though with ultimately great success and I'm sure you'll find a gentle way of doing the same regarding the cursing. I found the smacks that George gives Billy and Tall Boy get more grimaces lately than the cursing.

Great review!!! Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, Maria!!!!!!!!!

Sean

[rickyfc]

Really enjoyed reading your review, Maria.

[porschesrule]

Wonderful review, Maria. Enjoyed reading it very much. Thanks for keeping us updated on the show in your "backyard".

[ERinVA]

Excellent review, maria. I hope your parents enjoy the show this weekend.

[porschesrule]

Here's an excellent review from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... story.html

[Todd]

I found the smacks that George gives Billy and Tall Boy get more grimaces lately than the cursing.

I remember reading on here recently that the tall boy lost his line of "Please sir, may I have a word ?" in the tour production, and now was just walking off stage instead. Is this still the case, or have they restored his line ?

[BEtourfan]

Here's an excellent review from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... story.html

"The balance achieved by this touring cast, performing in the shabby environment conjured by Ian MacNeil’s portable set pieces and Nicky Gillibrand’s down-market costumes, stamps its work as a finer filter of the show than even the solid Broadway incarnation."

Thanks, porschesrule ... one of the best reviews I've read.

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's an excellent review from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... story.html

This is a great review! The writer really gets it.

...Maximilien A. Baud, who is the embodiment of older Billy and the young boy’s guardian angel.

I don't think I have heard the term guardian angel used before. It actually makes sense, another way of looking at things.