January 2012 Reviews - NYC

[dongringo]

Wow! Can't wait to hear more about it.

[CJ-Rochester]

CJ-Rochester tweets from the Imperial that Stephen Daldry and Lee Hall both spoke before Opening Curtain of today's final performance:
https://twitter.com/CJRochester

Another tweet later:
"The most amazing show ever! Standing O after almost every number."

And at the intermission:
"Act 1 had each Billy in different parts. Jack as Michael, Zachary as SB, peter as TB."

Thanks for passing those on to the forum porschesrule. It truly was the most amazing show. When Stephen and Lee walked on stage to make their intro speeches, the entire audience erupted in applause and stood for them. This was the first of countless standing ovations today.

Stephen explained that it was impossible to select just one Billy for the honor of performing the last show, so they decided on a montage of all four. Most of the transitions from one Billy to the next were done in front of the audience. A new Billy would emerge and take the place of the one who was already there. It was a beautiful seemless thing to watch.

This is the order of appearances that I noted where each of the Billys and Tall Boys came in:

-opening: Tade (Peter as TB),
-shadow dance: Julian,
-"Oi Baryshnikov": Joseph,
-Solidarity: Joseph, but all 4 boys came on for the final pirouettes,
-transition to Express: Tade,
-Letter: Joseph,
-Born to Boogie: Joseph, but Julian took over for the piano flip,
-bathroom scene with Debbie: Julian and Peter were both offered a look at the 'hoo hoo',
-Angry Dance: Peter.

-Maggie Thatcher: Joseph (Tade as TB),
-Dream Ballet: Joseph did the first chair spin, then Julian took over,
-"take this and this" - Julian,
-transition to Royal Ballet - Peter (Joseph as posh boy),
-Electricity - Peter,
-soup kitchen - Julian,
-"post!" - Joseph,
-goodbye to Mrs. W. - Tade,
-Once We Were Kings and Letter Reprise - Peter.

At the end Peter walked up the aisle with the suitcase. When Cameron called out "Oi dancin' boy!", all four Billys emerged together running back down the aisle. Each kissed Cameron on the cheek. The applause was deafening! Then all four walked back to the aisle. Peter called out "Cya Cameron". Cameron called "Cya Peter. Cya Tade. Cya Julian. Cya Joseph."

It was fantastic to see how they divided up the show among the four Billys. Each had at least one major dance number, and each had some scene work. In most cases it worked out the way I had hoped, in terms of who was assigned the major numbers.

They continued switching off in the finale / company celebration. Joseph began it, but at various times there were one, three, or all four Billys dancing. When the curtain came back up eight former Billys joined the four current ones in a very fast montage, similar to what was done for the third anniversary show. I can't describe what I saw as I was so overwhelmed by everything happening on stage. I will leave that to some of the other forum members.

I will write more about all of the shows from the weekend after I get home tomorrow. What a weekend!!!

[dongringo]

Wow! Thanks CJ! I'm speechless. I am without speech.

[BillyElliotLover]

Oh my gosh. the whole time reading that description, I was smiling so big
The show seems like it was magical... it just seems so perfect.
I love that they set it up that way! I hope there are many videos and pictures from that night

[johnnyc]

Just to add a bit about the finale, as the former Billys ran onto the stage, Tommy Batchelor ran up a vertical column and did a back flip off it, as David A. did a forward flip on the stage behind him. Some other gymnastics were going on, but it was hard to follow what everyone was doing.

The most memorable moment was when the three original Broadway Billys stood facing the lighted BILLY sign together, then turned and each bowed in turn to the audience.

And one of the funniest moments was when two Billys stood facing Debbie when she said the hoo-hoo line. They turned toward each other with expressions like, so do we take her up on it, or what?

And yes, Debbie ran up to Billy and hugged him when Mrs Wilkenson told the class to take a toilet break during the final scene between Billy and his teacher.

[BillyElliotLover]

WOW
I absolutely love these descriptions!!!
every time I read them, they just make me smile.... they are so good

[atreyu]

Having now been on the train for a few hours (i.e. time to gather my thoughts from the spectacular close of BETM Broadway), here is my attempt at a chronology. I encourage all who were there to correct any mistakes and augment the information since this is strictly from memory and not 100% reliable.

Prologue
Astute observers at the stage door before the show count 12 Billys (4 current and 8 former) that enter, along with Ben Cook, Michael Bologna and Keean. Inside Neil McCaffery, Greg Jbara and Carole Shelley are spotted.

First item of note is Stephen Daldry AND Lee Hall taking the stage and immediately greeted by standing ovation. SD attempts to wave it off, but the crowd will not be denied and Stephen then accepts the adulation.

Lee Hall expresses amazement at the concept of a person from Northern England, wanting to escape the coal mining industry, writing a story about a boy who wants to be a ballet dancer in order to escape the coal mining industry actually having success with a musical on the topic even in the US on Broadway. This was such a strange idea . . . and yet here he is, having lived that out.

Stephen Daldry issues two Thank Yous. One to the NY audience. Second to the parents of all the kids that participated in the show over the years, for allowing them to live the Broadway dream and make the show a success.

Next Stephen explains that it was "a very tough decision" as to who would be Billy for the final show and so "we determined not to make one." All four current Billys would rotate, not necessarily scene by scene, but section by section. Both Michaels would rotate, the two small boys would alternate and Tall Boys would rotate throughout.

Stephen alluded to the other Billys present at the show and that they would join afterwards. In the course of listing the 4 current Billys, 3 originals and 5 past Billys, Stephen did well to rattle off 11 names, but got stuck on 12, Tommy, taking a full 5 seconds to remember. Tommy, seated in Row G, had a good long laugh at that.

To simplify a bit, we'll establish at the outset that Jack played Michael and Zach was Small Boy for Act 1. Cameron was Michael and Alex was Small Boy for Act 2. Rest of the focus will be on the changing Billys and Tall boys.

[atreyu]

Act 1
Tade is first up as Billy with Peter as Tall boy for The Stars Look Down, continuing through Shine. At the end of this number, there was a long standing ovation and that brought extra smiles to the faces of several ballet girls.

After Debbie's "You look like a dickhead to me" line, Tade is then joined by Julian and both of them do shadow dancing. Tade then exits stage left to leave Julian with Grandma for "We'd Go Dancing".

After Julian escorts Grandma off stage, he continues on into the ballet class until Mrs. W calls for Baryshnikov where Joseph takes over. Joseph works his way through most of Solidarity and then when for the climax of the song as Billy goes to do the pirouettes, all four Billys take the stage and do them together. What a scene! Long standing ovation here.

Dad bursts onto the stage, looks all around and sees four Billys. This produces the query, What the fooking hell is going on?? [Fabulously well played there, Daniel Jenkins] Peter and Tade run off quickly, but then Julian and Joseph do a round of Rock-Paper-Scissors. I think Joseph acted like he lost and thus stayed on (someone please correct or confirm).

So Joseph gets to bear Dad's anger and tell Dad off, then continue on to the scene with Mrs W in the bathroom. Upon Joseph pushing the bathroom stalls off, though, Tade joins and calls Michael.

Tade and Jack do a well-matched Expressing Yourself, another standing ovation.

Next scene with Tony and Dad is joined initially by Tade, but Joseph appears moments later and is the Billy to observe events behind the stove. Tade stays on the side of the stage until walking off in front of Dad.

Joseph does an emotional Letter scene as well as most of Born to Boogie. [Can't help interjecting here that Joseph nailed the jump rope - Bravo! - which was really great to see since he had had trouble the night before]. The climax of B2B, we have another Billy switch where Joseph goes behind the piano, but it is Julian who climbs on top of it and does a Billy flip.

Julian continues the interaction with Debbie, but when he emerges from the stall, he is joined by Peter. Both receive her offer and react. Julian does a nice bug-eye effect, then turns and nudges Peter with his elbow for him to say, Naww, that's okay. Very funny.

Peter then takes it from there through a very energetic Angry Dance to close out Act 1.

[atreyu]

Act 2
Joseph is Billy and Tade is Tall Boy.

Julian takes over for Dream Ballet, the last Billy to fly on Broadway. Standing ovation.

Julian stays on through He Could Go and He Could Shine and gets Dad to agree to utilizing the scab money.

When Billy and Dad arrive at the RBS, though, it is Peter there and Dad does a double-take upon "discovering" the switch. Joseph, as Posh Boy, bears the brunt of Billy's anger.

Peter performs Electricity, closing with another long standing ovation.

Memory is fuzzy here. I think it was Julian at the soup kitchen.

Post is opened by Joseph.

Tade says goodbye to Mrs. W. Debbie manages a quick hug of Billy on the way out.

Once We Were Kings, Peter takes over packing the suitcase. Joseph is Tall Boy.

A very emotional Letter Reprise scene with Peter. I think we can all admire how Peter still managed to finish singing the song amongst the emotion. Dead Mum actually does come over to Billy, but no hug, just a couple loving caresses to his face.
As Billy is walking down the aisle, Cameron calls Oi, Dancing Boy and all four Billys come back to the stage and give Michael a kiss in turn.

Perhaps Peter said Goodbye Cameron at this point, but it was drowned out by the applause. Cameron responds, Goodbye Peter, Goodbye Julian, Goodbye Tade, Goodbye Joseph.

Joseph leads off Finale and the three others join and rotate as the piece moves along.
Curtain closes and reopens to the 4 current Billys sharing the stage (without the Billy sign at this point). They are then joined by the
8 past Billys, jumping and twirling their way on.

Curtain closes and opens one more time with the Billy sign and the original 3 Billys. They are joined by the four current Billys and then the remaining 5. The twelve of them acknowledge the applause, recognize Shawn Gough and bring the rest of the cast on. Finally the two Small Boys join, one with a "Good Bye" T-shirt, the other in a "New York" shirt.

[ERinVA]

I thought the Rock-Paper-Scissors transition was one of the funniest and cleverest transitions in the show with Dad completely in shock at seeing four younger sons when he should have only one. We got "What the F**K's going on here?" (yes, the f-word got restored ), at which Peter and Julian ran off into the wings on either side of the stage, leaving the two blond Billys to battle each other for the right to finish the scene . Joseph won the privilege of finishing the scene and calling Dad a b*stard for the final time.