May 2009 - UK Reviews

[sfo]

Two outstanding shows Yesterday, reviews will follow in a few days

[jen]

May 30th Evening performance

It was nice to meet up with some members of the forum beforehand have a nice meal and chat and find out about the afternoon performance. There was a real Buzz in the air I felt that there was more atmosphere than on May 12th but then I was in the stalls today. Theatre was pretty full considering cup final had taken place in the afternoon and then there was a certain talent show on TV in the evening. Now the whole Billy experience could be called Britain has got genuine talent. This time over 3 hours no problems about whether children should perform here.

This was my first viewing of Tom and I enjoyed his performance. But then I haven’t actually seen a poor Billy but they wouldn’t get that far. Naturally I have preferred some Billy’s to others but that is a matter for personal opinion and not to be posted here. The ballet girls seemed to be on a real high and quite excited and were determined to get the best out of which for for a lot of them was their last performance. There were great roars of approval as both Scarlett and Lewis came on. They both put in great last performances and were determined to enjoy them. I loved Scarlett’s toilet scene. Poor old Tom I felt looked quite horrified at the prospect!

A very tearful letter scene don’t know if it was just good acting or genuine however he very quickly smiled at the end and said “she was just me Mam.” He was very acrobatic and a very smiley Billy. I loved some of his expressions and rolling of eyes etc.

The whole cast seemed to be working at a great level determined to make the most of the last show for a lot of the children. I am warming to Joe Caffrey as Dad, it seems funny that only 4 years ago he was playing Tony and now he is Dad mind you age wise he is more Dad than Tony even when the show opened. Anne is a great as ever she really relishes being on the stage and working with the young people.

I enjoyed all the set pieces I am sure some are a bit different especially the angry dance but can’t be sure. Tom is so tiny that he really flew in the Swan Lake scene.

All too quickly the show came to an end. There were a few tearful ballet girls at the very end however they still carried on like true professionals.

The only thing that didn’t work out in the evening was no Victoria line then delays on the circle line it took me an hour from the theatre to my main line station it would have been quicker by bus had I known. Still at least it wasn’t a cold evening and I wasn’t forced to wait in a place that I didn’t know for buses that weren’t running on a cold evening, which is what happened on the last cast change over evening.

[BILLYFAN]

Sat 30th May mat.
Billy Ollie
Michael George
Debbie Megan

Intoduced to 4 forum members;- billywhiz, johnnyc + pluss2 others i've forgotten names of--sorry, I'm not very good at remembering names!.
Nick Evans , came on stage to announce Megans final show, and gave a very nice speech
A very good show from ollie who is a new Billy
Stars look down/Shine/Grandmas song/Solidarity all were good and I heard several handkies got out dueing the letter scene, angry dance was very angry
I much preferr the ballet version of Electricity, but Ollies' was very good, he very nearly slipped half way through, but I think only those that were sitting at the front would have noticed.

my next time to see billy is Sat !st aug, mat,seat B19, unless I surcome to temptation and get a ticket before then!!



Q. Is Tanner finished in Britain play Billy? and is he in the american Billy?


GEORGEORJAMES (1) LIAM (3) LEON (1) TRAVIS (1) LAYTON (2) COREY (2) OLIVER (1) JOSH (1) HOGAN (2) TANNER (2) BRAD (1) TOM (1) OLLIE (1)

[ERinVA]

Thanks for your review of the Saturday matinee, BILLYFAN. I have been waiting for someone to post one.

Supposedly Tanner will return to London before long, but nothing specific has been said. If your second question is whether he is in the American show at the moment, the answer to that is yes. He has been performing as Billy on Broadway for a while now.

[Duffman]

Saturday Matinee: 30th May

Ollie, George, & Megan

My second time seeing BEtM, once again the show was amazing (is it ever not?!), Ollie was great, can’t believe he’s new to the role, you’d think he’d done a gazillion performances based on his confidence and rapport with the rest of the cast, there were a few stumbles on landings during electricity (inc. after the wall flip) but Ollie took them in his stride and it was barely noticeable. I thought Megan played her Debbie a bit more subdued and less boisterous than Scarlet did, but she was very good and it was nice to see another take on the character, she will undoubtedly be missed.

This time I was up in the Grand Circle (D15), I wasn’t able to get to London in the morning to queue for day tickets so booked ahead to be sure of a seat, it was pretty much full house right but only about half full house left. Seeing the show from the GC was a totally different experience than my first time (Where I was spoiled with Stalls B14 ), so this review focuses more on what the show was like from on high.

First up, legroom. I was forewarned that the legroom was tight in the GC and it really is! I’m only 6’0’’ (though my legs are disproportionately long), but it really was rather uncomfortable, if I were at an average show I probably would have left at the interval, but for BEtM I persevered (and apologized profusely to the guy in front when I kneed him in the back a couple of times), just a warning to everyone else.

Looking beyond the legroom issue, the view from the GC is certainly unique. I noticed things that I was unable to see very well the first time, such as anything that happened at the top of the bed (Which has the coolest design ever, when you see it all in motion from above you really appreciate the intricacy of the set design, totally awesome!) I also noticed that the giant Maggie Thatcher has ‘HATE’ written on her knuckles, which was a nice touch . Being able to see the entirety of the stage at once you really get a better feel for the choreography involving the majority of the ensemble, a chance to see the bigger picture if you will. This was especially true during ‘Solidarity’, the ensemble pirouette was great.

Watching the Swan Lake sequence from up high is truly breathtaking, I really think this is the best way to see it and recommend everyone do it at least once. The way the smoke moves around the dancers as they cut their way through it is absolutely beautiful. Words can’t really describe it but the sequence was on a whole new level as far as I’m concerned. Truly amazing!

Sometimes the sound was a bit dodgy, couldn’t really hear much over the music during ‘Expressing Yourself’, but audio hiccoughs are kind of a given when sitting so far from the stage. Overall it was a great show and was nice to see it from a different viewpoint. I’d recommend everyone see the show from up here at least once, the beauty of Swan Lake from the GC really has to be seen to be believed. Next time though I’ll be aiming to sit in the stalls, if only for the sake of my legs.

[BILLYFAN]

Thank you for the information about Tanner

[ERinVA]

You're welcome. I hope to see Tanner at least once more on Broadway this week before he heads back to London, whenever that is. I'm sure he will be gone from there by the next time I make it to NYC in November.

[jacob]

Sat May 30th eve
Tom
Lewis
Scarlet

Some further thoughts on Saturday night now that I have (almost) returned to earth. I was particularly struck by the emotional intensity of the evening. Last Nights are always emotional but on this occasion it seemed to me that there was an electric atmosphere from the very start.

Nick Evans delivered his speech in front of the curtain with consumate ease (and no notes). Not only was this team of Ballet Girls leaving but another of the teams had also left earlier in the week. The audience included all the other Billys and Michaels and also many of the ex ballet Girls. My goodness can the Ballet Girls make a noise when they are in the audience About six were sitting almost next to me and their cheers and whoops were deafening. It seems to be a tradition now that cast members compete with each other to see who can cheer the loudest when they are in the audience.

Lewis received a big cheer when he rode on to the stage as did Scarlet when she came on. Both had been the Show for a long time and were, I believe, immensely popular with the whole cast. Nick described Scarlet as 'cheeky but in a nice way' and that seemed an apt description of her performance on Saturday. My goodness hasn't Lewis grown since he joined the cast. He certainly looked to be a lot older than Billy on Saturday. Last Nights are also emotional occasions for the older cast members and they all seemed to lift their performances to a higher level. It was Nicholas Hockaday's last night as well and I have written about him on his own thread. To me, the Tall Boys are often over-looked in a way that the Small Boys are not. Nick has also grown a lot since he joined the Show and his acting has also come on in leaps and bounds. I have especially noted his excellent sense of timing. I shall miss him.

In many ways the whole cast are an ensemble. When one of them is finding things difficult everyone comes together to support him or her. So also on a last night the ensemble positively fly. Others have written detailed reviews of the night and I will not seek to repeat comments that have already been made. Except that Trevor Fox's loss of lines at the start of Act 2 was astonishing. Given that the pantomime scene is a sort of cameo I guess that his remarks to the audience were in context (been 4 years in the part and have forgotten my line). I trust that he had not 'been a little detained at The Rose and Crown'. Often when someone forgets a line they just improvise and the scene moves on regardless.

As the evening progressed I became increasingly moved. A lot of this was because of Tom. Not only does he experience great depths and heights of emotion himself, but he also projects these into the audience. We are gradually but inexorably drawn into his world of pain and happiness. As he laughs and cries, so do we. He is totally focussed from the moment he comes on stage and apart from an occasional smile to acknowledge show stopping cheers from the audience he remains firmly within the story. Having said that there is an occasional discrete wink. By the end of the Show, as Tom left Lewis for the last time I was pretty much in bits. This time each kept to their scripted line, which I think is a more powerful way of saying their last goodbye. If I had seen Tom after the performance I would have been speechless. Of course I didn't, as most of the young performers went straight into their party. To be there on Saturday evening was such a privilege.

I didn't wait outside afterwards whilst the karaoke gathered pace. No, I just went home in a daze and with the occasional tear.

Sorry this is late, but I had a rock concert to run.

[patc]

Jacob, you have described perfectly my own emotions from Saturday evening's show.

Tom's truly sensational and moving performance coupled with the departure of Lewis, Scarlet, the Ballet girls and Nicholas Hockaday just turned it into a tearful but magical evening that I will not forget.

Pat

[Dancer]

I know I'm a bit late but I still can't get Saturday's evening show out of my mind. It has to be one of my all time favourites, and that was one amazing performance by Tom. It was good to see Nick Hockaday and the departing ballet girls being given such a great send-off at the stage door. Nick, (unlike Arnie!), said he won't be back a third time!