Billy Elliot the Forum

Oh Liam what a great experience for you and your grandmother. I am happy for you having family members enjoying the show with you. Thanks for sharing that with us. I also loved your take on Mitchell, and his very unique and special portrayal of Billly and the unique experience of watching him. I have tried a few times to convey this in my reviews of Mitchell yet never quite got it as well as you Thanks.

Joe

Thanks for the excellent reviews, Liam. I'm so glad you got to take your grandmother to the show. What a lovely experience.

Bless you Liam for taking your grandma to see the show! Sounds like it was truly a memorable experience for all of you!!

Thanks for the great review of Mitchell too - he is a tiny ball of fire who dances, sings and acts with such a big heart!

LiamM wrote: I noticed a few minor changes to some scenes. One in particular: When Tony gets the crowbar, the two other miners exit before Dad enters, so their confrontation is between just the two of them. This means that Tony is no longer putting on a show in front of his friends. I think this is an improvement. Also, when Posh Dad walks over towards Dad, he walked normally instead of doing his silly prancing.

I kind of like the idea of changing the confrontation scene back to being just between Dad and Tony, as it focuses the attention back to them without the distraction of the other two miners being there. However, I'm sorry to hear that Posh Dad no longer prances over towards Dad. I always found this very funny, as - it seems - did many others in the audience. I normally don't like it when they make it too "over the top," but I always found this funny for some reason . . . . much like the prissy stage assistant in the London show audition scene who sighs and very dramatically takes Billy's cassette tape and walks it back and forth off stage.

These little humorous touches - along with lines like "Billy Elliot es-queer" and Michael's infatuation with wearing a tutu - indicate that the show's not too uptight or doesn't take itself too seriously when it comes to poking fun at various stereotypes . . . . just as it pokes fun at Jackie's working class, Geordie background or Mr. Braithwaite's "delusions of grandeur" when it comes to showing off his supposed knowledge of dance.