What I did not like about attending Billy Elliot The Musical

[ERinVA]

And, of course, there was no flying in Pennsylvania as I recall.

[madashell]

madashell,that really sounds terrible!when did it happen?

In Sao Paulo, I saw a ballet company group of kids,and also another group wearing a unique t-shirt,I believe it was from a regular school.
As I've only seen it once in London,I really can't make a nice comparison,but I had the feeling that there were more kids than here in Brazil.One reason I guess is because it wasn't actually a Brazilian production,and even with subtitles,it may be a little difficult for a younger audience to completely understand the show.I remember a little girl sitting behind me always asking her mom to explain to her the jokes.Of course she couldn't totally get the meaning of everything,but in the end she was really amazed.
Another reason is that The Lion King is still running over here,and even though there were lots of ads about how short BETM season would be,it is really hard to compete to Lion King which is in Portuguese.There are lots of people who I talked to that didn't even know
about the movie Billy Elliot,let alone the adapted musical.



Anyway,I agree that a younger audience really puts up a "good mood" in the place.It is always nice to see kids watching the show and becoming more confident about not giving up on their dreams.At least,this was really evident here in Brazil,as I hope it is too in London,Us,South Korea and Australia

I saw Billy Elliot in Philadelphia with no flying, no Finale, no large dresses and no young audience members. I was robbed, but I still enjoyed the overall experience.

[BEtourfan]

And, of course, there was no flying in Pennsylvania as I recall.

Quite true about early load out and lack of flying, and agree in general about the absence of children. But I did see a busload of children at a couple of shows in Philadelphia (believe they were from a performing arts school), and accompanied one child who absolutely loved the show.

[madashell]

And, by the way, I think that the decision to drop the Company Celebration in Philadelphia, Toronto and elsewhere was a disgrace. How much could they have saved for a 15 minute finale being eliminated. The audience paid tens of thousands to see the show, and some bean-counter robbed them(and me) of the total experience. If there was a next time, he or she could end the show after Billy's letter from the Royal Ballet and save even more. There seemed to be no respect for artistic integrity, only respect for the profits.

I guess that's why I picked "madashell" to represent me

[tomtorfan]

Pennsylvania does not allow minors to be involved in any kind of "high-wire" or similar entertainment act...so there were no flying sequences during the tour's Philadelphia or Pittsburgh stops.

Here's an excerpt from the relevant legislation:

Prohibited Occupations for all Minors in Entertainment

- An acrobatic act that is hazardous to the minor’s safety or well-being, including high-wire or trapeze acts, working with partners hand to hand or head to head, and bicycle or unicycle acts.

- Activities that have a high level of inherent danger including activities involving speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear or spectacular stunts.

[tzwicky]

The show producers should have suffered a slight typo from "minor" to "miner" and look how much they could have gotten away with????!

I mean, just one typo in a huge contract, permit thingie .... who's gonna notice?

Yes, we have several little ballet girls, and then we have big strapping lads who play Miner Billy, Miner Michael, Miner Tall Boy and Miner Small Boy. All consummate professionals with several years experience on the stage.

And there are the dozen or so "older" miners who wear police helmets and miner's helmets.

Typo? What typo?

(who'd notice. You are talking about municipal workers in Philadelphia, after all..........)

Joke. Just a joke. Please, don't send Paulie down to break my legs or anything.

tzwicky

[rob_hanson1979]

If I had to pick one thing that I don't like about attending Billy Elliot, it's when people laugh at moments I don't find funny.
The first I usually notice is when Michael kisses Billy's cheek. The other is when Billy is saying bye to Mrs Wilkinson and she says "You're very f***ing special."
To me, both are meant to be serious, deep moments in the characters developments, and my reaction has never been to laugh. Usually I get a lump in my throat. Maybe it's just me, but I've always found that laughing at those moments seems childish and immature.

[tzwicky]

Jon,

You are clearly one of the smart ones out there ...... or something.

Usually people just wonder out loud, "What's HE blabbing about?" when it comes to my posts (not like I have a complex about it).

And Rob is like a pea in the pod with me. We seem to see Billy the same way.

But I'll probably be saddled with someone in B-16 eating crisps for 3 hours show after show after show.

tzwicky

[ALLMIXEDUP]

I did not like all the empty seats at some shows. Does anyone know if they sold rush seats anywhere on the tour? Perhaps these empty seats could have been sold dirt-cheap to students, kids and their parents.

[LiamM]

Prohibited Occupations for all Minors in Entertainment
[...]bicycle or unicycle acts.

so did Micheal still ride his bike?

I mean, just one typo in a huge contract, permit thingie .... who's gonna notice?

I believe brown M&Ms were also prohibited.