Billy Elliot the Forum

In my post of 2014 options, I stated that forum members did not want the part of Billy to be played by an adult woman, like Mary Martin played Peter Pan. But I should not speak for the forum members. So this poll will ask your opinion, and will hopefully be seen by any future local presentations of Billy Elliot The Musical.

I cannot see the need for it to happen. In any event, the roles of Debbie and Michael would have to be altered significantly if Billy were anything other than a <>12 year old boy. I remember seeing Mary Martin play Peter Pan on NBC in 1960, and I remember knowing it was a woman playing the role. I was 8, and not easily fooled!

Could you ever envisage Annie played by a small, high-pitched-voice man, or a modern Mary Martin? Or Lord of the Flies acted by the Salisbury Cathedral girls' choir (Golding based it on the Cathedral choristers he taught) dressed as boys? The ruse would not work - the story would have to be adapted - in which case, I would not be interested, except as a curiosity - hence, I would dislike the idea, but perhaps attend once, just to see.

Forgive me, but I think this is a ridiculous idea. I would have no interest in seeing a grown woman play Billy. To me it would totally ruin the admiration and love I have for the show.
You all know about the "Billy Elliot Effect" of boys going ballet in the last few years. I feel like this would take several steps back. It's really saying "there aren't enough boys who can do ballet so we need a grown woman to do it". And since we have all seen the show, we know the incredible amount of talent there is out there. The boys they've found as Billys have been incredible.
Also, there is a very different way that men dance compared to women. In ballet, the men are supposed to be strong and masculine while also being graceful and beautiful. Even if you aren't familiar with ballet outside of BE, there is a big difference in how Billy dances compared to the girls. To me it would seem really odd to see a woman dancing as Billy. Especially in the Swan Lake scene.
So to me.... can it be done? yes.... can it be done well? probably.... should it be done? no

I'd agree it's a non-sequitur. Billy's story is so impressive and powerful because he is a young boy in a dance class filled with girls. You can have an older boy play the role easily with just some key changes, but having a girl play the role changes everything, and would never happen. Well, it should never happen. The company has been awesome with its diversity in casting, but that's a step too far.

Sean

P.S. Could a girl do what Billy does though? Of course!

Of course a girl could do it. Think about the girls who do the floor exercises on our Olympic team. Dress one of them as a twelve year old boy, and she could do the job without the extensive training or child labor laws. Any production of Billy Elliot The Musical would save money if it went this route.

But all our forum members seem to agree that it would ruin the spirit of this great show. If you have not voted in the poll yet, please do. The results will send a message to those who present BETM in the future.

I agree, it’s a ridiculous concept, the whole basis of the show is the liveliness and creativity of youth when they are unconstrained, allowing the potential to grow in ability and humanity. That would evaporate with the allure of an older female actor.
Taken to extreme (given our current prejudices); Consider if all the ballet girls were boys and, Billy a girl the whole thing would become comedy sketch. May be, in 10 years time, if views change as much as they have in the last 10 years.

Here is why I don't think the idea would work. "Peter Pan" is a fairy tale where there is a general suspension of disbelief. BETM is a realistic story that we can easily believe may have taken place. Peter flies around the stage and talks to a magic light. Billy is like many ordinary boys, except for his special talent and determination. Billy has to be played by a real boy.

You've hit the nail on the head, CJ-Rochester. The Billys don't even wear make-up. They are real kids playing a role which is real: Boys can and want to dance. If Billy's character was created through any sort of illusion, such as dressing up a woman, it would send the clear message that the story is a fairy tale and that boys cannot, in the real world, dance.

At intermission once, the person beside me started gushing about how good the Billy was. I said, "Well, his father is sitting right behind us" (I had been chatting with the father earlier). I introduced him and the person beside was even more amazed by the whole thing. Meeting the father made it all the more real that this is just a regular kid who can do amazing things.

The previous comments have been very perceptive. It's amazing that this forum, with members from all over the world, speaks with one voice. Please vote if you have not done it yet.

So everyone in this forum seems to agree. But somehow that seems to annoy me.