Billy Elliot the Forum

kport wrote:I agree wholeheartedly: Tony Yazbeck is fantastic.

No mention of Alfie Boe? Was he not there?

It looks like he was in for a brief time as Barrie, but Yazbeck came back now in that role.

Finding Neverland flies away from Broadway today. I was fortunate to see it several months ago, and it is a fantastic musical that deserves to come to The West End in 2017. Billy Elliot fans there should take note. It will soon embark on a North American Tour. Happy Trails to all the cast, past and present, of this amazing show, and expecially Alex Drier, who was Small Boy in Broadway's BETM before rising through the ranks of the Lost Boys in this production of FN.


http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BW ... y-20160821

I was fortunate enough to attend the final performance yesterday afternoon. There was a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience there to give them the proper send-off they deserved. Not sure how ticket sales have been for this show in recent months, but if the crowds have been anything like the one yesterday, it makes you wonder why they're closing.

Unlike the final "Billy Elliot" shows, there were no surprise flourishes added. I saw a couple of the original cast of kids in attendance, but none of the original adult cast who had left (Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, etc.) came back for the closing. As with other closing performances, there were extra sad emotions knowing that the cast was performing together for the final time. It's a tear-inducing show to begin with, so the circumstances made it even more so. At the end, Laura Michelle Kelly gave a short speech thanking the cast and crew, as did the director, Diane Paulus.

I'm glad the show will live on as a U.S. tour production, as well as in London. In my opinion, it never got the credit it deserved, having been snubbed on the Tony Awards and not having a particularly long lifespan on Broadway.

Todd wrote:I was fortunate enough to attend the final performance yesterday afternoon. There was a very enthusiastic and appreciative audience there to give them the proper send-off they deserved. Not sure how ticket sales have been for this show in recent months, but if the crowds have been anything like the one yesterday, it makes you wonder why they're closing.

Unlike the final "Billy Elliot" shows, there were no surprise flourishes added. I saw a couple of the original cast of kids in attendance, but none of the original adult cast who had left (Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, etc.) came back for the closing. As with other closing performances, there were extra sad emotions knowing that the cast was performing together for the final time. It's a tear-inducing show to begin with, so the circumstances made it even more so. At the end, Laura Michelle Kelly gave a short speech thanking the cast and crew, as did the director, Diane Paulus.

I'm glad the show will live on as a U.S. tour production, as well as in London. In my opinion, it never got the credit it deserved, having been snubbed on the Tony Awards and not having a particularly long lifespan on Broadway.

My hunch is that London will become its ultimate home: it loves British-themed family musicals featuring kids. If nothing else, it may be a huge hit with tourists coming to London.