July 2009 Reviews - NYC

[MariaHolland]

Thank you for posting that, ERinVA! That was very inspiring.
Go Billy!

[phoebe]

For those of you who are a glutton for punishment, you might want to check out the new final paragraph I added into my review of the July 7 show, back on page one of this thread.

[ERinVA]

Loved it, phoebe. So much for that person who said the show was all about chairs!

[phoebe]

Thanks, ERinVA.
Turns out, they were kind of right!

[CJ-Rochester]

Wed July 29, 2009 2pm -

Billy - David A,
Michael - Keean,
Tall Boy - Tommy,
Small Boy - Mitchell
+ understudies for Grandma, Mum, and Scab/Posh Dad (lots of vacations)

The first of a two-day mini Billython. We were fortunate to see David A's first performance after being off for nearly two weeks. His Billy has a nice rich voice. It is starting to change, however some of the songs have been adjusted to a lower key, to allow him to sing to his strengths. A line in the show was changed from "he's only 11" to "he's only 12", perhaps to buy some extra time for the boys as they get a bit older. David is a fine actor and conveys a great deal of emotion. In the "Dear Billy" song we noticed many of the audience near us in tears. His "Angry Dance" completely blew me away!

In "Dream Ballet" there was almost no smoke, but I didn't miss it. David and Stephen Hanna seemed especially well matched. They moved as if they were the same person. This number is always impressive but was more so for me with David!

This was my first time seeing Will Chase as Tony. I was a big fan of Santino in this role, and thought no one else could match his intensity. It took me a little bit to warm up to someone else playing it, but eventually I grew to enjoy Will's performance. By the time "He Could Be A Star" came around I was completely sold on this new Tony.

Other random thoughts about this performance:
- Erin Whyland as Debbie seemed very spunky, more so than normal. She was fun to watch.
- The rope skipping in "Born To Boogie" that has been criticized on this board worked well.
- The Wednesday matinee audience seemed particularly dead. Too bad for them. We stood for "Angry Dance" (we were the only ones) and "Electricity" (a few others stood).
- In the interview just before "Electricity", when Dad says he will support his son, Greg and David looked at each other as if they really were father and son. I felt a powerful connection between them.
- Keean looked especially sad at the end when Billy exits.
- It was nice meeting Clue at the show and hanging out at the stage door after.
- In three shows I have been fortunate to see all three original Broadway Billys.
- It was fun watching Tommy as tall boy, knowing he also plays Billy. Of all the boys I think he looks the most like what I imagine Billy should be. However looks aren't everything. Each of the boys has won my heart in a different way. David certainly did that today.

[johnnyc]

- The Wednesday matinee audience seemed particularly dead. Too bad for them. We stood for "Angry Dance" (we were the only ones) and "Electricity" (a few others stood).
-

That's a real shame. BETM Broadway audiences I've been a part of seem to be more prone to stand than those I've experienced in London. So did many people stand at the finale when Billy looks at the huge sign and then turns to face the audience?

[phoebe]

" - In three shows I have been fortunate to see all three original Broadway Billys. "

Wow, you certainly are lucky!

Excellent review, CJ-Rochester. I hope you'll review your next show, too.

Quite interesting that I, too, saw a Wednesday matinee with a "dead" audience in May. On July 7, I, too, saw David A as Billy shortly before his vacation and was also struck by his emotive acting, surprisingly strong Angry and no-error rope-jumping. (You can see my review of the July 7 show on page one of this thread.) I did not mention the wonderful connection between David and Greg as son and father, but I am glad you pointed it out. Very true.

[CJ-Rochester]

Thu Jul 30, 2009 8pm -

Billy - Trent,
Michael - David B,
Tall Boy - Keean,
Small Boy - Mitchell,
+ understudies for Grandma, Mum

This was my fourth time at the show, and the second time seeing Trent. The Thursday night audience was much more lively than Wednesday's matinee.

Trent was in top form tonight! From the moment he first sang his voice was sweet, clear, and crisp. He still has the high-pitched 'boy voice' for which the music is written. In the boxing class I thought Trent, David, and Joel Hatch (as George) had especially good comic timing.

As this was my fourth time I found myself noticing numerous smaller aspects of the show that I previously hadn't paid much attention to. Haydn was on fire during "Shine", as she always is. This time I watched the ballet girls more and enjoyed the expressions on their faces. During intermission someone sitting near me mentioned the same thing, ie: the girls are a lot of fun to watch. Two new ballet girls have joined the cast.

Merle Louise (understudy for Grandma) isn't as comic as Carole Shelley but is still very believable as the dotty old lady. Kerry O'Malley did a fine job as understudy for Mum. I wasn't able to notice any difference in her portrayal vs. Leah Hocking's.

"Solidarity" is an incredible number. Others have mentioned this before but I wanted to say it as well. The writing and direction of this piece does an amazing job of showing Billy's evolution from a beginning dancer to one with talent and promise. This is shown in parallel with the deteriorating situation of the miners. All of the awards given to the the creative and production teams are very well deserved.

In "Expressing Youself" David B. is in total control of the stage. This was my third time seeing him perform and I continue to be awe of his voice and talent. I swear his arms must grow three times longer when he swings the purse around. To see such a small kid make such big moves is amazing. He and Trent play very well together.

Trent teared up during the "Dear Billy" song. I felt much more emotion from Haydn than in any previous performance. Mrs. Wilkinson is a complex character. Most of the time she has a hard edge, but she occassionally shows her feelings. At this performance Haydn seemed very affected by Billy, not only in this scene but in others. I have usually thought of this song as contrived and too much of a gimick. This time I was very moved by it, mostly due to watching how moved Haydn was.

The rope skipping in "Born To Boogie" worked very well (second day in a row). Trent was whipping the rope around at quite a high speed.

Trent was on fire in "Angry Dance". This number is his forte. Near the end his microphone came loose from his hair. We saw it swinging as he tossed his head back and forth. It didn't seem to phase him at all. The scene is lit pretty dimly and I'll bet most of the audience didn't even notice it.

In the hand-warming scene after the Christmas party there was a great connection between David and Trent. We clearly feel Michael's love for Billy.

During "Dream Ballet" Trent had this enormous smile going for the entire number. I had never observed this previously with him or the other boys. He was clearly having the time of his life.

At the Royal Ballet, Greg seems to take longer to reach for the cigarette each time. Tonight he tried to climb the up box seats off stage left. I can't say enough good things about Greg. I thought I would have gotten board of Dad's character by now, but Greg continues to find new depth of emotion to convey the struggle Dad is going through.

Trent did a flawless job on "Electricity". We were among the very few who stood. Maybe some audiences don't feel it's polite to give standing ovations in the middle of a show? The applause went for quite a long time, which shows everyone loved the performance.

It was a nice surprise to see my friend Donna Lynne Champlin in the ensemble. We worked together many years ago in some community theater productions in Rochester. She plays in various crowd scenes, including as Small Boy's mom.

I enjoyed Trent's overall performance even more than when I saw him in April. His ballet has become more polished.

[Billy Whiz]

Thanks CJ-Rochester for the great review. Glad you enjoyed the show.

[ERinVA]

Thanks for another great review!