Billy Elliot the Forum

I went to see the third performance of BETM at the rather nice little Little Theatre in the historic district of Marblehead, MA. It is a perfect space for small productions, which BETM most certainly is not - but the production team brilliantly crafted the set in such a way that it worked perfectly.

The dedication of the cast to this story was apparent from the start. I was pleasantly surprised to see a seven piece orchestra in accompaniment, and both the Geordie dialect and the 'authentic' language were maintained. My fellow audience members and I agreed, upon leaving, that BETM is such a powerful story that it can be successfully put on in venues as large as The Muni, and as small as this Little Theatre.

I hope to give a few cast reviews after seeing both shows (and both Billys) next weekend. In the meantime, every show is sold out!

This wonderful "little" theater (90 seats) has courage and heart. Taking on BETM is a "huge" undertaking. With an full cast of 34 made up of only amateur performers managed to provide a production with all original language, a 7 piece orchestra, cleverly designed set, and a company that sang with full rich harmony and grit. Some of the acting and singing was not what one would find on Broadway or a large regional but they were more than adequate The story of Billy Elliot has its own power and this cast really understood that power and provided a wonderful emotional experience. The letter done as good as any I have seen with real tenderness and tears. Wonderful results from a lot of hard work and preparation. I was very unpressed.