Re: Dublin Reviews
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:13 pm
Review of the show on Friday 12 August and both performances on Saturday 13 August. I flew in from Manchester, arriving mid-afternoon on the Friday. Having found the hotel and checked in I thought I would introduce myself to Dublin again (first visit since 1999) by having a stroll along the river to Grand Canal Square, where Billy is located for the Irish leg of the tour. The venue is located on a plaza next to the canal basin and strongly reminded me of my trip to see the show at the WMC in Cardiff as the theatre is very modern dating from 2010 with hardly a right angle in sight with a striking glass fronted foyer. There were plenty of restaurants nearby and it was easy to find somewhere to dine between the shows on the Saturday.
I had originally planned on seeing only the Saturday shows, but on impulse I couldn't resisting buying a seat for Friday night from the theatre and I'm glad I did. I managed to get a good seat in the front circle, a single seat between two large groups which had remained unsold.
Despite being one of the largest venues on the tour (over 2000 seats), I found that the theatre felt surprisingly cosy and intimate with a bright red colour scheme matching the illuminated red poles outside, fitting very well with the tour graphics.
Despite being somewhat removed from coal mining, I found the Dublin audiences met Billy with the same emotions the tour has generated everywhere. Like in Cardiff, I found them very respectful by not rustling or talking too much but their applause and appreciation of the cast where phenomenal. It was the first time I had seen the tour show in the circle. I had a chance to fully appreciate White Light's lighting for the first time. As noted by another reviewer, the stage is quite low with very good sightlines from all over the theatre and the sound quality was really good. The drum sound was very crisp and clear.
Friday's show marked my second time seeing Samuel as Michael (and fifth time seeing Haydn) out of 10 shows seen by me so far. I hadn't seen him as Michael since Sunderland in April and wow, how he has blossomed. The energy and charisma he gives out is remarkable and the audience met the end of Expressing Yourself with a massive roar. Haydn to me is a very consistent Billy, a very convincing actor and is not afraid to display his emotions. He sometimes looks too 'nice' for the character but before long he acts as if he is fighting for his life and dreams. The kids on this tour are some of the luckiest children around and their experience will stay with them forever. There were quite a few loud sobs in the audience as Once We Were Kings started. The show was met with a very solid and long standing ovation. I overhead one woman at random in the foyer on leaving which sums up this show in a nutshell. She said she had never felt so much energy given out by a cast in a long time and felt drained but uplifted..exactly my experience.
Sarurday matinee marked my second time seeing Adam who seemed a bit listless at times, with more muted applause in places. Such a shame – apparently he was taken ill a while later so this was understandable. Hope he gets better soon. This was also my first time seeing Bradley which was so fitting as like myself he comes from near Sheffield and having never seen in him London was a revelation to me. He instantly won me over with a surefooted performance and hugely confident tap skills. I was surprised that there we lots of young children about 6 years old at this matinee. Many of them had difficulty following the story.
There was a real buzz at the evening show. I saw Matthew for only the second time, my first being the memorable last night at Sunderland. He was incredible and got his own standing ovation after Electricity. He looked quite amazed and emotional. I also saw Elliot for the fifth time. I really love the way he comes on to Expressing singing lines from Girls Just Want To Have Fun and playfully goads the audience to chear louder at the end of the number. What an absolute star, charisma by the bucketful.
All the adult cast put in solid performances. Martin in particular was very moving during He Could Be A Star and was tearful when he said “He's MY son!” and Scott looks to have recovered well from his torn calf. The show is looking very slick now and flows well.
Although the most memorable tour location so far to me is Sunderland, Dublin comes a very close runner up. In any case Billy Elliot is a universal story and a important parable for our times. There aren't many shows that make you laugh and cry at the same time. This tour has rekindled my interest in theatre in general and healed and comforted me. Billy belongs to the whole world and not just to the narrow world that is the West End.
I stayed at a hotel in the Rathmines area, which on reflection was a bit too far out, being around 25 mins by bus from the theatre. There is a large chain hotel near the theatre which I will use if I visit the Bord Gais Theatre again.
In the daytime, I explored Dublin - on one day a very interesting and good value guided tour of Dublin Castle. On another day I did a similar tour of Trinity College including seeing the Book of Kells and exhibition.
I had originally planned on seeing only the Saturday shows, but on impulse I couldn't resisting buying a seat for Friday night from the theatre and I'm glad I did. I managed to get a good seat in the front circle, a single seat between two large groups which had remained unsold.
Despite being one of the largest venues on the tour (over 2000 seats), I found that the theatre felt surprisingly cosy and intimate with a bright red colour scheme matching the illuminated red poles outside, fitting very well with the tour graphics.
Despite being somewhat removed from coal mining, I found the Dublin audiences met Billy with the same emotions the tour has generated everywhere. Like in Cardiff, I found them very respectful by not rustling or talking too much but their applause and appreciation of the cast where phenomenal. It was the first time I had seen the tour show in the circle. I had a chance to fully appreciate White Light's lighting for the first time. As noted by another reviewer, the stage is quite low with very good sightlines from all over the theatre and the sound quality was really good. The drum sound was very crisp and clear.
Friday's show marked my second time seeing Samuel as Michael (and fifth time seeing Haydn) out of 10 shows seen by me so far. I hadn't seen him as Michael since Sunderland in April and wow, how he has blossomed. The energy and charisma he gives out is remarkable and the audience met the end of Expressing Yourself with a massive roar. Haydn to me is a very consistent Billy, a very convincing actor and is not afraid to display his emotions. He sometimes looks too 'nice' for the character but before long he acts as if he is fighting for his life and dreams. The kids on this tour are some of the luckiest children around and their experience will stay with them forever. There were quite a few loud sobs in the audience as Once We Were Kings started. The show was met with a very solid and long standing ovation. I overhead one woman at random in the foyer on leaving which sums up this show in a nutshell. She said she had never felt so much energy given out by a cast in a long time and felt drained but uplifted..exactly my experience.
Sarurday matinee marked my second time seeing Adam who seemed a bit listless at times, with more muted applause in places. Such a shame – apparently he was taken ill a while later so this was understandable. Hope he gets better soon. This was also my first time seeing Bradley which was so fitting as like myself he comes from near Sheffield and having never seen in him London was a revelation to me. He instantly won me over with a surefooted performance and hugely confident tap skills. I was surprised that there we lots of young children about 6 years old at this matinee. Many of them had difficulty following the story.
There was a real buzz at the evening show. I saw Matthew for only the second time, my first being the memorable last night at Sunderland. He was incredible and got his own standing ovation after Electricity. He looked quite amazed and emotional. I also saw Elliot for the fifth time. I really love the way he comes on to Expressing singing lines from Girls Just Want To Have Fun and playfully goads the audience to chear louder at the end of the number. What an absolute star, charisma by the bucketful.
All the adult cast put in solid performances. Martin in particular was very moving during He Could Be A Star and was tearful when he said “He's MY son!” and Scott looks to have recovered well from his torn calf. The show is looking very slick now and flows well.
Although the most memorable tour location so far to me is Sunderland, Dublin comes a very close runner up. In any case Billy Elliot is a universal story and a important parable for our times. There aren't many shows that make you laugh and cry at the same time. This tour has rekindled my interest in theatre in general and healed and comforted me. Billy belongs to the whole world and not just to the narrow world that is the West End.
I stayed at a hotel in the Rathmines area, which on reflection was a bit too far out, being around 25 mins by bus from the theatre. There is a large chain hotel near the theatre which I will use if I visit the Bord Gais Theatre again.
In the daytime, I explored Dublin - on one day a very interesting and good value guided tour of Dublin Castle. On another day I did a similar tour of Trinity College including seeing the Book of Kells and exhibition.