September 2009 - UK Reviews

[Justin]

Saturday matinee
Brad, George, Anabelle. Stephanie Putson as Mrs Wilkinson.

Not a review as such but seeing as no one else has written anything for the Saturday matinee. Through a combination of sheer bloody minded determination and a huge amount of luck, was fortunate enough to see Bradley again yesterday (!). I'll write something in his thread a bit later, but needless to say I was once again intensely moved.

I've seen Stephanie in the role of Mrs Wilkinson before - ages ago I think in 2006. I thought she was good then, but on Saturday, I found her portrayal rather harsh. Case in point - in the confrontation scene Brad was trying to hold her hand and had her hand in both his hands but he was basically ignored. Her singing voice sounded slightly raspy as well which is unusual for her. It'll take me a while to warm to her portrayal I reckon. On the plus side, I did get to see Gillian play the role of audition lady at the RBS. Awesome as usual. Gillian has such great comic timing, and can go from expressionless mute face to hilarity in an instant. I am such a Gillian fan and she really needs her own big role whether in this show or another on the West End. I'd love to see her in a play actually.

Matt Malone was MD for the performance. And wow. That guy actually gets it. He really understands the show and the scenes. The way he held that pause after the final cry to Mum in the Letter Reply followed by the softest tinkling of the guitar bringing proceedings to a conclusion was theatrical magic.

Two shows this week for me and I left feeling so incredibly satisfied.

[wendy]

what a weekend i had, but im gunna leave proper reviews to all the pro's here goes
friday eve 11th
billy-Ollie - michael -Conner and debbie - fran
i dont look at the boards if i can help it, so was more than happy seeing conner ride on to the stage followed by ollie,
Ollie has grown so much in the part of billy since may 12th, i love his portrayle of billy he is quite vulnerable to start with but you can see how the anger inside starts to build untill he finaly stands up to his brother and angers in to the tap routine which is so fully of energy and at the end when he just sceams out releasing all that anger, wow
Conner and Ollie had the best of time in express they work so well together and the audience loved every minuite of it
In the letter scene, smash hits nearly made a vocal apperance when ollie took out his packet of soup he started to say smash hits but realised just in time that he was holding his soup and carried on with his line which did make me
Fran is a great debbie with all the jibs and shoves great attitude


SAT MAT - billy - brad , michael - george annabell as debbie with stephine poyser as mrs w,

When george and brad came on stage i new i was in for a treat
and they didnt disapoint, mrs w had a softer side to her today
brad has such style and grace his ballet is just a pleasure to watch
what a great team dancing with Barnaby they look great together

on to electric dance -wow brad is a lovley ballet dancer and this just showcases how good he is with his spins and turns and the style he does it in -WELL DONE BRAD,

the audieance were in stitches with george doing express they just milk it all the way, talk about own the stage - great fun the tap was spot on.

[wendy]

ARE YA GETTING BORD YET anyway continuing on
sat mat - now where was i , to sum up another great performance

sat eve - billy tom - mich - connor
what a way to end this week end there is loads that i have probly missed out so i do appologise,
tom plays billy more angry to start with and this just builds and builds untill he has had enough of his situation, with his brother and the family not supporting him in his dream to become the dancer he is destand and determined to be and this shows how angry he becomes, and his tap through his angry dance is amazzing

and filters though to the electric routine he just flys though this with his acro free hand, and nailing the wall flip at the end , with massive applause and cheers from the audieance, with grins all round
from tom(and ollie on the friday)

i think it was when tom was on and the end tap finale'
the conducted played it quicker and quicker and you cld see the looks on their faces were

[wendy]

me again one more thing before i go to sum up
the 3 shows i saw are all slightly diffrent but all were excellant in every way, the cast the ballet girls, craig( how you get that passion every show is amazzing)
and to see all 3 billys face's when they finish their own version of the electric dance is great to watch you can see they all love it and enjoy the audieances cheers, by their smiles and laughter well done all 3 of you,
and to both billys dads you have us in stitches with the audition sceane makes me laugh every time , great stuff
and connor and george they own that stage when its there time for express very funny ,
to every one else in the show well done ps sorry about my spelling

[sleepylins]

Lovely reviews Wendy.Thankyou.

[BillyBrave]

Just saw Brad today (14th Sept.) Amazing shame the sound desk people kept turning Brad's mic off - CRAZY or what!

[Justin]

Monday evening
Brad, Connor, Francesca. Phil Snowden as George. Shaun Henson as Mr Braithwaite. David B as Dad.

How does he do it? I wasn't planning to write a review of this performance cause well....I've already written loads about Brad, but then he goes and pulls off a performance like this. In every single scene there was this level of heightened intensity - I don't know how else to describe it. I literally could not take my eyes of him and as the show went on there was a mounting expectancy to see what else he would do next. There was such a thoughtfulness about his portrayal tonight - thinking, working, reacting.

Bradley's such an intelligent actor. The heart and soul of Bradleys' Billy - this self-confident, mature and kind boy remains - but ever the artist, he modifies it, buffers it to adapt and react to the way the different people whom Billy interacts with play their respective parts and he takes into account the change in dynamics for each relationship. I've seen him with three Mrs Wilkinsons now - with the more outwardly stern Stephanie he allows for a more subdued Billy, one who wins her over gradually, with Gillian's maternal portrayal there was a real sense that Billy saw her as a surrogate mum, and with Joanna's outward teasing but very obvious affection for Billy, you saw Billy on the one hand older and more mature with her - teasing back even, and on the other hand affectionate with her in a way that makes it clear that he views her as a very good friend and confidante. It's all so incredibly winsome.

In clinical medicine, one of the most important aspects that junior doctors learn is when not to do anything. The newly qualified doctor is naturally very eager to jump on any little bit of what they perceive as a symptom and manage it in the most aggressive fashion and sometimes this backfires. I think the same can be said for acting as well. There's no need to be continually busy in every scene - sometimes it's the things you don't do, the glances you don't give, the faces you don't make - it's those things that count, and I really do think Brad is a master at the subtleties and nuances of acting. There's something so self-assured about him on the stage that he's able to seize the audiences attention, let them know what he's thinking but never at any stage does his acting come across as showy or emotionally manipulative. There's always something very natural and very subtle about it, and it makes it seem as if he's not acting. That's where Brad's genius lies I think - the ability to convince someone that he isn't acting, when really he is!

His specialty really is in the more emotional, more poignant scenes - the Letter, the confrontation scene pre-Angry Dance, the goodbye scene with Mrs Wilkinson and then with Michael. It's not just the way he's crafted his Billy that evokes this sort of reaction. It's partly the way he holds himself in those scenes - the slight tilt and lean of the body, the trembling lower lip betraying a stiff upper lip, the way he's staring at the other party directly but with his head ever so slightly downwards, how he fiddles with his bag strap, the inflection in his voice - how he goes really soft when he wants to emphasise a certain phrase, or the gentle way he sighs, how he makes as if to speak then stops himself. It's all that and then some more. The Letter was a real tearjerker today - the tears didn't want to stop and he allowed himself to stand there in silence after Dead Mum had left the stage for quite a good length of time just pulling himself together and while doing so made the entire theatre cry!

Connor was Michael and like Brad, the kid has got some pretty amazing talent. He's willing to play the part in its most natural manner - without any sort of stagey flourishes, or trying to make the character of Michael bigger than life. He allows the backstory of Michael - this northern boy who's caught up in the mining strike figuring out his sexuality and fighting his attraction to his best friend - he allows this story to really shine. And in the Winter Scene when he says "no one will notice" in response to Billy's query about whether he was walking home in the tutu, your heart feels for him - this rather lonely, really sad boy despite the laughs and the comedy. In many respects, Connor's style remains me of another Brad - Brad Kavanagh - who too played the part of Michael with this sort of sensitivity and genuine compassion.

Phil Snowden was excellent as George. I've seen him in the role many times now and he always plays it upbeat and chirpy, I really wish he was on as George more! He's snappy at the panto-type scene prior to Merry Xmas as well keeping it short which is always a good thing in my book!!

For me though, the star of the show was undoubtedly Bradley Wilson. He's a wonderful, wonderful Billy and everytime I see him I kick myself for not having seen him sooner. As I was leaving the theatre I happened to overhear the conversation between a group of kids probably slightly younger than Billys age. One of the kids confidently proclaimed that Billy is the most amazing kid ever. On the strength of a performance like tonight, I'd find that very difficult to dispute.

[Wispa]

Friday evening.
Billy: Ollie; Michael: Connor.

I hadn't seen billy since february and couldn't wait for the performance after i booked tickets last week... i definitely wasnt disappointed!!
I was pleased i got Ollie, as i obviously hadnt seen him before and was looking forward to seeing another street version of electricity (i've only seen Liam, Tanner and Tom - who didnt do a wall flip on that occasion)... the wall flip was AWESOME!!

I like Ollies portrayal of Billy, and you can tell that he is always really enjoying himself playing the role, he really throws himself into the part and gets angry/ sad/ happy (love his little laughs he adds in) when necessary.
His singing voice is brilliant, very clear and expressive and i was also really impressed with his acting.
A specific highlight for me which i thought was really sweet was when he had just finished electricity he was standing in his finishing pose and he just for a moment looked around at the great reception he got and smiled, he then got back into character after this, but i just thought it was a really nice touch.

Connor as Michael was superb as well, very funny, but i also thought he brought a sensitivity to the role in the scenes where billy gives him the tutu and the final scene, which reminded me of the michael in the film - a really nice touch.

All in all, well worth the wait of a few months, all the cast was fantastic and the show was electric as usual!

[louisl2004]

Just saw Brad today (14th Sept.) Amazing shame the sound desk people kept turning Brad's mic off - CRAZY or what!

To be honest, It's unlikley that the sound no 1 will turn off Brad mic pack! There could have been a loose connection or something interfearing with the radio singal. Please be careful of comments like that. The crew know the show inside and out.

louisl2004

[sgv123]

Thanks for the review wispa

I have been reading London reviews for the past two years now. The more and more I read them, the more I want to go see the London cast. Being a poor college student, I find it quite nearly impossible