Bakersfield Music Theatre - Oct. 28-Nov. 19, 2022

[porschesrule]

A regional production of Billy Elliot The Musical will be presented by Bakersfield (CA) Music Theatre, known as Stars. The production will be in a dinner theatre format at the Stars Theatre Restaurant in Bakersfield, California, from October 28 to November 19, 2022.

https://bmtstars.com/portfolio-view/billyelliott2022/

[CJ-Rochester]

Open auditions for the show have been announced on Stars Theatre Restaurant's Facebook.

August 27th 1:00 - 4:00p.m.
August 28th 4:00 - 7:00p.m.
Stars Theatre Restaurant, 1931 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301

https://www.facebook.com/events/5412973 ... 354458718/

[porschesrule]

The boys who will play Billy in Bakersfield have been announced. They are Neo Andre Del Corral from Florida and John Gibbons from Stoughton, Massachusetts. They will alternate performances in the title role and as Michael.

https://www.facebook.com/starstheatrere ... suZ3HvsEgl

[porschesrule]

The new regional production of BETM opens on this Friday (28-Oct-2022) at the Stars Theatre Restaurant in Bakersfield, CA, USA. Presented by Bakersfield Music Theatre, it will star two Billys and will run until 19-Nov-2022.

See all the details here: https://betm.theskykid.com/meet-billy-e ... sfield.../

[porschesrule]

John Gibbons debuts tonight as Billy Elliot as the Stars production of the musical opens in Bakersfield, CA. John is the 328th boy in the world to star in the title role of a professional, regional or community theatre production of the musical. Read more about him here:

https://betm.theskykid.com/meet-billy-e ... n-gibbons/

[CJ-Rochester]

Here's a nice article about the two Billys, Neo and John, and the shows, director, Kelsea Johnson.

Young duo ready to 'Shine' in 'Billy Elliot'
https://www.bakersfield.com/entertainme ... 75682.html

[porschesrule]

Tonight (29-Oct-2022) Neo Del Corral debuts as Billy Elliot in the Bakersfield Music Theatre production of the musical. He is the 329th boy to play the title role in a professional, regional or community theatre production of the show since 2005. Read about him here:

https://betm.theskykid.com/meet-billy-e ... el-corral/

[CJ-Rochester]

The original link in the first post of this thread no longer works. The company reworked their website. Here is the corrected link. Still no formal announcement of the full cast.

https://bmtstars.com/shows/billy-elliot-the-musical/

[tzwicky]

I've now attended this production three times and am scheduled for the final two performances.

I really don't like reviewing because after all these years, I just pick things apart that are different, and Bakersfield BETM is about as different as of tonight as any production of the show has ever been. Yes, tonight's show with Neo del Corral as Billy and John Gibbons as Michael takes gender-bending to an all-new level.

Tonight we got an understudy for Mrs. Wilkinson. Perhaps there were a couple things going on with the available actors because first you had that substitution and then you got the really big change.

On any given performance, Billy dances his duet with older Billy in Dream Ballet. But tonight, Neo danced it with the actor subbing for Mrs. Wilkinson -- a woman in a tutu. Has this sort of thing ever happened before?

During any BETM, I'd bet half the audience does not realize the full significance of this duet. In this case, I was the one sat there with my jaw slack and my brain zooming through all the permutations I've seen while gallivanting around England and the U.S. for 17 years, looking for the latest experiments and castings in a show that never fails to surprise this BillyManiac who thought he'd seen it all.

tzwicky