Billy Elliot the Forum

And yet another terrific review from a blogger:

https://thatmusicaltheatrenerd.wordpres ... s-on-tour/

Two more reviews of the show:-

http://getthechance.wales/2016/06/16/re ... rne-foose/


http://getthechance.wales/2016/06/22/re ... -michaels/

I will be attending both shows on Saturday 13 August in Dublin

This blogger has seen the Tour show six times now, the latest being in Cardiff. Her detailed blog review:

https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/littlee ... 4983805555

Another very positive blog review:

http://justanothertheatrekid.blogspot.c ... l?spref=tw

I visited Cardiff last Friday in order to see my first Tour show. However, I came away somewhat disappointed. Having seen the show in London hundreds of times in the last six years, there's no doubt that it is impossible for me not to make comparisons. The changes that have been brought into the Tour, to my mind, do not enhance the show at all. If I should see the Tour regularly, then I could probably get used to the audition scene, just about. Also, the second half scene, also taken from Broadway, where the whole village, young and old, add to Billy's 'pot' is fine, except that it went on rather too long.

The cast I saw had Lewis as Billy, Elliott as Michael and Lilly as Debbie. Lewis was adequate, particularly in some of his dancing, but I didn't really see any feeling from him. I enjoyed Elliott, who was a cheeky Michael and played the part in good style. Lilly showed some stroppiness as Debbie, with some fine facial expressions.

As the show had been on Tour for five months I expected better from some of the adult cast. Both Tony and Mrs Wilkinson shouted their words, almost from start to finish and could have been heard in Swansea Bay let alone Cardiff Bay. Mrs Wilkinson was, in fact, excruciatingly awful and, as the story developed, failed to show any motherlyness towards Billy. The woman playing Grandma reminded me of an old Music Hall act, Old Mother Riley, but she was not funny at all.

Some scenes were different from those in London because of the size of the stage and the fact there was only one piece of movable apparatus, the kitchen/stairs/bedroom, but those changes I could accept. Obviously, the Billy story is still the same and, of course, that is still enjoyable, but , although having seen the show only once, I was not particularly impressed. It just goes to show how much we were spoilt at the VPT.

It just goes to show how much we were spoilt at the VPT.


And even then some of the regulars couldn't help moaning and whingeing about the performers, the company, the chaperones and whatever else!

I also saw the show in Cardiff, my first Tour show after 3 VPT shows. In my opinion only Grandma and Dad could have been better, in fact Scott Garnham was the best Tony I've seen. True, An. McLaughlin is very different from the actresses I've seen in the role and it takes some time to get used to her portrayal. To call her "excruciatingly awful" is outrageous, in my opinion. She is no amateur, she is very much capable to sing and act (yes, she was not as motherly as Ruthie, but especially in the end I could see those feelings towards Billy). Read reviews of people who only saw a Tour show and almost everyone of them loved the show and Mrs Wilkinson. Are those people blind and can't see how "awful" she is?! No - they just don't compare to the "holy" original all the time and come with an open mind! Of course this is only my opinion, but I loved all the changes they made to the second act, especially the audition scene.

I've read some reviews on other pages where especially regular fans could not stop moaning about all the changes who "spoilt" the show for them. I simply cannot understand them. From what I saw and heard the show was booked out in the middle of the week and the audience was cheering and clapping even more than in London. I understand that opinions may differ but I just cannot understand those negative comments and reviews towards the tour

Well said Lola. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I enjoy it as much as the London show, and I saw the London show reasonably regularly since its pre-view days.

I’ve now seen sixteen tour performances, of which eight have featured Lewis Smallman. I also saw the afternoon performance on 15th July referred to earlier. Although Lewis in the promotional videos comes across as a quietly spoken and seemingly quite shy young lad, I have always been impressed by his acting and singing as well as his dancing abilities. He has a definite and confident on stage personality, and to my mind fits the role of Billy well. When I see his name on the cast board, I know I’ll get a solid, strong performance. I have thoroughly enjoyed the tour performances in general, and having also attended a number of performances at VPT, I have a comparison.

However, everyone has their own opinion. If everyone had the same opinion, life would be much more boring. The best solution perhaps is to take note of all the reviews in this forum, media reviews, comments made by audience members - then go and watch it and judge for yourself.