Drury Lane Reviews
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CJ-Rochester
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Drury Lane Reviews
Here is a thread for reviews of the Drury Lane production. Hopefully there will be many positive ones.
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MusicalFan
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First preview night (4/10/15)
Hello all,
I’ve been a long time fan of Billy Elliot the Musical, and I have enjoyed reading your many posts and reviews, but this is essentially my first time posting (I posted once, about 5 years ago!). I’ve seen BETM multiple times, in London, New York, Chicago, and on the US National Tour. Last Friday I was fortunate to catch the first preview night at the Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace, IL (near Chicago). Billy was played by Nic Dantes and Michael was played by Michael Harp.
I didn’t know what to expect from a regional production of BETM, but in brief I was blown away. The dancing was superb as usual, and the acting and singing was among the best I’ve seen and heard in all the BETM performances I’ve attended. I also liked that they stuck close to the original script from the West End edition, with the character/period-appropriate swearing by Billy and others, rather than “cleaning it up” for an American audience. (However, I did overhear some people at intermission talking on their cell phones about the inappropriate language, and that “there were children in the audience hearing this.” I wonder whether the script will stay as is.) There were a number of minor tweaks to the sets and choreography, but overall I thought these changes actually worked really well! I will detail some of these changes, as well as a few of my other observations, below.
**SPOILER ALERT: If you would rather be surprised by any changes in the Drury Lane regional production, then stop reading now.
**
----
I won’t go for a complete analysis for every scene, but just point out the things that stuck out to me or that were different from what I had seen before.
The opening scene was quite different than I had seen in either the London, New York, or Chicago editions. The musical started with Grandma and Billy sitting on a couch (facing towards the audience) watching an old TV set while the usual intro narration about the miners, etc., with perhaps some additional information about coal mines in the UK, was playing on the speakers. This ended with Dad saying they should get to the Union hall, which then transitioned to the next scene in the Union Hall and the start of “The Stars Look Down”, by moving some of the set pieces on stage. I did kind of miss Small Boy climbing onto the stage at the beginning, and having that reaction for first-time viewers of “wait… what’s that little kid doing climbing onto the stage?!” However, I think this intro and transition worked quite well. In the Union Hall, the setup was again slightly different, with chairs arranged facing the audience rather than along the two sides, but the lines and singing were the same and it worked to set this up as the Union Hall. Zachary Uzarraga as Small Boy was very cute trying to follow Billy’s movements in the middle of this scene
In the next scene at Billy’s house, the set pieces were arranged a bit differently than I’ve seen in the past. There was no lift or second-story bedroom, but rather the kitchen was to house-left and the bed was in the middle of the stage. The following boxing scene was funny as usual, and Shine was superbly performed by the talented Susie McMonagle and all the Ballet Girls. In Grandma’s song (“We’d go dancing”), they had a younger version of Grandma and her husband acting out the dancing and hinting at their troubles, during her song, and I thought that worked really well.
In solidarity, the choreography was quite different, but I quite liked it. There were parts in center stage, in the middle of the chairs, were fight scenes between the miners and police were acted out in slow motion. I also love this scene (solidarity) because it gives us a glimpse of the true talent that Billy, and in this case Nic, have.
Expressing yourself was hilarious, as usual. Michael Harp was on fire, with great charisma, good comedic timing, and really getting the audience going. One new bit I noticed is that Billy puts on some large earrings and they really complemented the whole outfit (“separates!”). For the dresses, they had all of the men (particularly the burly bearded men) come out wearing the dresses, and dance around stage in ballet moves. They were graceful, and it was hilarious. The crowd loved it.
In the next scene, the Letter, Nic Dante’s acting was superb! His facial expressions were so sad, and perfectly portrayed the emotion in this scene. I suspect many audience members had a lump in their throats/were fighting back tears. This scene of course led to the next scene “Born to Boogie” which was funny as usual. Susie McMonagle’s microphone had some issues during this scene, initially crackling and then cutting out completely, but she handled it like a pro, continuing with all her singing and dancing while fixing the mic. It came back in the second half of the song. In the following scene at Billy’s house, while Mrs. Wilkinson is waiting for Billy and Dad, Tony, and others are dealing with their latest encounters with the police, I found all of the acting, but particularly by Susie McMonagle (Mrs. Wilkinson) and Liam Quealy (Tony) to be superb – full of energy and completely into their character.
Angry dance began with Billy on the stage (as opposed to a raised bedroom) due to the limitations in the sets. The choreography was a bit less energetic than I’d seen in some of the other productions, but it’s still one of my favorite numbers.
At the end of intermission, Billy, Michael, and Tall boy were going around the audience asking for donations “for a good cause”/for the miners. Many people were indeed donating, and apparently the money is going to the Bernie Yvon Memorial scholarship fund (and I noticed afterwards that this was mentioned in the program).
The Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher scene was a little different, although I should also mention that I was seated in the first row, all the way to house left, and my view was somewhat obstructed to see all of the action. I believe Small Boy came out dressed as Maggie Thatcher, which got the audience going.
For the scene with Billy and Michael in the Hall following Deep into the Ground, their dialogue and interaction was hilarious, particularly in the acting by Michael.
The dream ballet scene was beautiful and graceful. There was indeed a flying scene, with Billy being hooked to the wire on stage as I’ve seen the past. The cable is quite a bit more towards the front of the stage compared to some of the other productions, so at times it's almost like Billy is flying out over the audience. The Drury Lane theater is only a single story, so Billy does not fly quite as high as some of the other theaters.
For the scene preceding “He could go…”, one difference I noticed is that Debbie opens the door for Dad, instead of Mr. Wilkinson (as in the Chicago production). Also, when Dad joins the scabs to go to the mines, the scenery rearranges on stage to form a narrow gap through which the scabs have to go in order to get to the mines, all while being heckled by the miner picket line. Tony yells his line as they see that Dad, clothed in the miner’s jacket, goes through. Following this, there is a small fight scene between Tony and Dad, which ends with Dad on his knees trying to explain his motives to Tony. This transitions straight into the donations by other miners (“Take this and this…”). The transitions were faster than I had seen in many of the other productions, but for me it worked well. (Sadly, as this was now set close to the picket line, there was no small boy dropping pennies into the hat one by one… always a funny comic relief).
The audition scene as funny as usual, and Electricity was performed in a ballet-style by Nic, and was beautiful and graceful. It was followed by a lengthy applause. In the following scene where the post arrives, the interactions are much like usual. One difference I noticed is that Billy hold the letter in his hand as he reads “William Elliot …” as opposed to having it propped up on the table. The comedic timing was perfect and the audience loved it.
During “Once we were kings”, when Dad is showing Billy how to pack (a pair of jeans to start with), Billy begins by folding his jeans into an elaborate pretzel, and the look on Dad (Ron E. Rains)’s face was priceless. Later in the scene, while the miners are singing Once we were kings, they are lowered by an elevator down into the stage. I guess there is an elevator/lift after all.
The letter reprise (“Billy’s reply”) was particularly touching. Once again, we saw the great acting ability by Nic Dantes, and I hard quite a few sniffles and clearing of throats after that scene. In the final scene where Billy leaves, Billy walks down the stairs on stage left/house right (opposite to all the other productions I’ve seen). The final reprise/ “company celebration” was excellent, and allowed us all a final view of the amount of talent on stage and an opportunity to express our thanks to all the wonderful actors that were part of this production. One difference I noticed is that Small Boy is on stage, dancing in a tutu during this number with all of the other actors.
Finally, for those thinking of traveling to see the show, the Drury Lane Theater is a beautiful venue. This was my first time there. The Hilton Garden Inn is right next to the theater. There may be cheaper options, but this is very convenient for anyone traveling to see the show.
If you have any other specific questions about the show, please post a reply and I will try to respond. I would highly recommend this show to anyone.
I’ve been a long time fan of Billy Elliot the Musical, and I have enjoyed reading your many posts and reviews, but this is essentially my first time posting (I posted once, about 5 years ago!). I’ve seen BETM multiple times, in London, New York, Chicago, and on the US National Tour. Last Friday I was fortunate to catch the first preview night at the Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace, IL (near Chicago). Billy was played by Nic Dantes and Michael was played by Michael Harp.
I didn’t know what to expect from a regional production of BETM, but in brief I was blown away. The dancing was superb as usual, and the acting and singing was among the best I’ve seen and heard in all the BETM performances I’ve attended. I also liked that they stuck close to the original script from the West End edition, with the character/period-appropriate swearing by Billy and others, rather than “cleaning it up” for an American audience. (However, I did overhear some people at intermission talking on their cell phones about the inappropriate language, and that “there were children in the audience hearing this.” I wonder whether the script will stay as is.) There were a number of minor tweaks to the sets and choreography, but overall I thought these changes actually worked really well! I will detail some of these changes, as well as a few of my other observations, below.
**SPOILER ALERT: If you would rather be surprised by any changes in the Drury Lane regional production, then stop reading now.
**----
I won’t go for a complete analysis for every scene, but just point out the things that stuck out to me or that were different from what I had seen before.
The opening scene was quite different than I had seen in either the London, New York, or Chicago editions. The musical started with Grandma and Billy sitting on a couch (facing towards the audience) watching an old TV set while the usual intro narration about the miners, etc., with perhaps some additional information about coal mines in the UK, was playing on the speakers. This ended with Dad saying they should get to the Union hall, which then transitioned to the next scene in the Union Hall and the start of “The Stars Look Down”, by moving some of the set pieces on stage. I did kind of miss Small Boy climbing onto the stage at the beginning, and having that reaction for first-time viewers of “wait… what’s that little kid doing climbing onto the stage?!” However, I think this intro and transition worked quite well. In the Union Hall, the setup was again slightly different, with chairs arranged facing the audience rather than along the two sides, but the lines and singing were the same and it worked to set this up as the Union Hall. Zachary Uzarraga as Small Boy was very cute trying to follow Billy’s movements in the middle of this scene
In the next scene at Billy’s house, the set pieces were arranged a bit differently than I’ve seen in the past. There was no lift or second-story bedroom, but rather the kitchen was to house-left and the bed was in the middle of the stage. The following boxing scene was funny as usual, and Shine was superbly performed by the talented Susie McMonagle and all the Ballet Girls. In Grandma’s song (“We’d go dancing”), they had a younger version of Grandma and her husband acting out the dancing and hinting at their troubles, during her song, and I thought that worked really well.
In solidarity, the choreography was quite different, but I quite liked it. There were parts in center stage, in the middle of the chairs, were fight scenes between the miners and police were acted out in slow motion. I also love this scene (solidarity) because it gives us a glimpse of the true talent that Billy, and in this case Nic, have.
Expressing yourself was hilarious, as usual. Michael Harp was on fire, with great charisma, good comedic timing, and really getting the audience going. One new bit I noticed is that Billy puts on some large earrings and they really complemented the whole outfit (“separates!”). For the dresses, they had all of the men (particularly the burly bearded men) come out wearing the dresses, and dance around stage in ballet moves. They were graceful, and it was hilarious. The crowd loved it.
In the next scene, the Letter, Nic Dante’s acting was superb! His facial expressions were so sad, and perfectly portrayed the emotion in this scene. I suspect many audience members had a lump in their throats/were fighting back tears. This scene of course led to the next scene “Born to Boogie” which was funny as usual. Susie McMonagle’s microphone had some issues during this scene, initially crackling and then cutting out completely, but she handled it like a pro, continuing with all her singing and dancing while fixing the mic. It came back in the second half of the song. In the following scene at Billy’s house, while Mrs. Wilkinson is waiting for Billy and Dad, Tony, and others are dealing with their latest encounters with the police, I found all of the acting, but particularly by Susie McMonagle (Mrs. Wilkinson) and Liam Quealy (Tony) to be superb – full of energy and completely into their character.
Angry dance began with Billy on the stage (as opposed to a raised bedroom) due to the limitations in the sets. The choreography was a bit less energetic than I’d seen in some of the other productions, but it’s still one of my favorite numbers.
At the end of intermission, Billy, Michael, and Tall boy were going around the audience asking for donations “for a good cause”/for the miners. Many people were indeed donating, and apparently the money is going to the Bernie Yvon Memorial scholarship fund (and I noticed afterwards that this was mentioned in the program).
The Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher scene was a little different, although I should also mention that I was seated in the first row, all the way to house left, and my view was somewhat obstructed to see all of the action. I believe Small Boy came out dressed as Maggie Thatcher, which got the audience going.
For the scene with Billy and Michael in the Hall following Deep into the Ground, their dialogue and interaction was hilarious, particularly in the acting by Michael.
The dream ballet scene was beautiful and graceful. There was indeed a flying scene, with Billy being hooked to the wire on stage as I’ve seen the past. The cable is quite a bit more towards the front of the stage compared to some of the other productions, so at times it's almost like Billy is flying out over the audience. The Drury Lane theater is only a single story, so Billy does not fly quite as high as some of the other theaters.
For the scene preceding “He could go…”, one difference I noticed is that Debbie opens the door for Dad, instead of Mr. Wilkinson (as in the Chicago production). Also, when Dad joins the scabs to go to the mines, the scenery rearranges on stage to form a narrow gap through which the scabs have to go in order to get to the mines, all while being heckled by the miner picket line. Tony yells his line as they see that Dad, clothed in the miner’s jacket, goes through. Following this, there is a small fight scene between Tony and Dad, which ends with Dad on his knees trying to explain his motives to Tony. This transitions straight into the donations by other miners (“Take this and this…”). The transitions were faster than I had seen in many of the other productions, but for me it worked well. (Sadly, as this was now set close to the picket line, there was no small boy dropping pennies into the hat one by one… always a funny comic relief).
The audition scene as funny as usual, and Electricity was performed in a ballet-style by Nic, and was beautiful and graceful. It was followed by a lengthy applause. In the following scene where the post arrives, the interactions are much like usual. One difference I noticed is that Billy hold the letter in his hand as he reads “William Elliot …” as opposed to having it propped up on the table. The comedic timing was perfect and the audience loved it.
During “Once we were kings”, when Dad is showing Billy how to pack (a pair of jeans to start with), Billy begins by folding his jeans into an elaborate pretzel, and the look on Dad (Ron E. Rains)’s face was priceless. Later in the scene, while the miners are singing Once we were kings, they are lowered by an elevator down into the stage. I guess there is an elevator/lift after all.
The letter reprise (“Billy’s reply”) was particularly touching. Once again, we saw the great acting ability by Nic Dantes, and I hard quite a few sniffles and clearing of throats after that scene. In the final scene where Billy leaves, Billy walks down the stairs on stage left/house right (opposite to all the other productions I’ve seen). The final reprise/ “company celebration” was excellent, and allowed us all a final view of the amount of talent on stage and an opportunity to express our thanks to all the wonderful actors that were part of this production. One difference I noticed is that Small Boy is on stage, dancing in a tutu during this number with all of the other actors.
Finally, for those thinking of traveling to see the show, the Drury Lane Theater is a beautiful venue. This was my first time there. The Hilton Garden Inn is right next to the theater. There may be cheaper options, but this is very convenient for anyone traveling to see the show.
If you have any other specific questions about the show, please post a reply and I will try to respond. I would highly recommend this show to anyone.
Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Thank you for your great review, MusicalFan, and for taking so much trouble to provide such vivid descriptions of the innovations in Drury Lane's production. I am even more excited to see it in several weeks!
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angelenroute
- Billy
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Thanks for taking the time to write that! Much appreciated!
Sean
Sean
"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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porschesrule
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Thank you for the review from Drury Lane, MusicalFan. Very thorough and obviously about a show that we've heard very little little about review-wise as of yet. I enjoyed reading it very much.
And welcome to the word of posting As one who has a few posts under his belt, I can tell you that actively posting on the Forum makes it a lot more fun. I hope we'll hear from you more in the future!
And welcome to the word of posting
As one who has a few posts under his belt, I can tell you that actively posting on the Forum makes it a lot more fun. I hope we'll hear from you more in the future!-
CJ-Rochester
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 4680
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:35 am
- Location: Rochester, NY
Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Here is the first review from the press. The Sun Times calls it AN ELECTRIFYING “BILLY ELLIOTT”. There are a few nice production photos here as well.
http://live-sun-times-entertainment.got ... n-musical/
http://live-sun-times-entertainment.got ... n-musical/
Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Wow! Sounds as though Billy is off to a great start at Drury Lane!
And this opening line really resonated:
I cannot wait to see this!
And this opening line really resonated:
This is what is great about regionals that are not 'clones' of Broadway or the Tours: they afford the creative team a chance to reinterpret the show, without losing the essence of the story. And with nearly two months to run, this interpretation will go from strength to strength.Something absolutely wonderful can happen when a hit musical is finally liberated from its original Broadway incarnation — no matter how beguiling the original might have been.
I cannot wait to see this!
Re: Drury Lane Reviews
A staggering review, from Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... olumn.html
(If you have difficulty reading without registering, this link will take you to a less well presented version of the same review.)
http://www.dailynews724.com/entertainme ... 54683.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... olumn.html
(If you have difficulty reading without registering, this link will take you to a less well presented version of the same review.)
http://www.dailynews724.com/entertainme ... 54683.html
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CJ-Rochester
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Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Thanks kport. The second link worked better for me.kport wrote:A staggering review, from Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... olumn.html
(If you have difficulty reading without registering, this link will take you to a less well presented version of the same review.)
http://www.dailynews724.com/entertainme ... 54683.html
Wow, this reviewer really knows what he is talking about. The fact that he has seen BETM several times in Chicago, New York, and London give extra weight to his high praise.
Re: Drury Lane Reviews
Chris Jones, theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune, has been around the industry for a while:
http://bio.tribune.com/ChrisJones
Prior to joining the staff of the Tribune, Jones served for many years as the touring theater critic for Variety and Daily Variety, publishing several hundred theater reviews with a particular emphasis on pre-Broadway tryouts. He has covered theater in numerous cities throughout the United States, including as Variety's Broadway critic.
He serves on the editorial board for the Best Plays annual and has twice served on the drama committee of the Pulitzer Prizes. His arts criticism also has appeared often in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, American Theatre magazine and numerous other newspapers and magazines. For many years, he has chaired the American Theatre Critics Association committee that annually recommends a theater to receive the Tony Award for outstanding regional theater. or much of the 1980s he contributed film reviews, interviews and reports for WCBE-FM in Columbus, Ohio, and also served as the long-time film critic for Columbus Alive newspaper. He also has reviewed film and theater for WFMT radio in Chicago and has contributed chapters to several books. His numerous guest TV appearances range from "E! The True Hollywood Story" to "Nightline" with Ted Koppel. He has also been heard many times on National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Jones spent 10 years teaching at Northern Illinois University, where he served as both an associate professor and as assistant chair of the School of Theatre and Dance. He also served as associate dean of DePaul University's Theatre School, where he continues to be an adjunct professor. His honors include the Gold Medallion from the American College Theatre Festival, for his work with young theater critics.
A native of Manchester, England, Jones earned a doctorate from the Ohio State University in 1989. He lives in Evanston with his wife Gillian Darlow and their two young boys, Peter and Evan.
http://bio.tribune.com/ChrisJones