Billy Elliot the Forum

Here's the first press review of the Stratford production of BETM I've seen, following the official Opening Night performance last evening.

"For two-and-a-half hours Tuesday night, Nolen Dubuc was Billy Elliot to a packed house at the opening of the Stratford Festival’s Billy Elliot The Musical, and the gifted 11-year-old’s performance elicited thunderous applause and roars of approval again and again. It’s an astonishing performance for one so young, and puts your kid’s solo in last year’s school Christmas pageant into perspective. With a supporting cast of veteran and novice talent alike, the production absorbs the audience with its genuineness and raw emotion."

https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/lo ... 3913758efa

And another very positive review of the Stratford show, this one by The Star.

Nolen Dubuc, in particular, gets very high marks for his performance: "Dubuc gives the role everything, from his profound yells in “Angry Dance,” to the heart and grace of the ballet pas de deux, to the audition dance “Electricity,” to which he brings impressive gymnastic as well as dancing skills. Commercial productions use alternating casts of Billys, but in the Stratford repertory the role is Dubuc’s alone, and he owns it."

https://pres5.com/forextrading/nolen-du ... e-musical/

From The Globe and Mail: "Stratford Festival 2019: Billy Elliot is an electric exploration of community versus individual, ensemble versus star".

BWW's review:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/toronto/a ... l-20190530

These are some of the best reviews I've ever seen, and all pouring in so quickly! Congratulations to everyone involved!

Sean

Another great review:

http://www.entertainthisthought.com/201 ... sical-2019

I saw Billy at Stratford this past Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it. What I was most enamored with is the overall quality of the production, which is one of the best in the past few years of North American regional shows. The choreography and staging are fresh and original. This production is in no way a copy of
what we've seen anywhere else, but there are enough similiarities to give it a similar look and feel.

The thrust stage is an unusual setup for BETM, although a few recent productions have used it (Signature
and Seacoast). There is less scenery than other productions, but you really don't miss it. They make great
use of the space. I liked seeing the "Vom" used as the entrance to the mine pit at the beginning and end of
the show.

Some shows have a Billy who stands out as being much more talented than the rest of the production. In this case it's almost the opposite. The production elements, including sound quality, lighting design, and most of the cast, are so good that it almost doesn't matter how strong the Billy is. Not to say Nolen is weak, but I'd say he fits in nicely. He is also very small and has plenty of potential to grow in the role, if given the chance.

I’d say Nolen is a very good Billy, one of the better I've seen in recent years. He has the overall acting,
singing and personality down pat. His Electricity is mostly gymnastics, and has at least three or four
aerials and other flips.

This Mrs. Wilkinson is one of the best I've seen anywhere. I also have high praise for Grandma, Tony, and
Michael but wasn't a big fan of how Dad played the role.

The "Express" scene was especially memorable for me. Emerson Gamble has great comic timing and personality as Michael. The scene design for the bedroom is totally off the wall. It looks more like a TV game show, complete with mirrors that light up. Their design for the dancing dresses is something I wish the tour had thought of. The whole number was a big riot!

For nearly every US regional show I've seen I left feeling glad to have seen the show, but not wanting to
see it again. In the Stratford case I would definitely be open to seeing it again, probably a few times. It
was that good. If it wasn't for the 3+ hour drive from Rochester I would see it several times. I wish they
had cast two Billys, to make it worth seeing shows back to back.

If anyone is considering going, Toronto is just a two hour drive from Stratford. Toronto currently has
productions of "Book of Mormon", "Come From Away", "Dear Evan Hansen" and "The Lion King" playing. Also
within two hours of Stratford is the Shaw Festival at Niagara On The Lake, another small town that presents a big summer theatre season each year.
--Chris

A glowing review from the Buffalo Theatre Guide:

https://buffalotheatreguide.com/2019/07 ... -festival/

Another excellent review of BETM (and the other three productions currently running at the Stratford Festival) is offered by the Oakland Press:

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/enterta ... 37e0a.html

Here's a nice blog review by someone who is a frequent visitor to the Stratford Festival and usually writes about Fine Music.

https://fine-music.blogspot.com/?spref=tw