Well, it has been a while since I saw the last of my 7 BETMS during my London Billython, and so I thought I would take a moment to talk about how I felt about the show, bit by bit. (NOTE: This review was originally posted on two BETM fan forums; it was expected to be read by people who have at least some knowledge of BETM.)
Billy Elliot, the Musical
October 7th – 11th, 2008
Act I:
The beginning, when Small Boy comes down to the front of the theatre, chats a bit with the MD, and then climbs on stage, is brilliant. You just know something special is happening. And when he sits down to watch the newsreel, it somehow forces the audience to pay attention to it as well.
And then, as the music starts for the first time just as the miners in the newsreel are walking towards the camera, it is an amazing moment. I will confess that I got chills every time the music started. The Stars Look Down really sets the stage so well, telling us in just those few short minutes who these people are and what their lives are like, and then introducing us to Billy, showing him as someone who has something special inside of him, even if he doesn’t know what it is yet.
I thought him saying “F***ed if I know” is very important to establishing his charcter, and I am sorry to hear that they may not use that on Broadway.
And when he sings his bit, I like the way he moves on the stage, making up his own dance.
EDIT: I have often wondered what the whole “Take me up…” thing is about, but now I have a thought. If you notice at the beginning, Jackie kind of drags Billy into the hall and sits him down, as though he is in trouble for something. And he sits there throughout the rest of the scene until he gets up to sing. I think he is thinking about and singing about his mother, wishing she were there because nothing seems to be going right with dad.
(By the way, anyone else ever wonder what it was that Billy seemed to be in trouble for?)
The first time the bedroom/kitchen set rises out of the stage floor is a great moment. If you think about the show and the story, this piece of set design is a masterpiece. Someone surely stuck to their guns on this one, no doubt after numerous people probably said, “You want to do what under our stage???!!!” Once you see it, you really understand that it couldn’t have been done any other way.
That whole first kitchen scene does a wonderful job of establishing characters. You get a feel for who dad, Tony, grandma and Billy are, and the presence of Dead Mum helps establish her as well, although I think maybe an audience member who has not read their program might not get it.
One of the things that I think is done so well with BETM is the blending of comedy throughout the show, which really starts with the boxing scene. I liked the way that different Michael’s and different George’s make this scene interesting and fresh every time. And of course the small boy really shines during the boxing scene; his few lines are just hysterically funny.
Shine is thoroughly entertaining. You can really believe you are watching a girls’ ballet class. They are all such unique characters that it makes the whole of who they are so much better. They are clumsy or overweight or totally uninterested or totally over-eager. It is so evident that care has been taken to make sure each girl knows who she is. And Mrs. W. (I saw both Jackie and the alternate and loved them both) is quickly established as a somewhat tragic figure who manages through the course of the show to triumph in her own way. It has always struck me as interesting that without any spoken words, you know in this scene that she has seen something in Billy. So well written, the interaction between her and Billy at the end of that scene, neither one of them wanting to say the truth: her, that she thinks Billy has incredible potential but isn’t about to beg; Billy, that he really wants to come back but doesn’t want to be a sissy.
I confess to never having liked Grandma’s Song on the OCR. And even in the version of it I saw in the clip with Liam in Sound of Musicals, I wasn’t overly impressed. To see it live in the show is to begin to appreciate it more. I think it is masterfully staged, a remarkable piece of theatre, and both Grandmas I saw did wonderfully. I enjoyed the chance to see it done two different ways. Carole Shelly, the actress who will be playing Grandma on Broadway, made an interesting point about the song in a recent interview. Basically what she said is that Grandma’s Song is a lesson to Billy that doing what other people expect of you can be a dreadful mistake. I like that very much. But in the end, I couldn’t wait for it to be over and get on with the action! Smile
It is often said that the only purpose to a song in a musical is to advance the story; if the song doesn’t pass that test, it should not be in the show. I suspect that there is no finer example of a song advancing a story than Solidarity! It is the most brilliant piece of musical theatre I have ever seen, and my mind boggles to think that there are people so amazingly talented in this world to think up something so extraordinary. The musicality of it, the interaction of the characters, and the fact that it covers a 4 week (or more?) period of time in one song, just amaze me. You see the strike become more intense, Billy become a better dancer, and the relationship between Mrs. W. and Billy change, as well as her relationship with the rest of the class. Enough can not be said about the power of this scene.
A quick comment no on a matter that I will discuss in depth in talking about the Winter Scene. I felt that the line, “You don’t fancy us, do you, miss?” was rushed by one or two of the Billys. I do not know if this is a directorial issue, or a performance issue. DIscussion of rushed lines to follow further on.
Expressing Yourself is the comic masterpiece of the show. I think this is really where you get a feel for the talent these kids really have. I have to admit that a couple of times I felt the dancing was a bit off, but not enough to make it less entertaining for me. This is another part of the show where each one was different; the way the Michaels and Billys interacted was so varied, it became a fresh act every time.
This is a good point to mention something else. There is not one time where I felt the line delivery or the performances of any of the actors, adults or children, was anything less than natural. (Later on in my comments about the winter scene I will talk about something that did feel was un-natural, but as it happened in every show, I feel this is a directorial issue.) These people, and especially these kids, are brilliant actors and actresses. No stepped on lines, no awkward movements, and even when something didn’t go right, as when Billy rolled and didn’t get his arms in that sarongy like thing, they just worked with it as if it was always that way. I also noticed this in the breakfast scene early on, and was told this by one of the regulars, that when Billy is all alone in the kitchen cleaning up, he has to pick up any bread that is on the floor. Some shows there might not be any, and other shows it is always in a different place. But every Billy I saw always did this as though it was just part of him cleaning the kitchen.
Anyway, back to Expressing Yourself, I loved each Michael, although I never really got a feel for Jonty as I only saw him once and I was paying more attention to Fox than Jonty. But all of them were amazingly talented individuals, and their little bit all alone on the stage at the end is priceless!!
A final comment about Expressing Yourself and the show in general. There were a lot of times, through all 7 shows, where I really felt the music drowned out the words, either when it was the background for a spoken scene or when there was a dance routine. About half the shows, I did not hear the jokes in EY, and probably would not have understood any of them had I not already known most of them. And when Billy says the dresses are dancing, I bet almost no one hears Michael saying, “You should see what my underwear can do.”
The Letter – I don’t know if I am a heartless b*****d or have just been inured from being overly emotional after hearing it so many times in various forms, including a couple where the Billy was so emotional you can not hear any of the words, though this usually occurs in the reprise. So seeing it on stage did not bring to me the required emotional impact. This is an area where I thought Tom really excelled; I really felt he was crying. Now mind you, I enjoyed the letter immensely, but not a sobber for me. This might also come from the fact that I felt a stronger kinship to my dad, who is passed on, than to my mother, who is still alive. (See “He Could Be A Star” for more dad relationship stuff.)
Born to Boogie – This is so much fun in person, and yet another song which takes place over time, although you don’t really understand that as clearly until you see that the relationship between Billy and Mr. B. changes as the scene progresses. I thought this was wonderfully entertaining, and all three boys and all of the people who played Mr. B. and Mrs. W. just made this great! Fox wasn’t able to do the barani off the piano, but that didn’t lessen the enjoyment at all.
Angry Dance – having nowt to go on, I do enjoy the whole prelude building up to the Angry Dance. I think the confrontation is great and I must say that Angry Dance is something to see on stage. I loved watching the kicking of the railing in time with the music, and the dancing in general. I did, however, have trouble with some of Billy’s movements where it looks like he has stomach cramps from a bad taco. The intensity at the end, with the banging of the shields and the volume of the music is amazing, and overall it is an intense way to end the first half!! I hear that the U.S. version does not seem to be nearly as intense, and if true, that is too bad!
INTERVAL – this is the first professional theatre production I have seen as an adult. Ice cream? Booze? £2 bottles of water? However, I did have some nice chats with Alistair, the nice young guy that runs the concession stand by the stage – at least he did all the shows I was at. This is the person who some people jokingly call “Corey’s brother”.
Act II:
It should be mandated by law that all productions of BETM begin Act II the way it is done in London. I really enjoy the audience interaction. I think it is a marvelous away to get people to settle down in their seats and really become a part of Billy’s life again after a brief break. And each George played it a little differently, one of them letting Billy read out the number (Tanner always did 8Cool, while the other picking through the drawing tickets himself. The political joke changed from my first show to my last. As I was there during the worldwide financial meltdown, the joke became about Gordon Brown, MP, having a financial crises because he had all his money in an Icelandic bank. Great way to tie the current events in with Billy’s time. I think Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher is a hoot, and really fun to watch the different characters during each performance, with special attention to Shaun, who was always a blast. Again, it is ensemble moments like this where the quality of the acting really shines through. The way they interact with each other seems so natural. This may seem trivial, but even the way the Michaels interacted with Billy’s grandma seemed just the way a kid would act with his best friend’s grandma, who has probably known him since he was born anyway. You really get a sense of community with MCMT. I hear that this has been shortened in the Broadway version; don’t know how or why or if it makes a difference, but to me MCMT is perfect and should be left alone.
(BTW, in passing I should note that except for the Billys, Michaels, Mrs. W. and Grandma, I never really got who was who the week I was there. So I never knew or frankly cared who played Debbie. I know that one guy played dad most of the time, and then one show someone else did. Same with Tony I think, and Mr. B, because I know one big guy could do the splits and the other guy couldn’t. Sorry to all you true fanatics out there. I am just not good with people, as evidenced by the fact that I had just met patc and five minutes later thought he was someone else. So freaking embarrassing! Sorry patc! Anyway, back to business.)
I loved Deep Into The Ground, not for the song itself, but for the staging of it, the way the community kind of dwindles and disappears. I liked the little things in the background, like when someone touches Grandma to kind of provide a bit of comfort, and when Tony elbows Billy and Billy either gives him a dirty look and/or says something before moving away. One thing I did find interesting, is that on the OCR, Billy’s last line in it is, “NOW I won’t leave here until I die” giving the impression that he has reconciled himself to never getting out of the town. All of the shows I saw, Billy sings, “AND I won’t leave here until I die,” which gives it another meaning entirely.
Okay, now we are at the winter scene. This is where I have a couple of gripes that I would like to bring forth. First, I am a big believer in the suspension of disbelief. I am willing to accept talking donkeys and a park with dinosaurs, etc. But you have to give me a good reason. According to the beginning of Act II, the winter scene is taking place 8 months after the start of the strike, and the start of the play. Act I ends after 2 months into the strike, meaning there is 6 months that have passed between the time that Billy is banned from dancing, and the time that he and Michael are alone in the union hall. Now, Billy and Michael are best friends, right, and presumably have spent a lot of time together. So how come Michael just now learns that Billy hasn’t been going to dancing lessons? No, this didn’t ruin the show for me at all, but just one of those things my quirky mind picks up on.
My second gripe about the winter scene is the directorial issue I mentioned earlier, because every Billy and Michael do this scene exactly the same. (Paraphrasing the following lines.) When Michael says “Well, maybe it’s for the best.” And Billy says, “Why do you say that?”. And then Michael says, “I’d miss you.” Those three lines are rushed so badly, I find it annoying, especially when Michael almost speaks on top of Billy’s line, so that they both get lost. It seems so very un-natural to me, as though they know what they are going to say. The thing is, for the sake of clarity and drama itself, there at least needs to be some pause for Michael to think clearly about how he is going to tell Billy that he will miss him. This is what I think, and many others have disagreed with me.
Now, at this point, they turn their backs to each other. I do not know why. Supposedly it is because of the intimacy of Michael saying he would miss Billy, but it never worked for me, and the pause is SOOOOOOOOOOO long here, in the first show I thought someone had forgotten a line. So now we have the reverse, where the pause is too long in stead of not long enough.
And now that I have gotten those two things off my chest, let me say that love the winter scene, right from the moment Billy sticks that can of beer out knowing Michael is gonna come get it. It is always such a delight to see Billy not run away or turn against his friend once Michael kisses him. It says so much about his character. And of course the rest of the scene is hysterical; I loved the nutcracker line, and just the whole winter scene, even with the flaws that I perceived.
Swan Lake (Dream ballet) took me quite by surprise, not in its presence, but in its majesty. To see it seven times and really not see any flaws or serious lack of synchronization is remarkable, and what a wonderful way to show off each Billy’s ballet skills and to show the sheer joy Billy has in dancing. And when he is spinning above the stage at the end with his older self saluting him and the audience gong crazy, another moment of chills for me, most unexpected. Of course, you are always hoping that by this time the pizza you saw being taken backstage between the afternoon and evening shows has safely settled in Billy’s tummy.
Moving quickly past the scene at Mrs. Wilkinson’s house and on to He Could Be A Star. Perhaps because of my own relationship with my father, this is one of the most moving parts of the show for me. I love the way the initial altercation between Jackie and Tony is half sung, half shouted. Then the emotion of what Jackie is willing to do for his son, to turn his back on everything he believes in, and the emotion of Tony trying to stop his dad. I think this is when Tony really understands how important it is that Billy gets his chance. And then when the miners all begin to pitch in and the community as a whole, realizing that to save themselves and their community, they need to save Jackie and his Billy. I am even moved later when the scab donates money.
This review has gotten a lot longer than intended, so I guess I am in a rush to the end. Audition scene was wonderfully funny, and I loved the interactions of dad with posh dad and Scottish dancer. All great, and of course Electricity is such a masterpiece. I really liked Fox’s acting while he sang this. We he sang about flying, he really looked like he was dreaming about flying. One of my goals for my first Billython was to see a street Billy in full form. Sadly, this did not come to pass. Layton did not do his scheduled performance, and Fox was injured so did not do the wall flip and had less tumbling than normal. And yet Electricity is such a joy to watch that none of this mattered a bit! To see those boys hold pose at the end and break into smiles at the applause is worth it all.
Once We Were Kings is great, enjoyed watching Dad and Billy pack. BTW, I happen to own two of those miners’ lamps that Tony gives Billy. Although it is not spoken, you know it is given so that Billy will always be able to find his way home. And of course Billy jumping into dad’s arms gives me chills again.
I think the moment when the miners drop down behind the stage, with their lights blinding the audience, is marvelous. I also really enjoy that point when they are singing a-capella(sp?) and the MD stands to direct them. That just seems so right.
We have already discussed the Letter (aka, Dear Billy), and his reply is slightly more moving than the first Letter, but I still didn’t feel overly moved, but again that is just the kind of person I am. I think if I were watching a last night and a sobbing Billy, I would have been moved.
Just as I enjoyed how the show started with Small Boy climbing onto the stage, I really like Billy jumping off of it at that same point and slowly walking up the aisle. They display such emotion and sadness; it is hard not to be moved.
While I find the final scene when Michael yells, “Oy, dancin’ boy” very moving, I do have a couple of problems with it. 1) In several of the shows I saw, the music was too loud to really hear Michael clearly say, “See you Billy.” 2) Even when I did hear it, I thought it sounded more like Billy was going off to summer camp for a week. In the OCR, when Brad says “Yeah, see yah Billy,” you really feel like this kid knows Billy is escaping and he, Michael, is stuck in this dying mining town. I really never felt that in any of the 7 shows I saw.
But still, as the curtain falls and the music swells and you see Michael all alone on that stage, you can’t help but feel you have just seen something remarkably special.
The finale is one of the few parts of the show that I had seen many clips of, mostly illegal, before I saw BETM. I have always thought it was one of the high points in the show. I think it is that time when the kid who plays Billy gets up in front of the audience and says, through the finale dance, this is MY show, even as he salutes the people who made him look so good. I really like the sharp taps and the slow beginning to the finale, gradually increasing in tempo and complexity of movement until that moment when the music hits the crescendo and the lights burst up! It was magic for me!!!
Michael Caine was asked one time how he chooses a movie script. He said (paraphrasing), “I look at who my character is at the beginning, and I look at him at the end, and if he hasn’t grown or significantly changed by the end of the movie, I don’t want to play him.” The growth of the characters is the goal of any great theatrical production, and BETM achieves this with so many of the characters.
Billy, of course, who is off to find the dancer inside of him, and also finally able to reconcile himself with the loss of his mother.
Dad, who is at peace with his son, and with himself for doing the right thing, perhaps for the first time since his wife died being the man he had once been.
Tony, who realizes that there are many ways for a family to gain honor, and it isn’t always with violence, but sometimes with grace.
Mrs. W., who has gained a feeling of self worth and fulfillment, in knowing that by giving of herself so freely, she has launched something incredibly beautiful.
And finally, Michael, who knows that there is at least one person in the world who accepts him and loves him for exactly who he is.
I think that the reason so many of us are hooked on BETM is that it is a moveable feast, a buffet where we know the menu, but we don’t know what special surprise the chef has planned for us. Each visit to BETM becomes an adventure, and as you know what to expect, so you tend to explore an area that you had not ventured into before, like watching Shaun during Maggie Thatcher, or seeing which girls are beating up on Billy in Shine. And when new cast members arrive, you start all over again, wondering how the new Michael’s will bring their special talents to EY, and how a new Billy will perform Electricity.
I am not the first person to say that BETM is probably the most amazing musical ever conceived and produced. No other show has put the weight of its success on a child’s back. No other show has gathered and then nurtured such remarkably talented children. No other show has caused boys all over the world to want to dance. And I suspect no other show has ever created a cadre of fans who would willingly sit through it 7 shows in a row, or see it every week, or see it 300 times. But then, of those 300 shows one person has seen, he has never seen the same show twice. How amazing is that?
Seven shows in one week were not enough. I could have stayed in London and seen two dozen more and never tired of it. I thought that my London Billython would get BETM out of my system. Oh foolish me.
BETM will go away some day and there will be nothing to take its place. Hopefully the adventure continues for a long, long time.
(Went back and edited out some typos; prolly missed a few.)
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“Uncle Dave’s Birthday Billython” – London – October 7th – 11th, 2008 – *Tanner x 3, Tom x 2, Fox x 2, Shaun x 2, Lewis x 4, Jonty x 1 – *first Billy