**** Highly Recommended The Paramount Theatre production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, stark, dark, industrial, is magnificent. Superb acting, larger than life production numbers, incredible dancing – both ballet and tap – demand your attention, and yet, in the middle of all that spectacle, there are all these small quietly emotional scenes, too. The miners are men’s men, the strikers and the police have violent clashes, the little girls giggle, but the emotions are honest and open. Gritty, sometimes violent, often profane, but in the end triumphant, Billy Elliot gets 4 BIG Spotlights.
The success if this production rests squarely on the shoulders of a pair of 11-year-old boys, Neo Del Corral (left) and Sam Duncan (right) who alternate in the role of Billy Elliot. Both of them are incredible actors, singers AND dancers! Sam Duncan played Billy in the performance I saw, so I’ll be raving about him.
I remember many of my friends were unhappy with the touring production – mainly because they couldn’t understand the accents. Kudos to Paramount’s Dialect Coach Susan Gosdick for all her work. I think these accents are just about perfect – broad enough to be authentic, yet toned down enough to be understandable.
Even more kudos to Scenic Designer Michelle Lily and Lighting Designer Greg Hofmann for the dystopian set. A steel girder, a gigantic wheel and a pulley occupy one side of the stage. They’re awesome standing still, but you won’t believe what they do when they start moving! The rest of the wide open set is furnished with a pair of huge steel frames with stairs leading up to platforms which are moved into different configurations in different scenes. The most awesome – when Billy and the girls in the ballet class dance while these platforms are in constant motion above and around them for about five straight minutes.
As the curtain went up, a screen displayed news reel shots of Margaret Thatcher and members of the government juxtaposed with shots of striking British miners rioting. It seems that when the coal miners in northern England went out on strike, Margaret Thatcher set out to break the union, devastating the communities that depended on those coal miners’ earnings. It is safe to say that the miners hate the prime minister.
The Elliot family is grieving the loss of their wife/mother. Dad (Ron E. Rains) is doing the best he can to take care of his family – even trying to cook breakfast. Son, Tony (Spencer Davis Milford), who also works in the mine, is angry all the time. 12-year-old Billy (Sam Duncan), who really needs his Mum (Jennie Sophia), sees her everywhere. Grandma (Barbara E. Robertson) is getting really forgetful, so everyone pitches in to watch her.
In this particular community, boys take boxing lessons, girls take ballet. Billy is pathetic at boxing, according to his instructor, George (Joe Foust). Try not to be offended when George casually whacks one of the boys or pinches another, it’s the way it was in that town at that time. When useless Billy is ordered to spend an extra half hour with the bag, his time overlaps with the ballet class taught by Mrs. Wilkinson (Michelle Aravena), so she invited him to join in. When Billy tried a few things, he found he could actually do them, so he came back the next week. A few weeks later, when Dad found out he was paying for ballet instead of boxing, he told Billy to quit.
The Ballet Girls are: Debbie Wilkinson (Omi Lichtenstein or Elin Joy Seiler), Tracey Atkinson (Jordan Helvie or Piper Sobel), Angela Robson (Ava Barabasz or Nina Poulimas), Keeley Gibson (Avelyn Choi or Asha Dale Hopman), Margaret Gormley (Jojo Nabwangu or Willa Zatzenbloom), Julie Hope (Maya Keane or Meena Sood), Susan Parks (Alexandria Rose Bell or Kavia Suri Kakodkar), and Sharon Percy (Annabel Finch or Katie Romanski).
During ballet classes, the piano player, Mr. Braithwaite (Dakota Hughes) patiently waits to play for the girls, occasionally, he lets his inner Jerry Garcia out. In one scene, he celebrates with Billy and Mrs. Wilkinson, singing and dancing to Born to Boogie.
After working with Billy outside of class for months, Mrs. Wilkinson suggests that he audition for the Royal Ballet School. When Dad and Tony found out he was still dancing, they went totally ballistic, since, of course, it’s not a manly thing to do.
Chock full of British humor, Billy Elliot even includes a Christmas pantomime (an obligatory part of Christmas in Great Britain) lampooning the prime minister with Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher.
There’s a touching yet hilarious scene where Billy’s friend Michael Caffrey (Gabriel Lafazan), who is definitely exploring his sexual identity, persuades Billy to try on a dress. They have fun adding accessories to their outfits as they singing that boys can wear girls’ clothes in a show-stopper called Express Yourself. By the way, Lafazan is amazing in the part!
One of the very best scenes in the show – a glorious pas de deux between Young Billy and Older Billy (Christopher Kelley) in which Young Billy literally soars above the stage.
There are so many talented people appearing in this show I have to give them credit too. They are: Big Davey (Neil Friedman), Lesley (Matt Miles), Tall Boy (Archer Geye or Charlie Long), Scab (Brian Hupp), Small Boy (Levi Merlo or Eli Vander Griend), Pit Official (Michael Earvin Martin), Clipboard Woman (Liz Pazik), Posh Dad (Chiis Khoshaba), Scottish Dancer (Conor Jordan), Audition Panelists (Lydia Burke, Brian Hupp, Conor Jordan, Chris Khoshaba).
The Ensemble includes Brian Bandura, Lydia Burke, Nathan Gallop, Jared David Michael Grant, Kevin Kuska, Concetta Russo and Matthew Weidenbener.
Orchestra: Kory Danielson (Conductor & Keyboard 1), Cameron Tragessor (Associate Conductor & Keyboard 2), Sean McNeely (Reed 1 – flute, soprano sax, tenor sax), Lara Ochoa Regan (Reed 2 – alto sax, clarinet), Edgar Campos (Trumpet/Cornet/Flugelhorn), Sharon James (Horn), Dve Saenger (Guitars – banjo, electric, steel string acoustic, 12-string acoustic, 6-string acoustic), Jake Saleh (Electric Bass), Dan Leali (Drums).
I think "Billy Elliot" is perfect for tweens and teens. Even though there are a few blue words, I'm sure they've already heard (and used) most of them.
“Billy Elliot” runs through March 24th at the Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Blvd, Aurora. Valet parking is available, plenty of street parking too.
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes, with an intermission.
Performances are Wednesdays at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 1:00 and 5:30 p.m. Tickets range from $56-$158. FYI (630) 896-6666 or www.paramountaurora.com