| Billy Elliot the Musical Pulls No Punches |
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| Written by MattRyan | |
| Thursday, 05 February 2009 | |
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Discover Why Crowds are Being Wowed by Billy
Discover Why Crowds are Being Wowed by Billy The Broadway show "Billy Elliot" opened at the Imperial Theatre in New York City October 8, 2008. The critics are effusive and overwhelmingly positive as they heap praise and honors onto this lively and uplifting musical production and its creators. The stage show might best be described as a triumphant and uplifting event that pays tribute to a young boy's strength and courage. A study in contrasts that creates multiple emotions at once and many in the audience are seen smiling and crying at the same time. WHAT BILLY TEACHES US The show begins with an introduction to Billy's life that includes many rich details that are effectively used to bring the working class culture of his County, Durham home clearly into focus. At the impressionable and tender age of 11 this young boy is living in a rough and tumble working class community where men are Men, boys learn how to box early, and the only future is working in the mines. Billy's mother has died and he is the youngest child in a family now being reared by a single father who only knows the narrow rules and expectations that are the result of his own restrictive and impoverished life. The time setting is in the mid 1980s when a miner's strike is making an already difficult life much worse. For Billy the only refuge he has is in the ballet and dance classes that he has discovered. Billy stumbles upon dancing class by accident and not design. These classes are being taught by a Mrs. Wilkerson, who becomes the mentor and only support in Billy's world. The world of dance is the one thing that offers hope and a reason to dream to the young boy. Billy's desperate desire is to attend London's Royal Ballet School and it is his teacher who encourages this fragile hope at the very beginning. Quite obviously, dancing is not an acceptable activity for those of the male persuasion in Billy's neighborhood, and to work for and believe in his dream, Billy must confront his own fears, in addition to the fears and the restricted thinking of everyone around him. There's hardly an obstacle Billy doesn't face on his route to pursue his dream, including taunts and bullying by children his own age. Even as Billy must persevere through this treatment, his own father forbids him to dance. Billy, despite knowledge of the severity of the punishment that awaits him, continues to dance, and to follow his dream. Billy continues to push even when he's told that what he dreams for is impossible. He simply refuses to let go of the only thing in his life that affords it true meaning. Billy vows that nothing will stop him from achieving his dream, and he prepares himself as if for battle. The story shows how faith, determination and desire together can triumph against literally impossible odds - and somehow it does it believably. Live Show Special Features Both the stage and the 2000 movie productions were handled by the same creative team, which might go some distance in explaining the success of Billy's stage performance. The score of the musical production is the result of the unparalleled work of Sir Elton John, and, as with most successful shows and movies, this soundtrack plays a key role in perfecting the backdrop of this presentation with spirited and uplifting songs honoring the human spirit. Choreographer Peter Darling has the young dancers performing some dazzling, impressive routines that some say are even better than those he scripted for the feature film. The direction of Stephen Daldry is superb and the crafting and handling of the scenes maximizes the emotional impact while highlighting the real lessons found in this amazing story. Well Deserved Triumph and a Bright Future The stage production of "Billy Elliot" debuted at the Victoria Palace in London in May, 2005. It debuted in Australia in December, 2007. To date, over two million tickets have been sold in these two countries. This show has already been performed over 1300 times. In addition to the current Imperial Theatre run underway in New York City, there are January, 2009 performances scheduled in Toronto, Canada as well. About the Author: Written by Matt Ryan, sponsored by StubPass.com. StubPass sells Billy Elliot Tickets, sporting event tickets, concert event tickets, theater tickets, Broadway Tickets and more to your favorite events around the world. From the Webmaster: "Having the opportunity to share my hobbies and interests with so many people around the world gives me great satisfaction. As a bonus, I blog and produce websites about topics that interest me and receive ad revenue from the websites and Blogs." You can live like this too. 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