REVIEW: “Billy Elliot” – A Meaningful Story & A Production That Meets the Challenge

When Elton John saw the movie Billy Elliot at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, he wept. He stated, “The story is very similar to mine: Trying to be something out of the ordinary. Having a talent and wanting to break free from what others want you to do.”

John was so inspired that he approached a director about making the film into a stage musical. After many rejections, based on “who wants to see a musical of striking miners and a kid in Northern England,” John prevailed. The results? A musical that won 10 Tony Awards and has been seen by over 4.5 million people. A musical which opened on Sunday evening to an enthusiastic audience at the State Theatre. They came expecting something special and from the way they responded, they received it.

Billy Elliot is not the traditional feel good musical. Yes, in the end there is a happy ending; but, in the process, the story of an adolescent who discovers he has a talent for dance and pursues it against the vehement objections of his father and the derision of his coal mining villagers is also filled with the devastating repercussions of the 1984 British coal miners strike, which has affected that country until this day.

Besides the low-key Elton John music, the thing that seems to most excite the audience is the boy, actually boys, playing Billy. As Stephen Daldry, the show’s choreographer puts it, “Not only is the character [Billy] onstage for the better part of three hours, he sings, acts, speaks with a Northern English dialect, does gymnastics, and dances in a variety of styles.” In the touring production, the part of Billy is traded off by five boys.

Opening night found 13-year old Giuseppe Bausilio, from Bern, Switzerland, who recently appeared in the role during the Chicago run of the show, as Billy. Other Billys on this tour are from Australia, Michigan and California. The average stay for a Billie is 1.5 years. They physically grow and their voices change. In fact, ”each boy grows out of their shoes at least once, often twice during their time in the role.”

The plot revolves around a boy whose mother has died and is being brought up by his grandmother, coal mining father and brother, and who, under the guidance of a tough minded dance teacher, trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. It is based on A. J. Cronin’s novel The Stars Look Down, to which the musical’s opening song pays homage.

As Alex, my 15-year-old grandson who comes along to productions to give the tween-teen point of view, stated, “This is more than a musical about a kid with untapped talent. There is a strong story of history that has to be understood in order to gain a true understanding of the show.” With that in mind he indicated the need to read the information in the program or the poster in the lobby in order to gain the necessary background. “It also might not be appropriate for younger kids due to the language and the story, but they could appreciate the dancing and the fun parts.” He was impressed by the dancing, thought the singing was acceptable, and the storyline was well developed.

The touring production is blessed with a uniformly excellent cast, headed by the multi-talented Faith Prince, probably best known for her Tony award-winning portrayal of Adelaide in the revival of Guys and Dolls. Highlight performers included Jacob Zelonky as Billy’s cross-dressing chum, Rich Hebert as Dad, Patti Perkins as Grandma and Jeff Kready as Billy’s brother.

Highlights of the show include a balletic duet performed by Maximilien Baud and Bausilio, the intense “Angry Dance,” and the exuberant “Express Yourself.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during the original “Dear Billy,” a letter from Billy’s dead mother to him, and the song’s revival, in which Billy writes.

The full orchestra was excellent, as was the corps dancing. The stylistic settings, though somewhat low budget, worked.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: Billy Elliot The Musical will hit audiences on many levels. There is a solid story, excellent dancing, quality acting and a talented 13-year-old. BTW—don’t run out at the start of the curtain calls… it’s worth the wait to see the cast totally let loose in a rousing after-act.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko. Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info. His reviews can also be found on NeOHIOpal and CoolCleveland.com.

Roy Berko, who is a life-long Clevelander, is a Renaissance man. Believing the line in Robert Frost’s poem “Road Not Taken,” each time he comes to a fork in the road, he has taken the path less traveled. He holds degrees, thought the doctorate from Kent State, University of Michigan and The Pennsylvania State University. His present roles, besides husband and grandfather, are professor, crisis counselor, author and entertainment reviewer… Read Roy Berko’s complete bio here

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REVIEW: “Dividing The Estate” – A Lesson in Good Southern Storytelling

Humans are storytellers. We tell tales to set patterns for our cultures, to have family continuity, to create histories and retain traditions.

In US American culture, some of the best storytellers are southern. This may well be because of the sense of community, the large African American population whose traditions include oral storytelling, and the commonality of a unified history concerning slavery, class standing and privilege. Writers like Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty and Harper Lee come to mind.

The storytelling southern tradition also gave birth to such playwrights as Lillian Hellman, Alfred Uhry, Tennessee Williams and Horton Foote. Foote’s Dividing the Estate is now being staged by Ensemble Theatre.

Foote is at his best when he is dissecting the emotional dynamics of southern townsfolk. Dividing the Estate is Foote at his writing best. He creates a tale of a formerly wealthy and landed family, with a questionable history, whose privilege is evaporating in the change of the economic climate. Family squabbling and squawking emerge as the Gordon clan realizes that life, as they know it, is quickly being extinguished. Much like the message of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, Foote’s subjects are mostly obtuse to the changes that are taking place, often living in a fantasy world of their own design.

It’s Harrison, Texas. Three generations of malcontents pass the time in Southern style, drinking iced tea and hard liquor, gossiping, sparring and infighting over money and lifestyles. Interestingly, though the play takes place in 1987, it is relevant today.

The Gordons, ruled by Stella, a mentally failing octogenarian matriarch, are totally unprepared for the reality of an uncertain future when plunging real estate values and an unexpected tax bill have a negative impact on the family fortune. Stella’s children–predatory Mary Jo, complacent Lucille, and alcoholic Lewis–engage in a debate about whether or not they should divide the estate while their mother is still alive in order to ensure themselves financial independence. When reality hits, all the pretenses go flying out the window.

Ensemble’s production, under the watchful eye of Sarah May, effectively milks Foote’s very southern context. Accents are on target, pacing generally good, ideas develop clearly, and the major characters are well-textured. Forced to move a huge cast around the postage-stamped Brook’s Theatre stage is a major chore which is not always accomplished, especially when we are supposed to be observing a grand, though tired, southern mansion. There is often a feeling of confinement which doesn’t fit the message. There are also line stumbles which, hopefully, disappear during the run of the show.

Strong performances are given by Bernice Bolek as Stella, the matriarch who refuses to accept change is a comin’. Robert Hawkes, as the alcoholic Lewis, walks the fine line between reality and drunkenness with finesse. Anne McEvoy makes daughter Lucille a real person, who is one of the few who grasps reality. Valerie Young is so successful as the self-centered Mary Jo that I wanted to jump on stage and, in good old southern fashion, give her a “womp upside her h’ad.” Gregory White is compelling as Doug, the 90-something year old servant. The rest of the cast varies from proficient to acceptable.

Given the constraints of the minute stage size, scenic designer Ron Newell justifiably goes for grand furniture rather than massive set.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: If you like a well-written story about fading southern gentility filled with some laughs and clear characterizations, you’ll enjoy Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko. Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info. His reviews can also be found on NeOHIOpal and CoolCleveland.com.

Roy Berko, who is a life-long Clevelander, is a Renaissance man. Believing the line in Robert Frost’s poem “Road Not Taken,” each time he comes to a fork in the road, he has taken the path less traveled. He holds degrees, thought the doctorate from Kent State, University of Michigan and The Pennsylvania State University. His present roles, besides husband and grandfather, are professor, crisis counselor, author and entertainment reviewer… Read Roy Berko’s complete bio here

WIN $500 by using the free Cool Cleveland app now available for your iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch by clicking here, and for your Android smartphone or tablet by clicking here.

[Click here to return to the current issue of Cool Cleveland]