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I went to see Newsies at the Paramount recently (it was lovely... absolutely nothing wrong with a bunch of guys dancing and singing, though some of the story changes they made from the movie did throw me off a bit, both good and bad), and while going through my program, I saw that Billy Elliot was going to be at a small theater near where I live. Of course I had to immediately get tickets, because it's probably one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen live.
Because it was more of a local theater production, the sets, costumes, etc., weren't as grand as when I saw the Broadway touring cast back in 2011, but I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the singing, and the talent of the kid who played Billy (Vincent Bennett). There are usually 3-4 boys who play Billy at a time, because it is such an incredibly intense role, and I was amazed that there were 4 local-ish boys who could do what Billy does, because you need a young boy who can dance, sing, and act. O.o I mean, for the London and Broadway stage versions, they can basically look for boys all over the world. So yeah, I was pretty impressed with what I saw! I was especially awed by their Durham accents. The adults would stop dropping their accents after awhile, but the kids, especially Vincent, were incredibly convincing throughout.
Of course, after watching the show, I wanted to rewatch some of my favorite scenes from the movie, so I went to YouTube. That's when I discovered that in 2014 they had done a Fathom Events type thing where they broadcast a live performance from London's West End, and that that performance was now available on Blu-ray.
You guys, holy crap. Elliott Hanna is magic. I never thought I would ever like anyone playing Billy as much as Jamie Bell, but Elliott might change my mind. He was the youngest Billy ever cast (at 10 years old!!!), and I think his amazingness is what prompted them to even do this live event. He was 11 (!!!!!) at the time of filming. There were 3 other boys rotating the role at the time, but of course he played the title role for the film. He might be the best live Billy ever (I say this realizing that I have not seen all 40something Billys). I can't find a whole lot of information, but it would appear that they cast Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson especially for this production, and brought back Liam Mower, who played one of the original Billys, to play older Billy during the Dream Ballet sequence.
Also, watching this production made me realize, due to a hazy memory, that the local production was actually missing a lot. :)) They cut out certain scenes, and the production values were definitely a lot lower. But the best thing about the live show (other than Elliott and Ruthie) is the end, when they bring back a bunch of previous Billys and they end the show all dancing together. SO AMAZEBALLS.
YouTube has some of the numbers from the live show, but not all of them. Totally recommend the entire thing, but this might whet your appetite:
( Clips from BETM:L! )
Because it was more of a local theater production, the sets, costumes, etc., weren't as grand as when I saw the Broadway touring cast back in 2011, but I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the singing, and the talent of the kid who played Billy (Vincent Bennett). There are usually 3-4 boys who play Billy at a time, because it is such an incredibly intense role, and I was amazed that there were 4 local-ish boys who could do what Billy does, because you need a young boy who can dance, sing, and act. O.o I mean, for the London and Broadway stage versions, they can basically look for boys all over the world. So yeah, I was pretty impressed with what I saw! I was especially awed by their Durham accents. The adults would stop dropping their accents after awhile, but the kids, especially Vincent, were incredibly convincing throughout.
Of course, after watching the show, I wanted to rewatch some of my favorite scenes from the movie, so I went to YouTube. That's when I discovered that in 2014 they had done a Fathom Events type thing where they broadcast a live performance from London's West End, and that that performance was now available on Blu-ray.
You guys, holy crap. Elliott Hanna is magic. I never thought I would ever like anyone playing Billy as much as Jamie Bell, but Elliott might change my mind. He was the youngest Billy ever cast (at 10 years old!!!), and I think his amazingness is what prompted them to even do this live event. He was 11 (!!!!!) at the time of filming. There were 3 other boys rotating the role at the time, but of course he played the title role for the film. He might be the best live Billy ever (I say this realizing that I have not seen all 40something Billys). I can't find a whole lot of information, but it would appear that they cast Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson especially for this production, and brought back Liam Mower, who played one of the original Billys, to play older Billy during the Dream Ballet sequence.
Also, watching this production made me realize, due to a hazy memory, that the local production was actually missing a lot. :)) They cut out certain scenes, and the production values were definitely a lot lower. But the best thing about the live show (other than Elliott and Ruthie) is the end, when they bring back a bunch of previous Billys and they end the show all dancing together. SO AMAZEBALLS.
YouTube has some of the numbers from the live show, but not all of them. Totally recommend the entire thing, but this might whet your appetite:
( Clips from BETM:L! )
