Billy Elliot The Musical:
I thought i would make a special post because I had the pleasure of going to see Billy Elliot The Musical in Sydney a couple of weeks ago. I Saw this AWESOME show with my sister and mum and we all enjoyed it .
This Musical had been out in Sydney for a number of months already, but it was beyond brilliant. Everyone knows the story of Billy Elliot Miner’s son Billy swaps boxing for ballet in a Durham county village fraught with tension over the 1984 miners’ strike that split the country between the working class and Margaret Thatchers Conservative Party revolutionaries.
The tale of an artist breaking through convention is hardly new to either film or musical theatre yet “Billy Elliot” seems to connect with audiences through its empathetic portrayal of very nonshowbiz working class types, and by showcasing some very talented juniors. There’s something quite magical about following the journey of a young teen through this kind of uplifting show.
Beyond Daldry’s very theatrical staging, Lee Hall’s expressive book and Elton John’s erratic yet ultimately endearing music, the show will always stand — or pirouette — on the competency of its young leads, who supply much of the vitality.
Out of the 4 Australian boys Lochlan Denholm (Melbourne), Rhys Kosakowski (Newcastle), Rarmian Newton (Melbourne) and Nick Twiney (Sydney). I had the pleasure of watching Rhys and he was amazing in the role, a particularly joyful and technically proficient dancer. The troupe of ballerinas are an exuberant bunch, and, like Kosakowski, they blossom in form and enthusiasm through the show.
As Billy’s Mischievous, occasionally cross dressing pal, Michael, Joel Slater was an absoulute delight and a real highlight for the show. And the impact of the profanities spouting from the mouths of these babes was never likely to offend Oz sensibilities.
The older castmembers are great as well. Genevieve Lemon’s Mrs Wilkinson was a real joy to watch, she had so much energy and resemblence to the acutal character. All of the other performers were great and it was a really great musical to watch, one of the best I’ve seen, It’s still in Sydney at the moment but if it does come to Melbourne I think everybody should go c it, it was AWESOME!
