I love the film and my mum sang the praises of the stage show in London, so I was really excited to see Billy Elliot at the Liverpool Theatre last night.
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot tells the tale of a boy who finds an unexpected talent for ballet at a time when it wasn’t widely accepted for men to entertain such a passion; the story is set during the coal miner’s strike in 1984-5.
As I’m originally from the North East, when the acts started talking I felt a familiarity and a resonance with the characters. The script really grasps the humour and heart of the Geordies, as well as their colourful language, which had the audience laughing throughout.
The musical captured the innocence of the children and the beauty of the ballet against the bleakness of the of the adults' world at that time. This was juxtaposed expertly throughout- the rough with the smooth was evident right through and I was very impressed by how that was executed on stage throughout the musical numbers.
All of the actors were superb, they acted, danced and sang their hearts out. I have never known an audience to be so wowed by a performance in the whole time I have been a reviewer. They couldn’t wait to applaud the actors for their performances at the end of each scene. The production was made more impressive by the fact that many of the actors were just young children- but so very talented already at such an early stage of their careers.
The production sticks closely to the movie, however the order has been played around with and all of the music is original so all of the best bits are in there with a theatrical twist to give existing fans something new to take away.
Billy Elliot is the touching story of a boy who becomes a beacon of light for a community who have lost all hope. That really comes across in this show- the power of community, friendship and belief in others when when you lack belief in yourself.
I went expecting great things and that’s what it delivered. I can’t recommend Billy Elliot enough- it’s gone straight into my top five- a must see.
Tagged in Billy Elliot Liverpool Empire Theatre