Billy Elliot 2nd Hand Theatre Review

So the chosen birthday treat for nephew number three (N#3) was to go and see Billy Elliot in the West End of London. After much discussion with my mum, it was me that came up with the idea of Billy Elliot and she loved it! Mum had seen the film and thought N#3 (being quite musical and a secret dancer-in-front-of-the-mirror-when-nobody’s-looking type!) would be blown away by a boy of his age achieving so much. To be honest, I haven’t seen the film so I didn’t really know if it’d be his cup of tea or not!

Anyway, l booked it for Mum several months ago, in time to show N#3 the tickets on his actual birthday in June. Their seats were the best money could buy (unfortunately couldn’t find any suitable specials for a matinee performance on the right date so two seats costs a cool £120), ten rows from the front of the stage, right in the centre if the auditorium. When N#3 was told what his birthday present was, he was excited at the thought of seeing his first ever West End musical. (Actually, I think this was his first visit to the theatre full stop).

A few weeks ago I mentioned to one of my friends about Billy Elliot and she said she’d taken her 11 year old daughter there earlier in the year. When I asked what it was like she said it was great and her kids really enjoyed it. Then I told her how I’d planned to get N#3 the DVD so he’d know the story before he saw the show but my sister wouldn’t let him have it once she knew it was rated 15 (how short her memory is and what a spoil sport she has become!!!). My friend then dropped a bit of a bombshell: “Your sister knows there’s loads of swearing and violence in the show doesn’t she?” Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!!

I may have mentioned that N#3 is somewhat straight-laced and intense for an 11 year old. He has an incredible sense of right and wrong (he thinks I’m very rude!) and is very age aware. The thought of him sitting in the Victoria Palace Theatre with my mum while men punched the living day lights out of each other and used swear words to enhance the atmosphere was almost unbearable!
On the other hand, I do feel he has been somewhat sheltered from the realities of life and witnessing these things as a performance might not be such a bad thing!
I couldn’t help thinking that the child-friendly “Hairspray” might have been a better choice under the circumstances though!
When I reported back to my mum about the swearing and the violence she was unfazed – when you’ve spent £120 on tickets it’s probably best to look on the bright side of everything!

So last weekend, the clan from Dorset arrived with one very excited 11 year old. I did ask him if he would write a review of the show for me but he refused. I told him I’d put it on the internet if he wrote it for me but he stubbornly refused. I said I’d put a photo of him with the review and credit him for his words and he gave me a lecture about the necessity to withhold children’s identities on the internet and told me I should know better! Oh dear! It would have been good to give you a review of Billy Elliot from a child’s perspective but this particular child was not playing ball!

On the way up to London my mum briefly explained to N#3 about the Miners strike of the 1980’s and also what a union was and why people belonged to them. These explanations were at the suggestion of my friend who said it was the only thing which her kids didn’t really get and needed to have it explained afterwards.

According to my mum it was “A very good show”… I’m not sure that’s quite enough to encourage you to buy tickets so I had to do a little cross-questioning!
Me: Was it very violent?
Mum: It was quite violent but not unnecessary and not gratuitous.
Me: Was there a lot of swearing and did it bother N#3?
Mum: Yes, but after a quick look in my direction after the first swear word, he didn’t seem too bothered. It was in keeping with the grittiness of the story and era.
Me: What were the cast like?
Mum: Fantastic! So talented and energetic.
Me: How does it compare to the film?
Mum: It’s the same story but totally different because of all the songs. You can’t really compare them.
Me: Would you go to see it again or recommend it to others?
Mum: Yes definitely!

According to N#3 (who was not prepared to write any sort of review or be interviewed!) Billy Elliot was “really good”. He was particularly happy to have got several cast autographs at the stage door after the show.
My sister has since reported back that when she asked him about it a few days later N#3 said

“It made me want to dance all the way down the road”.

I don’t think you can get a much better recommendation than that!

West End Theatre Reviews, London

It seems that everybody I know is planning to go or has recently been to the theatre in London. I admit I am rather jealous as, since my wonderful trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre to see “King Lear” in April, I’ve been unable to see another play or show. I love the bright lights and the excitement of the West End but, unfortunately, my recurring back problem prevents me from sitting for any length of time so the theatre and the cinema are, sadly, complete no-no’s at the moment!

However, the West End has been full to bursting with fantastic shows this summer and it would seem wrong not to mention some on this blog. I have asked friends and family to write me a few lines about the shows they have been to see recently so I can, at least, give you some sort of reviews to help you consider your options. Over the coming weeks I will share their thoughts and opinions about some of the hottest shows in town. Next week I am having some major treatment on my back so, with any luck I will soon be able to share my own thoughts on West End shows too!

Just this last weekend Nephew no.3 (N#3) had his 11th birthday treat from my Mum – his first trip to a London theatre. We had long discussions about which show to take him to and which he would enjoy best. Like many kids his age he is a massive “High School Musical” fan and, with the stage version having a limited run in the West End, this seemed like the obvious choice. However, nephew no.3 is a very literal and intense young man and I think he would have been disappointed not to see the original Disney film/TV actors to appear on stage. He also knows the films off by heart, word for word and almost certainly would not have accepted any script deviations! So that was one off the list! Our next thought was Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s “Joseph” starring Lee Mead (right), the winner of BBC’s “Any Dream Will Do”. This, I think, would have been the perfect show for N#3 who followed the TV competition with gusto. But, my Mum has seen the show several times over the years (with Jason Donovan and Philip Schofield among others in the title role) and really did not want to see it again. For similar reasons “Grease” also would have been a suitably familiar show for N#3 to see but, I have seen it twice before and the stage version will never, ever live up to the classic film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John!

So, which show cost £60 for the best seats in the stalls and gave my nephew his first, thrilling West End theatre experience? You’ll have to wait for the big reveal later this week!

But I must just mention that if you are looking for bargain theatre tickets in London then you have a couple of choices. You can take a risk, on the day, and visit the cut price theatre ticket kiosk in Leicester Square. This is great if you don’t mind which show you see but not much use if you have your heart set on seeing one of the more popular shows. If you want a guaranteed ticket for your show of choice then visit the London Pass website where they have special offers on loads of West End theatre plays and musicals. This ensures you have your theatre trip booked before you arrive in London, don’t need to queue for tickets and you get a discount! Another little hidden gem from the people at London Pass – is there no end to their offers?!

Review Of King Lear At The Globe Theatre

As I approached the Globe Theatre for the second night of King Lear, the atmosphere around the theatre was positively buzzing.

There was a slight confusion when, bursting for the loo, I politely asked a steward where the “cloakroom” was. He told me there wasn’t one at the theatre which seemed utterly mad so I asked if I could use the one in the exhibition centre (I’d used those earlier in the week and they were rather plush!). He looked confused and asked his colleague if there was somewhere to leave coats. It was then that I realised my polite turn of phrase had just confused everybody! I re-phrased and asked if he could direct me to the toilets!

People stood outside the theatre, chatting, drinking and eating. Dotted around were various stalls selling drinks, sausage baps, cookies and nuts. There was also a stall renting cushions and back rests (I had brought my own cushion after being tipped off about the hard benches!). About 10 minutes before “curtain up” a drum began beating and people made their way into the theatre. Inside the atmosphere was nothing short of electric. Strolling minstrels wandered through the audience, playing Elizabethan instruments and percussion and were soon joined by actors with bell sticks who mingled and spoke to the audience. The musicians made their way up on stage and continued to play while the auditorium filled up. A speech was made in character requesting the audience not take photographs or disturb the actors with “anachronistic ringtones” (I took my photos before this announcement!)

The last time I saw this play was Kenneth Branagh’s 1990 production with Richard Briars in the lead role and Emma Thompson as the Fool. This new production would have a lot to live up to! King Lear is not the easiest of Shakespeare’s plays to follow if you are not familiar with the text. Fortunately for me, I studied this particular tragedy many many years ago and it all came flooding back when the actors appeared on stage. The opening scene was taken at such a fast pace that I would think some of the audience struggled to keep track. However, the lead characters were suitably established and it ran smoothly from there on in. The two older sisters, Goneril and Regan, were played by actresses Sally Bretton and Kellie Bright. Both are rather young but infinitely capable and believable as the cruel, bloodthirsty sisters. King Lear, played by David Calder was a proud, stubborn man who reaches total despair and deserves every inch of our sympathy towards the end.

The late Elizabethan costumes and a subtly adaptable set were appropriately dowdy in autumnal colours with splashes of red. Without getting too deep, this reflected the action well. The scene changes were seamless, often linked by snatches of live music, and most often I failed to notice the manoeuvre from one scene to the next.

By the very nature of a roofless theatre in central London, action is sometimes disturbed by an overhead aeroplane or helicopter but the cast were unfazed and, much to their credit, not a single line of dialogue was lost.

During the interval large glasses of Pimms were for sale as well as hot drinks and Elizabethan-style snacks. I wandered around looking at the names engraved on the paving stones, all generous contributors to the building of the Globe Theatre. In pride of place was the man whose vision enabled the Globe to be reconstructed, Sam Wanamaker. There was much chatter among the audience and most seemed positive (except one man who I overheard telling his companion that he had to go home for fear of snoring loudly during a poignant moment!). Once again the drums lead us back into the theatre and, in the second half, I witnessed some of the best choreography and acting I’ve seen in a long time.

The highlight of the whole play was, for me, the storm scene. Dirt covered, near naked actors appeared from nowhere, weaving through the yard, causing the audience to move and sway; the musicians provided incredible percussive sound effects and the audience, so wrapped up in this scene of chaos and tempest, began to put their coats and hats on to ward off the elements!

There was some superb acting, not least from David Calder as Lear and his Fool, played by Danny Lee Wynter, was a joy to behold. My one criticism of this production is that, in a play which is foremost a tragedy, the comic moments were perhaps hammed up too much. Some members of the audience laughed a little too hard for my liking and I can only concur that they were drawn away from the true depths of despair experienced by Lear and some of the other characters by the overplayed gags. There were moments of disturbing and realistic violence and bloodshed which, again, some laughed at. It is possible that this was nervous giggling borne from the discomfort of seeing such graphic brutality in close quarters. However, in the program is an article about the comic content of Lear so I am assuming the delivery was intentional even though it didn’t sit quite right with me.

I must mention Trystan Gravelle who played Edgar/Poor Tom. This actor shone brightly in a cast of quality and experience. His performance was physically exciting and full of vocal strength. With perfectly understated comic delivery and touches of emotive brilliance, this is surely a name to watch out for.

In keeping with Shakespearian tradition, each character (dead or alive) rose to his feet and joined in a company song and dance at the end. This is, without doubt, everso slightly strange but equally uplifting! I am pleased to say though that the singing (in Olde English) and dancing abilities of the cast were as impressive as the acting and in no way detracted from the fabulous production.

I sneakily took one or two photos during the curtain call and as people began to leave. The full selection can be seen on flickr along with my other photos of the Globe Theatre.