Last weekend I went to see the Arts Club presentation, "Billy Elliot", at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage on Sunday, May 15th, 2016 for the matinee performance at 2pm. Initially, I was excited to see the play as I wanted to see how close it was to the film. Also, when I was in New York a few years ago, all of the tickets were sold out for months, and I've been determined to watch it ever since. Anyways, I found out that the play was coming to Vancouver, and decided to check it out, as it's playing from now until July 10th, 2016 with both matinees and evening performances. One thing I was really surprised about was how fast the tickets sold out online all the way until the end of the run in July, which made me want to see it even more, as I knew it must be really good. However, once I arrived in the theatre I noticed that all of the seats available were pretty good, as it's a small theatre, so there really are no "bad" seats per say, so if you weren't sure if you can see anything from the remaining seats, I can assure you that majority of them have a great view. Although, I did sit in the balcony, so that really helped, as I'm kind of short, and it can be unpredictable sometimes on the floor seats a lot of the time. Anyways, moving on, when I arrived, there was a huge lineup outside the door, but it went really fast, which is always a plus! Also the tickets start from $29 but for most of the really good seats it's around $45+.
Once the play began, I knew it was Broadway quality, as the stage lighting, costumes, dancing, acting, singing, scenery, and props were amazing. All of the characters in the play were spot on, and very talented. One of my favourite scenes from the entire play was close to intermission, where Billy and Michael, decide to go through Michael's mother's closest, and do a spectacular show-stopping musical tap dance routine, which a must-see for everyone! One of my favourite parts about the setting was how Billy Elliot's house had different levels to it, such as his room, stairs to the kitchen, and dining room. In comparison to the original movie, I thought it was practically identical, and the only differences between them, were some of my favourite scenes, such as the Michael and Elliot tap dance number. The only scene that I wish they had included is where Billy Elliot screams out, "I just wanna dance," but other than that the show was very similar. Personally, I thought that the actor who played Tony Elliot, did an amazing job, as it was spot-on to the original characterization played out in the movie. Also, I thought that the actor who played Michael, was even better in the play than the one in the movie, as he was just that good. Another actor/dancer/singer who I thought did an awesome job, was Billy Elliot himself, especially in the Second Act, where the audience really sees how amazing he is, at all of the required elements, as well as looking like the original character. I also thought that the actor who played, Jackie Elliot, did a tremendous job at being Billy's father, as there are many moments throughout the play that require a higher level of emotion needed to convey to the audience. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with all of the actors/singers/dancers in the play, as it is extremely hard to have so many people who are "triple-threats". Also, I was really impressed with the pas-de-deux scene between Billy Elliot and his older self, as you could definitely see the maturity that is gained between his 11-year-old and 25-year-old self, even though they are two different actors/dancers. All in all, I could definitely tell that there was a lot of heart and hard work put into this play, and would recommend everyone to see it.
However, I would like to warn those with young children that this play does cover some themes that some parents may deem inappropriate. Also, there is a lot of swearing and British slang throughout the play, so this may be more appropriate for older children. Another warning, the play is 2hrs 45min with intermission, which is quite a long time, so if you have any back/neck problems, I thought I'd let you know, as it can be troublesome for even those with healthy backs, and also sitting still for such a long time :)
Here is the link to buy tickets at the Arts Club:https://artsclub.com/shows/2015-2016/billy-elliot
All photos are taken for (c) Dance News BC 2016