Billy Elliot the Musical

Just got back from Billy Elliot at the Beck Center.   Wonderful show, amazing talent.  The young man playing the title character shows such phenomenal dance skills.   A ton of poise!

This musical is based a true story about a kid with talent for ballet, but whose family is embroiled in the Irish coal miner strike of the 1980s.   His dad wanted him to take boxing lessons, but young Billy accidently finds himself in ballet class, and extrodinary at it.  I really think you should go see it.

Also, thus ends my theater reviews for the season.   All the tickets have been used and thoroughly enjoyed.   Starting in the fall, I will have 21 shows to write about.   I don't even know if people read my blog, but that's the schedule.   Later!

Flashdance the Musical

We just got back from seeing Flashdance the Musical.  I learned a lot about the cultural phenomenon today.   For instance, the movie was made with very low budget and was not expected to bring in much money.  However, because the dance sequences were aired on MTV, it quickly made millions of dollars. 

The sad part about the story is that the girl who was the inspiration for the movie sold away her rights for only $2,300 dollars when the film was in production.  She never saw a penny after it became a cult favorite.

The choreography was wonderful and the costumes were fun.   However, I feel like the plot wasn't as strong as it could be (the show has not been to Broadway).  Particularly, I didn't feel very connected to the two characters in the B story.   It was enjoyable overall.  If you are a fan of the original movie, you will love this show.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

We just got back from seeing Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty!  I am feeling intensely spoiled.   The show is straight out of London with the original cast.  It hasn't even been to New York yet!


It's a darker, Gothic take on the story of classic fairytale.  It uses Tchaikovsky's original score (which many of you may be familiar with due to the Disney version).   The choreography is amazing.  The costumes are beautiful.   Not a single stitch of dialogue and you know exactly what is going on.  It's extremely magical and sensual.

The show starts in 1890 and ends in modern times.  Princess Aurora is obtained by her parents with help of the evil fairy.  The baby princess is played by a puppet and is extremely energetic, climbing the curtains.  The king and queen forget to thank the evil fairy and the kid gets cursed to die, but the other fairies soften it to sleep.   The princess sleeps for 100 years, and how does her love stay alive until she wakes?  Vampires.

This was a wonderful interpretation of Sleeping Beauty.   I'm going to find more of Matthew Bourne's ballets on DVD.  He has a real gift for staging and choreography.

Come Fly Away

Today we went to see Come Fly Away. It was amazing!  There are no words.  Literally!  It is a dance musical featuring the best vocals of Frank Sinatra, a live band, and the dances of Twyla Tharp.  Even without a stitch of dialogue, every emotion from every character on stage is expressed through dance!

It feels like Frank Sinatra is right there on the stage.  Speakers are placed throughout the orchestra, so it feels as though he is right there!   Joe Garry, in the pre-show talk described it as a sort of reversed karaoke.   The best vocals of Sinatra have been selected and put with a fantastic live big band.
Twyla Tharp's choreography combines the best features of ballroom, modern dance, and classical ballet.  Each of the dancers on stage is extremely agile, and their every move conveys their intentions.  They mime drinking and dancing at a club so perfectly, you wonder how there isn't broken glass upon the stage!   They dance elegantly, with feigned clumsiness, and under the influence of imaginary alcohol.   But mostly, the dancing is graceful and beautiful.

My favorite couple on the stage was the bartender and the waitress (pictured above).   Their initial introduction provides a lot of comedy.

This musical is a must see if you enjoy Sinatra (like myself) or love great dancing/ballet (like my husband).   It's a smart, funny, and at times sexy show, running 80 minutes without an intermission.