November 17, 2008

'Billy Elliot' on Broadway wows most all of the critics

Billy Elliot: The Musical opened on Broadway last week and several of the critics think it’s the best think to land on the Great White Way in years. Others, hate it. Deeply hate it.

There were indeed several four-out-of four stars for the musical based on the 2000 Brit film of the same name and as of November 22, tickets will be on sale to the general public through 2010.

Regular tickets are priced from $41.50 to $136.50 with premium seats for $301.50. “Billy Elliot” plays the Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 49th St., map.

The reviews:
New York Times - “Few people may have the gift of this show’s title character, a coal miner’s son in northern England who discovers he was born to pirouette. But the seductive, smashingly realized premise of “Billy Elliot,” which opened Thursday night at the Imperial Theater, is that everybody has the urge. And in exploring that urge among the population of a down-at-heels coal town suffering through the British miners’ strike of the mid-1980s, this show both artfully anatomizes and brazenly exploits the most fundamental and enduring appeal of musicals themselves.”

New York magazine - “Without the vigor of its young stars and the pure propulsion of Peter Darling’s choreography, this newest Elton John–powered machine might have tour jêté’d listlessly into a ditch. But the show stays on its feet, sometimes just barely, and will no doubt bring many audiences to theirs.”

Variety - “High among the strengths of this big-hearted show is the success of director Stephen Daldry and writer-lyricist Lee Hall in infusing the story with gritty cultural specificity and an angry liberal political agenda while at the same time rendering it emotionally accessible to audiences regardless of their background or politics.”

Wall Street Journal - “I can remember — barely — when Elton John was still a good songwriter, or at least capable of writing good songs. That, alas, was then and “Billy Elliot” is now, and Sir Elton has long since turned into a pusher of faceless pop slop. As for Mr. Hall, his contribution to the show consists in the main of treacly doggerel (And you must promise me this, Billy/In everything you do/Always be yourself, Billy/And you always will be true) heavily sprinkled with four-letter words. That’s “Billy Elliot” in a nutshell: It purports to show us a band of stalwart strikers who are fighting to the last to save their jobs, but turns almost immediately into sequin-spangled feel-good socialist kitsch.”

Bloomberg - “A show’s claim to offer “something for everyone” usually signals disaster: the lowest common denominator and the antithesis of art. Well, for once, the exception proves true: “Billy Elliot” — London’s long-running hit with Elton John’s music, finally replicated on Broadway — really does have something for everyone, and that something is, gloriously, art. “

Daily News - “Hall’s script is vivid and smart and gets excellent support from the songs. He wrote lyrics, Elton John, the music. No single tune is bound to be a pop recording hit. Still, the fine score covers an array of styles - folk tunes, anthems, novelty numbers - and emotions that beautifully move the story along.”

USA Today - “Mind you, the working-class types on display at the Imperial Theatre, where the musical opened Thursday, are obviously not from our side of the Atlantic — their thick Geordie accents occasionally threaten to bury the dialogue”

Post - “Nothing would fly, of course, if the show hadn’t found its Billy - a boy of about 12 who can sing, act and dance. Here, as in London and Australia, three boys alternate in the role. Having seen Kiril Kulish - his reedy voice tinged with longing, his dancing sublime - I can only wonder how David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik play the part.”

Newsday - “Elton John has written an ambitious, varied, altogether satisfying grown-up score that, after his sentimental Disney music, we never dreamed he had in him. Author Lee Hall, who also created the movie book, writes lyrics that sit with grace and humor on John’s rich, character-revealing melodies.”

NY1 - “There are shades of Rogers and Hammerstein’s darker-themed shows like “Oklahoma;” it sounds like “Les Miserables” in spots, and in its wonderfully counter-pointed staging, it even resembles “Evita.” Add the irresistible appeal of exceptionally talented performers – young and old – and “Billy Elliot” remains a thoroughly resounding success.”

Time Out - “Not to worry: Our audiences understand heart, grit and spectacular dancing—the qualities that make Billy Elliot one of the most electric, passionate and exhilarating shows to land on Broadway in years.”

amNewYork - “We could go on for days discussing the sheer brilliance of the staging. In addition to the beauty of the dance scenes, Daldry and Darling cinematically blend movement from the entire cast into the story. The showstopper “Solidarity,” for instance, seamlessly juxtaposes the violence between the miners and police with the peaceful ballet students.”

Canadian Press - “But “Billy Elliot,” which opened Thursday at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, is an exceptional work that exemplifies what the best musicals are all about: collaboration. Everything comes together in this impressive, warmhearted adaptation of the 2000 British film about a North Country coal miner’s young son who yearns to dance and join the Royal Ballet School in London.”

Hartford Courant - “Because the title role is so demanding, requiring ballet, tap and gymnastics as well as strenuous singing, three young actors share the part. David Alvarez delivered an impressive star turn at the preview attended by most major critics, giving his all over 2½ hours, which require him to fly like Mary Poppins in a hallucinatory dance scene with his older self.”

November 17, 2008 1:28 PM in Broadway, Kids, Midtown

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