Morning:
8°c
Three ovations in first night friller for Billy Elliot in NY
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent14 Nov 2008
NOT even on Broadway do they normally give standing ovations when a show is nowhere near over.
But Americans last night followed London's lead in taking Billy Elliot, a motherless miner's son with a gift for dance, to their hearts.
Irish-American dancer Trent Kowalik, 13, was the Billy - there are three - whose turn it was to seize the spotlight as Billy Elliot The Musical wowed New York.
The first ovation of the evening came when Kowalik finished the dazzling audition-piece dance sequence that is to win Billy his place at the Royal Ballet School.
And it was confirmed at the end when the whole of the Imperial Theatre rose unprompted to proclaim Billy king, watched by the creative team led by director Stephen Daldry, the writer, Lee Hall, and Sir Elton John, who wrote the music. Hollywood star Ben Stiller described the show as "unbelievable".
Sir Tim Rice, the writer of a fair few musicals himself, said: "It's superb, absolutely flawless. The old thing about musicals is you need a good story and this is a good story."
Rachel Weisz, the British actress now based in New York, added: "It's fantastic, electrifying. I love the scene where Billy flies."
In one of the biggest opening nights of the autumn on Broadway, Kevin Spacey, Natasha Richardson and her sons and film director Ron Howard were in the audience.
The production, which has taken $20 million in ticket sales, also drew Tina Brown, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York. The early reviews - most notably from the hugely influential New York Times - suggested a huge hit is in hand.
Amid an avalanche of approval, show insiders were particularly pleased for Haydn Gwynne, the one member of the British cast who joined the New York production.
Daldry, who made his film-directing debut with the movie version eight years ago, said: "What's amazing is that there's a time and a place for the show in America right now. Yet it's the most English show there's ever been on Broadway."
Exciting, uplifting, masterly ... what the critics thought
NEW YORK TIMES, Ben Brantley
This show makes sure that we always keep in mind the grittiness and despair of the society that produced Billy, so that the poetry of his dancing seems all the more startling and inexplicable. [Choreographer Peter] Darling's surreal blending of Mrs Wilkinson's dance class with a clash between miners and police is one of the freshest, most exciting uses of narrative dance I've seen in years. And until the finale (which is a tad overdone), he rations his big, knock-'em-dead sequences. Billy Elliot, you see, isn't a dance show; it's about why people need dance.
VARIETY, David Rooney
With unemployment figures soaring and the economy in the dumps, the zeitgeist could hardly be more attuned. But even without that happy accident of timing, American audiences would have no trouble connecting with the universal sentiment of this bittersweet dual celebration of community and individuality. Who would have guessed that a musical in which conservative economic policies deal a death blow to the working class could be such an uplifting experience?
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Michael Kuchwara
(Stephen) Daldry has done a masterful job assembling a superlative cast and artistic team.
Reader views (4)
Don't you just love the way everyone in England now tries to speak Pseudo-Cockney? Even the headlines are using it as in "Friller'. I remember when the use of "Fink and Fought" were frowned upon. Now it seems like everyone is doing it. The one I like the best is "Munff" for month.
maybe in ten years Scouse will be the norm for everyone.
- Jon Vickers, SC USA, 15/11/2008 14:23
Report abuse
What's it matter Ed, which version you saw ?
Three critics have put their name to positive reviews, perhaps you have poor judgement and just like dissing effort.
There are many reasons why the themes of this musical have a resonance in other countries.
I wish it well.
- Frank H., London, England., 14/11/2008 16:11
Report abuse
Broadway audiences are always over the top and way more enthusiastic than UK audiences.
I saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Jonathan Pryce near the end of it's run on a Saturday night in NYC a few years ago.
At the end, the audience was on its feet and gave numerous ovations.
Jonathan Pryce even stopped the applause and gave a
speech saying, 'they never give ovations like this in London !'
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 14/11/2008 15:49
Report abuse
Are you sure they watched the same show? Last time I watched them two years ago it was nothing amazing.
- Ed, London, 14/11/2008 15:03
Report abuse
