Dancing away with Billy

Before arriving in London, all I heard about was Billy Elliot. My friends and family would constantly be telling me that I must see Billy Elliot, that it is the best play in London out there today. Upon my arrival I was immediately greeted with the many advertisements raving about the musical show which all had claimed the same things that my friends and family had told me. Heading into the beautiful Victoria Theatre on a cold November night in West London, I was anxious because now I finally got to experience this Billy Elliot phenomenon that I had heard so much about. 

My initial reaction upon my entrance to the theatre was how beautiful the actual theatre really is. One can easily observe how old this theatre is and how the walls are beautifully decorated. I was also struck to see how large the Victoria theatre is with three large sitting levels. What did confuse me was that in the beginning of the show I could not stop my self from looking down at the stage area looking for where the orchestra is located. Even when the performance began I was still looking and ultimately had to surrender and ask my father if he knew where the orchestra was located.

The set of the performance was very complex and intricate but worked very well for the play as a whole. I enjoyed how the set was constantly moving and changing, something that does not happen in every play. For me personally, I enjoyed the changes because it did not allow for me to get bored and it always grabbed my attention when the set changed. It was sort of like an alarm that was constantly going off to make sure that I did not doze off, which I appreciated as a member of the audience.

Overall the play was very entertaining and well performed. For me personally it was not one of my favorites because I could not attain the emotional connection with Billy. While looking around during the performance, I was clearly one of the outliers in the audience because most people were either locked in with the performance or crying. I thought the young actor who played Billy did a marvelous job. His voice was outstanding but there are no words to describe his dancing skills. The way he moved his feet looked liked I was pushing the fast forward button on my remote control. Whenever he had a dancing scene the audience erupted in much deserved applause. What is even more mind-boggling is that after the show the actor who played Billy’s father told the audience that the actor when he was a child had a whole in his heart that was life threatening. In addition to overcoming such a horrendous situation, the actor also donated his entire first check from the performance to the hospital where he was received his procedure. To act so mature at such a young age is truly something special and rare. The audience’s reaction to this was unbelievable as every member of the audience while exiting the theater donating graciously to the hospitals foundation where the actor was staying during his difficult procedure.

The only true negative thing that kept me from truly enjoying the show was the set up of the theater. Victoria theater has a lower deck, an upper deck, and an upper upper deck. Unfortunately for me I was located in the middle deck but right below the third deck. This caused everyone in my section to get uncomfortably hot as we were not in the area of the air conditioning. Throughout the play I had to remove multiple layers, which I do not think, my neighbors appreciated because of the noise and my moving body.

Overall this is a must see performance. Incorporated in the play is British history as well as family dilemmas that can occur within any family. The great reviews were much deserved and I highly recommend it for anyone to see.

-Matthew Elefant

UC Berkeley