Review, ‘Billy Elliot’ – John P Harvey
19 April 2024John P Harvey’s full review of Billy Elliot The Musical appeared in Stage Whispers. Excerpts below.
“The musical numbers, some of them very complicated interweavings almost operatic in their complexity, were consistently arranged and performed beautifully, and Fergus Paterson did some outstanding solo singing.”
“What made the performance very special, though, were the dance sequences, beautifully choreographed by Michelle Heine: interestingly challenging in their complexity, many of them, and executed precisely but with feeling, and involving dozens in a single sequence. And the young dance ensemble (in this performance, the Easington Cast) showed talent well beyond that of the budding ballerinas they played.”
What imbued the show with real spirit was the interplay of its highly motivated characters, emotional but not overly so, and their natural timing, which maintained the pace very well and kept the audience engaged throughout.
John P. Harvey