Billy Elliot – dancing into hearts at the Paramount
Billy Elliot playing here in Seattle through April 3 at Seattle’s historic Paramount Theatre won 10 Tony Awards in 2009 and was called “The best show you will ever see” by the New York Post and there’s definitely a lot about the show to admire.
Adapted for the stage from the film of the same name, Billy Elliot tells the story of its title character, Billy, a young boy beaten down by life. His mother’s dead, his grandma’s dotty, and his coal-mining father and brother barely notice he’s alive unless he’s done something wrong. When Billy gives up on the boxing classes he never liked anyway to take up dancing instead that’s most indeed something wrong in their eyes. Even Billy isn’t sure how he feels about his newly discovered talent for dance until his dance teacher both recognizes the spark in him and kindles it, in the process restoring her own passion for the art. As this transformation within takes place, the world around Billy and his friends and family transforms, too, as the miner’s strike lengthens and becomes more brutal.
It’s an interesting, unusual story with a great theme at its heart – believe in yourself and you can do anything – but it’s also a long and complicated story and there may be nuances not understood by audience members who don’t know the film or the history of the English miner’s strike. The length of the play is an issue as well – its running time feels unnecessarily long and particularly near the end, time seems to crawl to a drip when it should be flying by.
That being said, the show has a number of strengths. Billy (performed by a rotating cast of young actors: Giuseppe Bausilio, Kylend Hetherington, Lex Ishimoto and Daniel Russell) is completely credible, from the uninspired kid who knows only that he doesn’t like boxing class to the budding artist who knows only how dancing makes him feel whole. Careful choreography wisely avoids the “instant genius” schtick of so many similar stories – Billy’s got natural talent but like any real dancer, he was to work hard at it. Billy’s closest friend, Michael, is another charmer – a young crossdresser who finds it only natural to wear his sister’s clothes but initially finds Billy’s dancing rather suspect. Their friendship is sweet and leads to one of the show’s best dance routines.
The cast as a whole is very good. Faith Prince’s performance as Billy’s dance instructor, Mrs. Wilkinson, shows exactly how she earned her Tony, with a dazzling performance that feels real. Patti Perkins keeps the not-quite-there Grandma of Billy funny without turning her into a parody.
While the show could probably use some trimming to keep it from fraying at the ends, it does remain an inspiring, emotionally honest tale with breathtaking dancing, excellent songs by Elton John, and a hero you’ll be glad to be rooting for.
