Billy Elliot

Billy Elliott was one of if not the best show I've seen. A mixture of laughs tears, happiness, inspiration and everything else you want in a musical/theatre production.

Billy was exceptionally well played and the way the performance manages to capture so many elements at the time and area this production was set in is amazing.

Brought me to tears and had me laughing out loud.

The cast were very passionate and each performers role was played to the hjighest standard

There was a lot of swearing in the performance so I'm not sure it's suitable for young children but any adult that's thinking of going to the theatre should seriously consider this as a first choice.

All in all a fabulous and emotive show which is heartwarming!!!!

I didn't't really know what to expect from Billy but I was definitely not disappointed.

An absolutely brilliant musical, I would go as far to say it's the best I've seen in London. Very emotional with some very funny moments, it has it all really. I would highly recommend this to everyone. I would say however, that there are a number of actors who play Billy Elliot, so I guess it is a bit of a gamble as some people have told me the person who played Billy when they went wasn't great, however the actor playing Billy when we went was excellent.

Went to see the show last night, got some good seats in the stalls through a discount site and will use them again. Show was very good strong performances and dancing, music was OK not as strong as say Les Mis but I guess the show is more about dancing. I would go again and maybe give it a try - do feel the show is a somewhat overhyped compared with others!

What i was dissapointed with when i went to see this show was that, being in the upper circle, i could actually see behind the set all the time, though not clearly, but i could still see heads bobbing around rushing to get on and off stage. Totally ruined the illusion for me the whole time. I could imagen that if you see it from the stalls it would be good.

A five star performance!' that's what grand title this show has been given, in my own opinion this sadly was not the case. I believe that Billy Elliott did not live up to the expectations and the hype that had had been concocted and was left unfortunately disappointed. This may well be due to this being a different cast from the original where the reviews and exceptional labels were based upon.

The show seemed to dip up and down throughout the performance in terms of energy and presence. The opening song for both the first act and second act did not obtain and portray the intensity of the politics, the struggle and the hard-ship of the miners that i wanted to see. The storyline of the miners and the picket line lies close to my heart as my family were personally effected by it and i never felt that the actors, excluding the dad, had any passionate or sympathetic connection to the truth behind the storyline what so ever. I felt that the cast were mainly focusing on getting the Geordie accent across, which as it is my native tongue, i can say was absolutely appauling for a west end show. However credit is given to Joe Caffery who plays Billy's dad; his performance truly did convey his passion, acting and singing skills throughout the whole performance. He outstood the rest of the cast in my eyes and gave the show authenticity through the power of his Newcastle roots and heritage. Furthermore, I found a lot of the text was thrown away and the diction was not great. I'd like to say this was due to my seat as I was on the back row of the stalls, though, I find this a poor excuse, due to the fact I've paid a lot of money for this seat and I expect to watch professional west end standard performers. The cast seemed to warm up during the performance rather than being warmed up and prepared for the start. I did however think the ensemble singing the miners' song was outstanding! It snatched every member of the audience' attention and absorbed that energy and fed off it to create an electric atmosphere that swirled like a giant orb around the auditorium. Shame the rest of the songs were not up to this par. The choreography remained on this sloping level also, I was mesmerised by some of the dance pieces, but others seemed at a poor standard: timing was off in duets and ensemble work, solo dances lacked energy and commitment and I felt that the boy playing Billy never exerted or pushed himself to his maximum effort. To the eye, on a more upbeat note, the staging and set was impeccable and complimented the scenes that were running around it. I thought the director and the choreographer used the set to their advantage from the blocking and the choreography I witnessed, including entrances and exits for the characters.

This review I do acknowledge was intensely critical and pessimistic, however the show did have highlights, however these gems were few. I was not blown away by the energy and commitment from the majority of the performance and feel that the show is highly overrated.

Billy Elliot is by far the best show I have seen in London. Great songs throughout and you really do go through an emotional rollercoaster.

Billy Elliot the Musical is an outstanding, mind-blowing performance which makes every member of the audience feel alive through dance, singing and acting. It will make you cry one minute and laugh hysterically the next. Billy Elliot the Musical is a uniquely British musical that tells the story of one boy's struggle to realise his ambitions to dance against all the odds. Visually, this show is unbelievable and the choreography is brilliant.

Billy and his family are struggling during the 1984 miners strike. In the 'Angry Dance', the choreographer decided to use the confined space of Billy's bedroom to represent the build up of frustration of which Billy feels as his dad denies him the opportunity to dance. Then gradually, as Billy gets increasingly frustrated, more of the stage is used as his anger spills out towards his family and finally the police, who are portrayed as the enemy of the miners.

Another scene that is visually outstanding is when Billy is almost dreaming about a career in dance and the chance to perform in 'Swan Lake'. Billy is listening to Swan Lake and practising a routine alone in the village hall, when an older dancer, representing Billy as an adult, enters the stage and does the same dance. The contrast of the two dancers is fantastic and when Billy begins to 'fly' with the assistance of the older Billy, it is breathtaking.

Every young actor will interpret the character of Billy differently but all of them who play Billy Elliot will be incredible. Each young actor will have a different level of expertise in areas of dance; however the choreographer and director successfully show the boys off to their best ability. For example, the first time I saw the show, I saw Colin Bates. Colin was fantastic and had a strength in contemporary and ballet, whereas he wasn't as strong in tap or modern. However, his dances were adapted so that he could perform to his full potential. The second time I saw the show I saw Sam Angell. Sam had a flare for modern, tap and contemporary, but wasn't as strong at ballet. But once again, his dances were adapted to suit him and show him off to his full ability.

Every character in the show is brought to life in every performance! Both times that I saw the show, I came away speechless! It was a hundred times better than I ever thought it would be and I came away a huge fan! The fact that it has been a full house almost every night has to tell you something! With every pirouette and flip, comes another tear and breath of excitement! I would strongly advise anyone to go and see the show as I am positive that absolutely everyone who sees it will come away full of admiration! Easily the best thing I will ever see!

10 out of 10!