Billy Elliot

Number 1. Hands down. It was an awesome musical. The story is inspiring and enveloping. The music is beautiful (Elton John). The dancing was beyond words. And to top it all off it was Fox Jackson-Keen's (Billy Elliot) first night. It was so cool to be a part of his first time onstage performing as Billy. I was so blown away by the performance that I forgot to take a picture of the theatre on my way out. To see a thirteen-year-old boy dancing in ways that I've never seen anyone dance was amazing. He was also a gymnast, so he could not only do turns but also hand-springs, front flips, aerials, and wall backflips (the coolest one). He could do ballet, tap, and modern, all of which were showcased in the show. He played the part wonderfully and the audience was very excited to see him for the first time.

The rest of the show was also cool. Like I said before, the music was phenominal, having a wide range of styles but still having the Elton John feel to them. There was everything from string ballads to electric guitar rock. The lyrics were absolutely beautiful, and the music and lyrics flowed into one.

The choreography was unbelievable. The ability of Peter Darling to place each and every person as an individual on the stage but still have them create a unified picture was magnificent. Truly remarkable. People could all be doing a different piece of choreography but the same dance. And the combination of different styles and techniques was a visual work of art that was almost necessary in order for the show (and of course, Fox) to shine.

Everyone on the team worked really hard to put together this show, and it is very clear. It is a wonderful show, top to bottom, with the only problem being that the Underground goes underneath the theatre so that some of the quieter scenes were underlaid with the rumbling of trains passing underneath (and indeed sometimes shaking the seats). The production team is the same team that created the film plus Elton John for the music. It was in this way that they could effectively tell the story. It was the same but at the same time completely different, lending itself more to the stage.

Truly remarkable.