Our Billy was Liam Redford and he’s got it all. It turns out he is a dance prodigy possibly from the family connection of his dance-loving grandparents. With her brusque, but knowing coaching Billy shows us the hard work and talent it takes to master the steps and attitudes of these disciplined individuals. He is coltish in the beginning stages of being sucked into a ballet class he didn’t ask to be involved in, led by the indefatigable and hilariously perfect-for-this-role Nancy Anderson, as Mrs.
The person you are going to this production to see is Billy himself and he is simply marvelous in every way. But I’m way ahead of myself… Liam Redford (Billy Elliot) in “Billy Elliot” at Signature Theatre. And then there’s Matthew Gardiner’s unbelievably nuanced direction of all the disparate parts of this intimate production. The orchestra of eight musicians, though hidden above the huge proscenium of the stage and led by Tom Vendafreddo, swings and shines. These are big, strong guys! I instantly felt the heft and resolve of the miners (dressed and looking exactly as I imagine a miner would be in 1984, complete with head gear and light by Costumer Designer Kathleen Geldard) while dancing and, yes, singing–roughly when needed, sweetly and beautifully at other times. The production opens with all the miners onstage. This is the backdrop for the storyline of a small, scrappy mining family the father who has just lost his wife and the mother of his two boys, the grandmother who is a little dotty, and the two sons–the older boy, who has already taken work in the mines with his father, and 11-year-old Billy, who is still mourning and feeling the terrible loss of his mom. So, in order to stave off starvation in a town with no real work other than the mines, the men band together in solidarity of a strike, supporting their union. It’s as much about the young boy who wants to break out through dance as it is about the community around him that feels forgotten.” That community is the aforementioned mining town, which is about to go under because the mines are being forced to close down by Maggie Thatcher’s government. Photo by Margot Schulman.Īs Matthew Gardiner, “Billy’s” brilliant director, posited, “It’s a show about people who feel like their voices aren’t being heard. Wilkinson), Noelle Robinson (Angela Robinson) and Annie Dodson (Alison Summers) in “Billy Elliot” at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman.Simone Warren (Keeley Gibson), Sissy Sheridan (Susan Parks), Nancy Anderson (Mrs.
BILLY ELLIOT SIGNATURE FULL
The full cast lists 39 performers (including double casting the Ballet Girls and the Billys) and Signature has wisely opened up to stage so that the dancing can get as wild and expansive as it needs to be in a show like this! And remember, I don’t work for this theatre! Simone Warren (Keeley Gibson), Sissy Sheridan (Susan Parks), Nancy Anderson (Mrs. And with bleacher seating, you won’t miss a word, dance step, nuance, or musical note. Once again, the just-for-this-show configuration of the thrust stage with seating on three sides takes advantage of giving patrons the best sight lines with at worst only four rows of seats possible in front of most everyone and at best only one or two.
BILLY ELLIOT SIGNATURE MOVIE
This adaptation of the 2000 movie “Billy Elliot” stays true to the movie, but places Billy and his family and the tiny coal mining town in North Eastern England up close and personal so that you get involved with their lives through Elton John’s soaring score and Lee Hall’s empathetic book and lyrics, portrayed by some of Washington DC’s best triple threat actors/singers/dancers! Signature Theatre’s use of their larger Max Theatre as always, blows me away. One caveat, though, there is some strong language and “f” bombs, but you have to make that call for yourselves and your children. You can DO it! Billy did it! What did he do, you say? Read on.
There is no way that you can sit through this show without smiling, laughing out loud then tearing up, all the while feeling hopeful for the future of our young people even in the face of some pretty tough issues in our world. I should say there are many promising shows I’m going to see that are opening soon in the Metro area, but I can tell you that this one is an unequivocal winner. If you are looking for a Christmas present for you, your family, and your children and grandchildren, the best show in town and running through January 6 is undeniably “Billy Elliot” at Signature Theatre. Wilkinson) and the ensemble of “Billy Elliot” at Signature Theatre. Owen Tabaka (Billy Elliot), Nancy Anderson (Mrs. Support Good News Journalism, Subscribe >