[I saw Billy Elliot with my parents on April 19, and wrote my initial review immediately following. It's shamefully taken this long to polish up].
We were only minutes into the
Mirvish production of
Billy Elliot at Toronto's Canon Theatre when the talent displayed on the stage prompted goosebumps up and down my arms. We were in for a great night of theatre, I knew at that moment.
Not having seen the 2000 film of the same name, the only background I had to the story was what the program told me: It took place in 1984, as the British National Union of Mineworkers went on strike to save the coal industry from the threatened closures of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher.
As young
Billy Elliot's father and older brother go on strike and struggle for their livelihoods, he goes on his own journey of self-determination. After stumbling upon a ballet class and realizing he might have a talent for dancing,
Billy secretly attends weekly lessons while his family thinks he's at boxing class.
Now you better believe a production named
Billy Elliot relies strongly on its lead actor, and on this night 12-year-old
Myles Erlick delivered. One of six
Billys who rotate through the Toronto production, he portrays
Billy as a boy teetering between vulnerable and determined, unsure and developing confidence in his new found talent.
There is no need to question
Erlick's talent, however -- his dancing is nothing short of breathtaking. The vigour, strength and agility with which he dances ballet and tap numbers is truly awe-inspiring. It also made me think what a wonderful experience it must be for such a young performer to command a stage, and in turn an audience, with such force.
Of particular note are two standout performances by young
Billy. Pre-intermission, a rage-filled
Billy dances against a backdrop of riots after his father discovers he's been spending his time dancing, and demands he stop. In the second act,
Billy dances a hopeful performance with an older version of himself.
Billy's dancing pursuit is helped along the way by a number of expertly-executed supporting characters.
Kate Hennig commands the stage whenever she's on it, as
Billy's ballet teacher
Mrs. Wilkinson. As she pushes
Billy to pursue dancing despite what others might think, she grows into a mother figure for the boy, whose own mom is deceased. A force to be reckoned with, who also shares tender moments with
Billy, she quickly became one of my favourite characters.
Meanwhile,
Billy's friend
Michael, played by
Dillon Stevens, provides a little comic relief. As a boy who likes the play dress-up in women's clothes, he helps show
Billy it's okay to be different, effectively pushing the show's main message: to be yourself, no matter what.
This manifests itself in a lively song and dance number that sees both boys playing dress-up, and soon joined by a number of giant dresses dancing backup. Though it felt a little out of place with the rest of the show's tone, it also felt typically Broadway and served as a welcome moment of levity. (It also made me wonder what role
Elton John may have played in pushing such a number, as he created the music for this show).
In addition to the strength of the lead and ensemble performances, the production's original staging expertly interweaves
Billy's personal story against a backdrop of union picketing, police raids and chants from both sides.
Billy's story of hope for his own future in dancing is countered by a more sombre tone provided by those workers whose futures are indefinitely uncertain.
Billy Elliot beautifully joins an emotional story with stunning performances to create a truly engaging and original theatre experience.
Oh, and take it from me -- don't even try to fight the goosebumps; they'll stick around for the full two and half hours.
