Eleven year olds fill an awkward space in adolescence. Often entering the perplexing “pre-teen” stage, they express themselves with random outbursts of energy, attitude and sadness.
Billy Elliot, the main character of the musical with the same name, is eleven years old, but in many ways, the musical itself seems like an eleven year old – energetic, occasionally awkward and charming all at once.
Set in Northern England in 1984, the plot centers on those affected by the yearlong British National Union of Mineworkers strike. While the town’s adults outwardly struggle to maintain strength in the face of unemployment, Billy struggles internally with a secret dream to pursue a career as a ballet dancer.
Due to the fact that male “ballerinos” aren’t exactly respected in modern times, it’s clear that they didn’t have a place in the mining towns of England – especially when “real” men were those who took boxing lessons. Billy’s father (Rich Hebert) and brother (Jeff Kready) do not support the visions that dance in Billy’s head. The boy is then left with only the assistance of his dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson (Faith Prince) to find a way to pursue his dreams.
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| Shown with the other "Billys" Lex Ishimoto, center, played Billy Tuesday, Nov. 23. |
The touring production, now showing at the State Theater, travels with 20 children. Five of them are “Billys”, though Lex Ishimoto, a 12-year-old hip-hop dancer from California, played Billy for the Tuesday performance. Much like his character, Ishimoto’s dancing makes him a prodigy. As a trained dancer myself, I saw not one misstep, no matter how hard I looked. His pirouettes were perfect, his fouettes flawless.
Instead, Ishimoto’s fault lies in his singing, which was almost always off-key. Sounding like an even younger version of Justin Bieber (if that’s possible), Ishimoto’s unchanged voice was often harsh on the ears. However, much like with Bieber, audiences will readily forgive the annoying singing because of the appearance (in this case, of the beautiful dancing) of the source of the sound.
Much of the stage time belongs to Billy, but the other children in the cast often steal the show. Billy’s young friend Michael (Jacob Zelonky) is adorable as a boy who enjoys dressing up in his sister’s clothes. Given that Zelonky is only 11 himself, he handles the role of a young, gay boy with great maturity.
The inclusion of Billy’s cross-dressing friend is just one instance of the show’s exploration of societal themes. For 11-year-old Jacob, cross-dressing is perfectly acceptable because it brings him happiness. When justified by Jacob, one can’t help but wonder why any member of society feels entitled to dictate the behavior of others when happiness is at stake. The children in the show have it right – if it makes someone else happy, don’t question it.
Also memorable are the “ballet girls” in Billy’s dance class. Though they travel in a pack, each individual dancer (ranging from 11-18 years in age) has a distinct personality. Also, though they dance poorly, each ballerina is expertly trained and is instructed to forgo her classical technique in order to emphasize Billy’s greatness. Because many of the actresses are so young, they resemble the typical competition dance “infants” that have smiles plastered on their faces the whole number instead of reacting to the lyrics of the song.
For a touring production, the special effects and scenery are quite remarkable. From a dance studio inside of a gym to a dressing room with personified dancing dresses, the set is completely reminiscent of the Broadway production. None of the scenery feels compromised, giving audiences nationwide the full effect of the original show.
Amazingly, cast members young and old speak as though they were born and raised in Northern England. The accents used in the show are completely authentic and believable. Though the cast members sound as though they hail from Ireland, residents of Durham County speak with a pitimac accent. Now less frequently heard, pitimac accents are characteristic of those in Northern England who spent much time in the mines.
Besides speaking well, the adults in the show successfully unite the cast and emphasize the suffering the community undergoes together. Because the town is so united, Billy is even more outcast from his family, which makes the story more relatable and inspiring.
The show revolves around dancing. As a result, the musical’s songs, though written by Sir Elton John, are not memorable. The phenomenal dance moves are ultimately more gossip-worthy, as opposed to the tunes sung by “Billy Bieber” and his fellow cast mates. Though Billy Elliot did win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2009, it is more of a dance show than anything else.
Above all else, Billy Elliot encourages audience members to realize that ultimately, a child needs the support of his or her family to succeed. However, the writers of the script readily acknowledge that sometimes, children know best. It was Billy who recognized that he had the potential to succeed, but temporarily disbanded his talents to please those around him.
After seeing Billy Elliot and viewing a young child with so much ability and potential, one might wonder how anyone could ignore his skill and refuse him the chance to grow and develop. In reality, there are children everywhere who are brimming with potential. Sometimes, these children know best, but just need support. Billy Elliot asks audiences, if you had the chance to make a difference in someone’s life, would you?
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