Sunday, November 30, 2008
In ‘Billy Elliot’ on Broadway, Dance Is Metaphor
NYTimes.com: "THE Broadway triumph of “Billy Elliot” is in many ways a triumph of paradox. This is a successful socialist musical about a failure of socialist action, a work of working-class realism that often operates by unrealistic methods and a sentimental tear-jerker that remains tough-minded about the loss of community and ideals. Whereas stage-musical adaptations of recent films are usually tepid at best, this one surpasses the writer Lee Hall’s and the director Stephen Daldry’s original, because they themselves have radically retold it."
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4 comments:
This is such a great movie and i can really see it being a beautiful show, even if you look at the production photos there is such a grace and class. i wonder how different this show plays for a British verse American audience? After reading the article the writer specifically pointed out the references to the 1980s strike - it would be cool to see how each audience reads this and how each production plays up/down these specific references.
After just watching the movie the other day I was thinking that out of all of the adapted movies, Billy Elliot is the one that has the most to offer. While it is a really enjoyable show about a boy learning to dance, but at the same time makes a lot of statements about society through the strike. Though it is the musical and dancing elements that bring in the audience is not all that the audience is presented with.
This truly is a wonderful show. I saw it in London about 2 years ago and was totally blown away. I am very pleased to hear that it has overcome some of the crazy technical difficulties it was having early in the Broadway process and has gone on to impress and move so many people. The musical tells the story so well, and even though the major events of the story had little effect on Americans, as the author mentions, the musical does a great job of getting us involved and caring not only for the future of the little boy, but of Britons as well.
I saw this show in London 2 summers ago and was incredibly impressed with the story, music and design. I was really excited to hear that it was crossing the pond to Broadway and am looking forward to seeing it. One of my personal 'concerns' with the shows transfer was how it was going to transfer the cultural differences. But with "Merry CHristmas Maggie Thatcher" making as much of a hit as it did, I think it will do just fine.
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