By Rikki Lee Travolta
I suppose if you had to distill its story down to one sentence, it would be that “Billy Elliot” is about a young boy who wants to learn to dance. And while accurate in a precursory way, the truth is there’s a lot more to the story.
Set in County Durham in North East England during the miner’s strike of 1984-85, “Billy Elliot” also deals with themes of gender roles and disparity between the working classes.
Billy is a young boy living with his father and older brother, who both work in the mines. Billy’s mother has passed away. After attending boxing class at the local community center, Billy discovers a girl’s ballet class run by Mrs. Wilkinson.
Billy is fascinated by the beauty of ballet, and soon Mrs. Wilkinson takes him under her wing for private tutoring. They have their sights set on the Royal Ballet School in London. This does not sit well with Billy’s father, who thinks ballet is far too feminine for his son.
His father and brother have other things on their minds too. The whole town is suffering as the strike at the coal mine bleeds into a year-long battle of wills. Sometimes when you are struggling to put food on the table, your principles are all you have left to cling to – so it’s hard to step back and analyze whether those principles are just or not.
“Billy Elliot” originally took shape as a feature film. Made on a modest budget of $5 million, the little film caught the imagination of audiences around the world. It earned a whopping $109.3 million worldwide and garnered three Academy Award nominations, including for best screenplay.
A musical stage adaptation premiered in London in 2005, ironically with a budget bigger than the film that inspired it. The musical features a script and lyrics by Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay. Music is by pop icon Elton John, who previously scored musical theatre hits with “The Lion King” and “Aida.” The show crossed the pond for a 2008 Broadway debut that resulted in a whopping 15 Tony Award nominations, resulting in 10 wins.
Paramount Theatre in Aurora unveiled its production of “Billy Elliot: the Musical” this week to a packed house. The music is brilliant. The dancing is heart-stopping, breathtaking, and altogether amazing. And the overall spectacle is as delightfully satisfying as a fine dessert. The standing ovation the cast received was one of the longest in all of recent Chicago theatre – and deservedly so.
Growing up, I was the only boy in any of my dance classes. It’s not the most welcoming road to travel. I recall many instances of having my masculinity insulted or questioned by those who thought dance should be reserved for girls. That’s a tough battle for any young man.
The musical is directed by the incredibly gifted Trent Stork, with music direction by conductor Kory Danielson, and choreography by Isaiah Silvia-Chandley. All three maestros excel in the craft, due to the nature of the show, it is the dance that stands out beyond all else.
The title role of Billy Elliot is double cast with Neo Del Corral and Sam Duncan trading nights as the young dancer. For the opening, Del Corral had the honor of bringing the role to life, and what a job the young talent did. For someone so young to have such natural talent and to be so well-trained is beyond impressive. Expect Del Corral and Duncan to be the talk of Chicago for the duration of the Paramount run.
Del Corral is a phenomenal dancer. His technique is impeccable. And boy does the choreographer know how to stage the climax to a big dance number, with the young star striking a proud pose at the end of each number for maximum effect. This is further complimented by the lighting design – with a special hitting our lead dancer in fiery glory.
Lighting design for dance is a little different than for regular theatre. It requires more lighting from the sides of the stage. This helps make the dancers’ physical appearance pop for the audience. As the lighting designer for “Billy Elliot”, Greg Hofmann knows this well. His mastery of lights is clearly apparent.
Also starring in the production is Michelle Aravena as dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson, Ron E. Rains as Billy’s father, Spencer Davis Milford as his brother Tony, and Gabriel Lafazan as his best friend Michael Caffrey.
Aravena is one of those rare triple threats who not only has incredible talent, but makes the job look easy. As an actor, Rains is capable of presenting a highly masculine persona, and then breaking down the walls to show the vulnerability hiding within. Milford is equally as strong.
As young Michael, Lafazan is a pure joy. He has comic chops that don’t end, and an endearing quality that makes you just love him. All that pales in comparison to his tap dance skills. This young man can tap with speed and agility far beyond his years.
Although the role doesn’t speak or sing, Christopher Kelley as an adult version of Billy is an absolute showstopper. In a sequence in which Billy imagines his life in the future, young Billy and older Billy dance a ballet duet that can best be described as a gift for your soul. Silvia-Chandley’s choreography is that good, and Kelley and Del Corral’s exquisite technique gives that choreography maximum impact.
The cast features exceptional performances from top to bottom. Barbara E. Robertson stands out as Billy’s Grandma, Dakota Hughes is memorable as Mr. Braithwaite, and Omi Lichenstein and Elin Joy Seiler share time as Debbie Wilkinson.
Youth performers are Charlie Long and Archer Geye (rotating as Tall Boy/Posh Boy), Levi Merlo and Eli Vander Griend (rotating as Small Boy), Ava Barabasz and Nina Poulimas (rotating as Angela Robson), Maya Keane and Meena Sood (rotating as Julie Hope), Avelyn Choi and Asha Dale Hopman (rotating as Keeley Gibson), Jojo Nabwangu and Willa Zatzenbloom (rotating as Margaret Gormley), Annabel Finch and Katie Romanski (rotating as Sharon Percy), Alexandria Rose Bell and Kavia Suri Kakodkar (rotating as Susan Parks), and Jordyn Helvie and Piper Sobel (rotating as Tracey Atkinson).
The ensemble features Brian Bandura, Lydia Burke, Joe Foust, Neil Friedman, Nathan Gallop, Jared David Michael Grant, Brian Hupp, Conor Jordan, Chris Khoshaba, Kevin Kuska, Michael Earvin Martin, Matt Miles, Liz Pazik, Concetta Russo, Jennie Sophia, and Matthew Weidenbener.
Scenic design by Michelle Lilly is big, imposing, and industrial. Sound design by Adam Rosenthal is very well done. Properties by Jesse Garrney and projections by Mike Tutaj are nicely done.
The costume plot for “Billy Elliot” is more subdued than some big laugh-out-loud musical comedies, but not every show has to have sequins to be good. Costume designer Izumi Inaba does a great job using wardrobe to establish the ambiance of the setting.
Electronic music is designed by Ethan Deppe. Dialect coach is Susan Gosdick. Fight director is John Tovar, dramaturg is Devvon Hayakawa, and intimacy director is Max Fabian.
In addition to his duties as director, Stork is the casting director responsible for assembling this amazing group of performers. The production is steered during the run by stage manager Jinni Pike, assisted by Magan Burnell and Lanita VanderSchaaf. Associate director is Amanda Raquel Martinez. Associate choreographer is Alex Mitchell. Associate music director and associate conductor is Cameron Tragesser.
“Billy Elliot” is heart attack intense. The dance is so good it’s spiritual. Make plans to see this Paramount Theatre triumph. It runs through March 24.
Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets visit www.ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.
Production photos by Liz Lauren
Advance promotional photos by Amy Nelson
For more reviews visit: Theatre in Chicago – your source for What’s on Stage in the Chicago Area.
Billy is a young boy living with his father and older brother, who both work in the mines. Billy’s mother has passed away. After attending boxing class at the local community center, Billy discovers a girl’s ballet class run by Mrs. Wilkinson.
Billy is fascinated by the beauty of ballet, and soon Mrs. Wilkinson takes him under her wing for private tutoring. They have their sights set on the Royal Ballet School in London. This does not sit well with Billy’s father, who thinks ballet is far too feminine for his son.
His father and brother have other things on their minds too. The whole town is suffering as the strike at the coal mine bleeds into a year-long battle of wills. Sometimes when you are struggling to put food on the table, your principles are all you have left to cling to – so it’s hard to step back and analyze whether those principles are just or not.
“Billy Elliot” originally took shape as a feature film. Made on a modest budget of $5 million, the little film caught the imagination of audiences around the world. It earned a whopping $109.3 million worldwide and garnered three Academy Award nominations, including for best screenplay.
A musical stage adaptation premiered in London in 2005, ironically with a budget bigger than the film that inspired it. The musical features a script and lyrics by Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay. Music is by pop icon Elton John, who previously scored musical theatre hits with “The Lion King” and “Aida.” The show crossed the pond for a 2008 Broadway debut that resulted in a whopping 15 Tony Award nominations, resulting in 10 wins.
Paramount Theatre in Aurora unveiled its production of “Billy Elliot: the Musical” this week to a packed house. The music is brilliant. The dancing is heart-stopping, breathtaking, and altogether amazing. And the overall spectacle is as delightfully satisfying as a fine dessert. The standing ovation the cast received was one of the longest in all of recent Chicago theatre – and deservedly so.
Growing up, I was the only boy in any of my dance classes. It’s not the most welcoming road to travel. I recall many instances of having my masculinity insulted or questioned by those who thought dance should be reserved for girls. That’s a tough battle for any young man.
The musical is directed by the incredibly gifted Trent Stork, with music direction by conductor Kory Danielson, and choreography by Isaiah Silvia-Chandley. All three maestros excel in the craft, due to the nature of the show, it is the dance that stands out beyond all else.
The title role of Billy Elliot is double cast with Neo Del Corral and Sam Duncan trading nights as the young dancer. For the opening, Del Corral had the honor of bringing the role to life, and what a job the young talent did. For someone so young to have such natural talent and to be so well-trained is beyond impressive. Expect Del Corral and Duncan to be the talk of Chicago for the duration of the Paramount run.
Del Corral is a phenomenal dancer. His technique is impeccable. And boy does the choreographer know how to stage the climax to a big dance number, with the young star striking a proud pose at the end of each number for maximum effect. This is further complimented by the lighting design – with a special hitting our lead dancer in fiery glory.
Lighting design for dance is a little different than for regular theatre. It requires more lighting from the sides of the stage. This helps make the dancers’ physical appearance pop for the audience. As the lighting designer for “Billy Elliot”, Greg Hofmann knows this well. His mastery of lights is clearly apparent.
Also starring in the production is Michelle Aravena as dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson, Ron E. Rains as Billy’s father, Spencer Davis Milford as his brother Tony, and Gabriel Lafazan as his best friend Michael Caffrey.
Aravena is one of those rare triple threats who not only has incredible talent, but makes the job look easy. As an actor, Rains is capable of presenting a highly masculine persona, and then breaking down the walls to show the vulnerability hiding within. Milford is equally as strong.
As young Michael, Lafazan is a pure joy. He has comic chops that don’t end, and an endearing quality that makes you just love him. All that pales in comparison to his tap dance skills. This young man can tap with speed and agility far beyond his years.
Although the role doesn’t speak or sing, Christopher Kelley as an adult version of Billy is an absolute showstopper. In a sequence in which Billy imagines his life in the future, young Billy and older Billy dance a ballet duet that can best be described as a gift for your soul. Silvia-Chandley’s choreography is that good, and Kelley and Del Corral’s exquisite technique gives that choreography maximum impact.
The cast features exceptional performances from top to bottom. Barbara E. Robertson stands out as Billy’s Grandma, Dakota Hughes is memorable as Mr. Braithwaite, and Omi Lichenstein and Elin Joy Seiler share time as Debbie Wilkinson.
Youth performers are Charlie Long and Archer Geye (rotating as Tall Boy/Posh Boy), Levi Merlo and Eli Vander Griend (rotating as Small Boy), Ava Barabasz and Nina Poulimas (rotating as Angela Robson), Maya Keane and Meena Sood (rotating as Julie Hope), Avelyn Choi and Asha Dale Hopman (rotating as Keeley Gibson), Jojo Nabwangu and Willa Zatzenbloom (rotating as Margaret Gormley), Annabel Finch and Katie Romanski (rotating as Sharon Percy), Alexandria Rose Bell and Kavia Suri Kakodkar (rotating as Susan Parks), and Jordyn Helvie and Piper Sobel (rotating as Tracey Atkinson).
The ensemble features Brian Bandura, Lydia Burke, Joe Foust, Neil Friedman, Nathan Gallop, Jared David Michael Grant, Brian Hupp, Conor Jordan, Chris Khoshaba, Kevin Kuska, Michael Earvin Martin, Matt Miles, Liz Pazik, Concetta Russo, Jennie Sophia, and Matthew Weidenbener.
Scenic design by Michelle Lilly is big, imposing, and industrial. Sound design by Adam Rosenthal is very well done. Properties by Jesse Garrney and projections by Mike Tutaj are nicely done.
The costume plot for “Billy Elliot” is more subdued than some big laugh-out-loud musical comedies, but not every show has to have sequins to be good. Costume designer Izumi Inaba does a great job using wardrobe to establish the ambiance of the setting.
Electronic music is designed by Ethan Deppe. Dialect coach is Susan Gosdick. Fight director is John Tovar, dramaturg is Devvon Hayakawa, and intimacy director is Max Fabian.
In addition to his duties as director, Stork is the casting director responsible for assembling this amazing group of performers. The production is steered during the run by stage manager Jinni Pike, assisted by Magan Burnell and Lanita VanderSchaaf. Associate director is Amanda Raquel Martinez. Associate choreographer is Alex Mitchell. Associate music director and associate conductor is Cameron Tragesser.
“Billy Elliot” is heart attack intense. The dance is so good it’s spiritual. Make plans to see this Paramount Theatre triumph. It runs through March 24.
Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets visit www.ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.
Production photos by Liz Lauren
Advance promotional photos by Amy Nelson
For more reviews visit: Theatre in Chicago – your source for What’s on Stage in the Chicago Area.
