Still No Flies On Billy

As both Lord of the Rings and Gone With the Wind prepare to throw in their theatrical towels, we sent one of our writers to see one new musical that has managed to succeed in the West End.

The formula for success in the West End must be one of the most illusive and closely guarded secrets since the Colonel first knocked up those 11 herbs and spices to batter his chicken wings. You can spend years tailoring epic novels and classic films for the stage, blow millions of pounds on huge hydraulic sets, draft in the most respected directors, the most bankable actors and, for whatever reason, it just doesn't take. Likewise, you can cobble together a wee musical out of film about a northerner who likes ballet and it just takes off. The winner of four Olivier Awards including best musical and best choreography, Billy Elliot has definitely got the winning formula secreted about its person... probably rolled up in an old sock and stuffed into a sweaty gym bag somewhere.

The wide-reaching appeal of Billy Elliot was blindingly apparent before the show had even started. Unlike shows geared around nostalgic trips into celluloid history or niche fantasy epics, the Palace Theatre at Victoria is neither full of the duly seasoned nor the seriously nerdy. The auditorium was, in fact, a real hotch-potch. People of all ages, shapes and sizes were settling themselves into the charming theatre as the lights began to fade. A little chap of about seven then jumps up out of the Orchestra pit and sits centre-stage watching an old news reel projected onto the teaser curtain. As the scratchy footage of grimy and bustling mine shafts began to roll, the gentle swell of a brass band rises from the pit and a male choir strikes up with the first number "The Stars Look Down". Within seconds the visceral transformation is complete and the audience are carried to a small mining town in County Durham. A raucous opening, Billy Elliot kicks off in earnest with a picket-line skirmish. A throng of placard carrying strikers shout and hurl abuse at a meek trickle of scabbers whilst a thin blue line of coppers try to keep the relative peace. So far think Brassed Off shaken up a bit.

After the commotion dies down we find ourselves in the Elliot household. A little bed atop a thin spiral staircase twists out of a cavity centre-stage and the whole space becomes a northern terrace. It may not be as grand as a battle in the bowels of Middle Earth, but the relatively modest set-skeleton perfectly captures Billy's house.

A short scene over breakfast and we find ourselves in the boxing club with a bunch of kids reluctantly knocking lumps out of one another. Only after the class is finished, and Billy finds himself somehow ensconced in a rather dangerous looking ballet class, does the plot really start to strap its pumps on, so to speak.

Then, when Billy gets home, he has a rather touching scene with his grandma. Writer Lee Hall takes his first little wandering down memory lane here and does so with a rather definite nod to Jim Cartwright, albeit with fairly endearing post-feminist twist.

Cut in around here is the first time we meet Billy's friend Michael. Quite an eccentric little squirt who likes to dress up in his mum's clothes, Michael almost steals the show. So far there has been a generous peppering of some really funny lines, but when this little cross-dressing chap comes on he really brings the house down. Set in a brilliantly imaginative set piece, Born to Boogie is a cracking little number. What's more, as the plot unfurls and Michael's feelings for Billy develop, the script deals with the delicate issue with a huge amount of warmth and respect.

Billy's dancing improves and it's not long before his teacher Mrs Wilkinson starts giving him private tuition and helps him prepare for an audition she has set up for him for the Royal Ballet School.

At this point some of the dancing really gets out of hand. The young Billy we saw was genuinely fantastic. A mixture of some graceful ballet and some explosive tap, the show erupts with a few dazzlingly choreographed routines, and does not look back. The piece that finishes the first half for example, is just stunning. Huge in scope and intensity and loud with thunderous physical percussion, I defy anyone not to enjoy it. It's like Stomp... just much better.

The second half picks up a few weeks after where the first half ends. It's Christmas now and we are treated to a pretty blunt attack on old Maggie Thatcher and her Conservative goons. Needless to say, as Billy's dad begins to appreciate the lad's talent, the plot thickens and a few heart-wrenching scenes with his late mother add another depth to the narrative.

Billy Elliot is a truly impressive piece of theatre. Technical without being showy, political without being laboured, it is certainly a charming production. The songs were mostly strong and the performances were outstanding, but what most impresses is the integrity of the story. Yes, the dancing is fantastic but, and I think I'm right in saying this, it doesn't try to hog the limelight. Perfectly balanced, the choreography becomes a tool for the story and not the other way round. With a host of fairly 'inflated' musicals drawing to a close this season, it certainly seems that Billy Elliot's winning formula will keep it at the Palace for a little while yet.

Published by: Nathan Brooker