Billy Elliot
The 2000 film (A-III -- adults) about a boy in a northern England mining town who, under the tutelage of a tough but empathetic teacher, discovers his talent for ballet against a backdrop of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's standoff with the striking miners in 1984 has come to Broadway from London.
With three talented youngsters alternating the title role (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish) -- a marathon part involving strong acting, singing and all sorts of dance -- this musical directed, like the film, by Stephen Daldry, with songs by Elton John, is extremely well done, though a few caveats are in order.
Though it features an 11-year-old boy as its central character, this is not a show for young kids. The rough language of the miners and the other characters is a far cry from Disney product, and in trying to prove the point that one doesn't have to be a "poufter" (i.e., gay) to be a dancer, Lee Hall's script includes a flamboyant friend for Billy who, in a bizarre number involving giant animated dresses, sings about "expressing oneself" in a dress, a dubious sentiment in this context.
But all in all, this is a rare musical that works as both drama and spectacle. Haydn Gwynne re-creates her original role in London as the dedicated instructor; Gregory Jbara is Billy's rough-hewn dad who comes to realize the boy deserves a chance for something better, and Carole Shelley plays his dotty but smart-as-a-fox grandma.
Peter Darling's choreography is tremendous, especially the "Solidarity" number where the young ballerinas' moves are brilliantly juxtaposed against the striking miners.
Your interest in the political situation may be nil, and the Northern accents might be a challenge, but for discerning adults not offended by the very strong language, this is as good as it gets. (Imperial Theatre, 240 W. 45th St., (212) 239-6200 or Telecharge.com)
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.