|
|
Billy Elliot Strikes a Chord
PHOTO BY MICHAEL BROSILOW The company of Billy Elliot the Musical.
With 10 more days to go, through May 13, Billy Elliot the Musical is still wowing audiences with the manifold talents of the four boys, Ty Forhan, Kylend Hetherington, Zach Manske and J.P. Viernes, who alternate in the role of 11-year-old Billy Elliot, a coal miner’s son, whose life is forever changed when he stumbles upon a ballet class on his way to boxing lessons.
Billy’s rise as a talented dancer is incongruously set against the backdrop of the devastating 1984 coal miners’ strike in Margaret Thatcher’s England. The coal miners lost but placing the two events together heightens the drama and gives social context to the difficulty Billy faces when his father and overbearing brother forbid him to continue.
Elton John’s music with book and lyrics by Lee Hall, and Peter Darling’s choreography underscore the stark contrast between the realities of a coal miner’s life — rigid, harsh, with no expectations beyond their station — and the dreams of youth — flowing and free and flying. Billy’s flying scene is a show-stopper and his interview with the Royal Ballet School when he is asked how dancing makes him feel, is something to which we might all aspire.
Tickets may be purchased online at BroadwayLA.org or by phone at (800) 982-2787; at the Pantages Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, just east of Vine Street, and the box office opens daily at 10 a.m.
In Solidarity
Two weeks before Billy Elliot the Musical hit the boards, The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced that they will officially merge. In solidarity with the merger, Broadway/L.A. and the national tour of Billy Elliot extend a $45 ticket offer to all entertainment union members with valid ID cards. Come to the box office on the day of performance and purchase $45 best available seats in select areas. There is a two-seat maximum per member ID.
