The enduring tale of struggle with poverty and stereotypes gets a fresh revival.
Billy Elliot, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston, through February 26. (617-879-2000 or Wheelock.edu)
By Jules Becker
One boy has a passion for dance, and his gay best friend enjoys putting on his sister’s clothes. Both struggle with poverty and stereotypes as formidable as growing pains. Miners fight for respect and a decent life while a national leader seems oblivious to the needs and concerns of working class citizens. If many of these situations sound strikingly familiar with Trump as President, all of them come in to play in Lee Hall’s book and lyrics for the acclaimed musical “Billy Elliot.” Now Wheelock Family Theatre’s very fresh revival has brought a welcome new intimacy to this still-resonating call for acceptance and understanding.
Fans of the Tony Award-winning Hall-Elton John musical know that the situations in question are set in 1984 Great Britain with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. As in the Broadway edition, the set pieces – the Elliot’s kitchen and Billy’s small quarters above, Mrs. Wilkinson’s dance space, the miners’ meeting place, among others – move in and out repeatedly. In movement, students, miners and police crisscross and even dance together in a beautiful visual reminder that what happens to the town’s adults has consequences for the town’s children and vice versa.
(Photos: Glen Cook Photography)
At the same time, some apparent adversaries – most notably Billy, his father and his brother – gradually reach moving moments of understanding where Billy’s possibility of training at the Royal Ballet School is concerned. Matthew T. Lazure’s scenic design smartly captures the town’s austerity and contrasting locations. Choreographer Laurel Conrad and choreographic consultant Rachel Bertone vividly capture Billy’s soaring dance aspirations in the musical’s memorable excerpt from “Swan Lake” that couples younger Billy’s passion and Older Billy’s future achievement. Texas eighth grader Seth Judice and Arlington senior and Cambridge Youth Dance Program trainee Will Christmann display strong technique in this eye-catching dream sequence.
Equally show-stopping is the anthem-like number “Solidarity!” that interweaves miners, dance class students and the put-upon police in an unlikely but brilliant tapestry — a singular metaphor for the interconnectedness of the town and by extension all humanity. Wheelock’s trademark use of aisles and the extensive area between orchestra and mezzanine sharply includes all theatergoers in the ups and downs of the show’s characters. Under returning co-founder Susan Kosoff’s strong direction, this combination rite of passage odyssey and family unity show shines as luminously as the passionate high caliber dance moves which tenacious teacher Mrs. Wilkinson demands from Billy.
The Wheelock cast are equally determined. Texas eighth grader Seth Judice captures Billy’s love of dance as well as his growing pains and rage at often being misunderstood by his father – especially in “Angry Dance.” Neil Gustafson as Dad convincingly moves from cluelessness about Billy’s aspirations to full support. Jared Troilo makes the most of his brother Tony’s own transformation from frustrated angry man to encouraging sibling. Troilo makes the older brother’s tirade about the professional troubles of miners like himself singularly chilling. Shane Boucher catches gay best friend Michael’s touching feeling for Billy and his adventurousness dressing up in women’s clothes with Billy in a moment of exuberance in the charming number “Expressing Yourself.” Cheryl D. Singleton has all of Grandma’s emotional strength — particularly in “Grandma’s Song.” Aimee Doherty is a proper powerhouse as feisty Mrs. Wilkinson, whether pushing Billy to pursue his passion for dance or standing up to his initially unsupportive Dad.
Billy’s story and that of his less fortunate but spirited good friend Michael resonate as deeply as the hauntingly uncertain fortunes of the miners. Wheelock’s very engaging you-are-there staging of “Billy Elliot” makes their stories as immediate as our own and reaffirms the musical’s rich embrace of diversity.
(Photos: Glen Cook Photography)
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