Billy Elliot

By Matthew Jaquez

Billy Elliot is a heartfelt story about a young boy trying to do what he could to please his father and his passion for music and dancing.

During the hard times his brother and father are going through, while being on strike from their jobs at the coal mines, Billy goes to school and tries to follow in his grandfather’s shoes by taking boxing lessons. At the end of one of his practices, he’s asked to hand the lockup keys to the ballet teacher then ends up participating. Billy then realizes he would rather do something he’s more interested in and starts taking ballet lessons.

Between the movie and the play I've noticed many different things. The storylines are the same, but the way the scenes are played out are completely different; in my opinion, the way the story played out was better in the movie. Nonetheless, the acting and dancing on stage were phenomenal, and it was an amazing experience being able to attend the Broadway show. The stage was just completely amazing. Every time there was a new scene, there was a new set! Moreover, everything moved nicely on stage.

There were two moments in the show that impressed me the most.  The first one was when young Billy was dancing with future Billy.  They were spinning chairs perfectly in sync while doing their dance number.  The second was after the actual show was over, and the whole cast came on stage to perform.  The way they handed off their wardrobe pieces to each other while they were dancing was brilliant and performed outstandingly.

The cast member who impressed me the most was Alex Ko, not because he was the star of the show, but because of the way he acted and performed on stage.  He was really in character and showed his dedication and passion for acting.  I really respected how he portrayed Billy Elliot.

I've never really been a fan of musicals or ballet. However, after watching the movie, I was tempted to see the musical, and was glad I did; this was definitely a lifetime experience to remember. I am very thankful to Professor Jonathan Howle and Plaza for giving me and other students this opportunity. Furthermore, if you are someone like me who may not be interested in this sort of thing, I suggest you at least give it a chance, and I’m sure you will be surprised. It will all be worth it.