Billy Elliot the Musical

The Toronto version of Billy Elliot the Musical was marketed as the highlight of the Mirvish 2010/11 subscription season and it does not disappoint. Four talented boys aged 12-14 share the demanding role of Billy and each needs to be a triple threat in acting, singing and dancing.

Our Billy was Marcus Pei, an American of part Chinese descent who also starred in the Chicago version of the show. It is notable that 3 of the 4 Billy's are visible minorities. It is the show's policy to have "colourblind casting", accepting any child who can fulfil the demands of the role. It was a bit jarring at first to see a Chinese looking Billy amongst his all-white family and friends, speaking with a thick cockney accent. But this is soon forgotten, especially once he "learns to dance". The role of Billy requires skills in ballet, tap, and perhaps the most challenging of all for these young protegies, trying to dance poorly at the beginning of the show.

The story of Billy Elliot is set in England in the 1980s in midst of the miners' strike during which Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher broke the unions. The show starts off with historic footage from that time, quickly establishing the backstory and mood of the miners. The first song "The Stars Look Down" make reference to a 1940s movie of the same name about the same topic. Apparently, the discord between miners and mine owners has been ongoing through the decades.

Billy is an eleven year old boy, being raised in a male dominated family after his mother dies. He stumbles into an all-girl dance class after ditching the boxing lessons that he hates and discovers that he enjoys dancing and is actually good at it. The two disjoint worlds of the miners strike and violent clashes with the police versus the innocence and joy of the children in their dance class come together in the rousing song "Solidarity".

Billy shows his dancing prowess in three main dance numbers. In the "Anger Dance", he frenetically acts out his frustration when his father refuses to allow him to audition for the Royal Ballet School. In "Dream Dance", Billy imagines himself performing a pas de deux with an older dancer, possibly a grownup version of himself. At one point, Billy is hooked to a harness and soars across the stage. Witnessing this beautiful ballet, his father finally understands Billy's passion and potential for dancing and sees the chance for him to escape from the grueling mining life. When Billy finally gets to audition for the Royal Ballet School, he dances to a song called "Electricity" where he tries to explain how he feels when he dances.

There are humorous moments including "Express Yourself", where Billy's gay friend Michael encourages him to be true to himself, resulting in the two of them dancing in women's clothing, and finally dancing with giant dresses. The sarcastic song "Merry Christmas Margaret Thatcher" disparaging the prime minister for her hard tactics towards the striking miners is accompanied by children wearing Thatcher masks and a giant Margaret Thatcher puppet.

One of the final scenes of the show depicts the miners returning to their jobs after the strike falls apart, while Billy leaves for Ballet school - one of the few to escape the fate of his home town. In a bittersweet moment, Billy says goodbye and as he walks away, only the eery glow of head lamps can be seen as the miners descend into the ground.

On the way out of the theatre, we noticed that the concession stand had an interesting item - a pair of pair of bright red short shorts similar to ones worn by Billy, but with the words "DANCER" written across the bottom. I can just imagine the look on a boy's face when he sees the souvenir that grandma brought back from the show!