Yorkie wrote:kringle wrote:Yorkie wrote:
There was a guy I used to run into frequently at the theatre in Toronto. He had seen Billy over 75 times in Toronto, Chicago and New York.
75 times is a good number (I think some folks on this site are approaching that number
).
75?
Who is that then?
Well just wanted to mention that a new leaf has opened up in the Billy saga. For the second time I got to see the new Billy
(Harris Beattie)
It was a stunning show, and to think he has only been with the show for a few weeks. Ill post my review from the Facebook appreciation group below.
Facebook wrote:Friday 9th March
Billy - Harris Beattie
Michael - Joe Massey
Debbie - Dayna Dixon
Tall boy - Ashley Cousins
Small Boy - Thomas Berry
After seeing several shows and writing reviews, it’s difficult to find something original to say, mainly because the cast are so consistently excellent. To be honest, I don’t think that anything I could write would do justice for how excellent the show was, despite a full but very flat audience. “Shame on them†I don’t think they realise the amazing talents they have just witnessed. Well as a veteran to the show, I certainly appreciated how hard the cast worked tonight.
It’s hard to believe that Harris has only been with us for a very short time considering what he achieved tonight, and I don’t say that lightly. It was a 100% perfect performance from this young man. I do believe that Harris is a Billy to keep an eye on, if he achieved what he did tonight in his short time as Billy, what he will achieve months down the road. I’ll look forward to seeing him flourish in to another great.
We started with a very confident looking Harris as he emerged onto stage, followed by his solo part in; The stars look down. He has a great singing voice in my opinion.
We had some great expressions and acting on Shine, the usual expressions of curiosity, bewilderment, and disgust and of course a look of anger at being shoved about by the ballet girls.
Harris was showing a great personality during Grandma’s song with great smiles and laughter.
Harris put on a great show for Solidarity with great form at the moment Mrs W discovers he has talent. We had perfect pirouettes at the end.
I was in hysterics during express; Harris looked so comfortable working with Joe. Again, great confidents, acting, dancing, singing and smiles throughout.
I could not help myself but feel very saddened during The Letter. This was great acting from Harris, but seemed so much more personal as well. I think the way he handles this, is a real credit to him. Not sure if I could do it.
Born to boogie was executed perfectly with great dancing, from Harris and cast alike.
Angry dance, Wow! This is a favourite routine of mine and Harris was no exception to the brilliance that the other Billy’s deliver. It was performed with perfect aggressive tap, intensely vocal with very powerful angry emotions, it really shook the house. This is another reason that Harris has the making of a really great Billy. I’ll look forward to many more Angry dances from him.
Dream ballet was a stunning display. Every move, every dance step was absolutely spot on perfect. Although this routine is generally performed quite swiftly, the transitions from one move to the next, was so fluid. Flying Billy was perfect, Billy was launched spinning high into the air to the delight of the house, and for the first time tonight, reacted and gave Harris a great ovation.
Harris made a very minor mistake in Electricity earlier in the week, so I was praying that he kept his momentum and performed this perfectly. Wow! He did. I was overjoyed to see this. Possibly one of the toughest routines in the whole show and he absolutely nailed it to perfection. He really deserved a full house standing ovation for this, but as I mentioned, it was hard work to get even a decent ovation from the house. Although I felt compelled to stand, on this occasion I could not as I had a family with young children sat behind me. I still carry somewhat the guilt of not fully showing my appreciation for this, as I have stood for a lesser performance before. Sorry Harris, but I could not stand as it would not have been fair on the youngsters behind me.
Absolutely loved Finale tonight. We had great dance moves and smiles from Harris and all cast.
As I mentioned, I think this young star is someone to watch, overall, it was a perfect show with no mistakes or hesitations in his lines. Great Singing, great acting, great dance in all disciplines. A real privilege to watch.
I brought my Mother to the theatre tonight, and she was shocked to learn that he has only been with the show for a very short time. She had a really great evening and did not stop taking about the show for the whole journey home. Not only was I overjoyed to see Harris’s perfect performance, my evening was just topped off to perfection knowing that my Mother also had a great night as well.
Thanks Harris, you put on a stunning, emotional, funny, 40 carat gem of a show. Looking forward to seeing you perform again.
Best wishes
Paul.
Joe Snelling Quote: "It's odd cuz my voice is low but I do quite a lot of the top notes"
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"Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul"
- Plato
Scott was the Billy I saw the first (and so far only) time I saw the show - except he was replaced with Ryan after the intermission because he fell ill, poor thing. 