Like in "The Given Day", a worker's strike serves as the pivot around which the musical version of "Billy Elliot" pirouhettes. The miners in 1984 Durham county bellow like they're in "Les Miserables", singing proletarian marches that more than suggest Elton John brushed up on Boublil/Schomberg's oeuvre. I can pinpoint at least three songs that plagiarize "Les Miz": The Letter", "Deep Into the Ground", and "The Stars Look Down". The last one borrows a title from old-timey best-seller author A.J. Cronin's novel about a mining community, inspiration for the original movie screenplay by Lee Hall, (who wrote the book and lyrics for the show). Elsewhere the songs freely quote from Andrew Lloyd Webber's back CATalogue, (Ooooh, see what I did there?); "He Could be a Star" is an obvious reworking of "What a Wonderful World"; and Kander and Ebb's "Chicago" is quoted in "Shine" ("Give 'em the old razzle dazzle"!). It's doubtful that Mrs. Wilkinson, the British back country ballet teacher, would have caught the relatively short-running 1975 Broadway version of "Chicago", and only a time machine would make her punctual for the 1996 revival, let alone the 2002 movie version. Is this more of my nit-picking?
After all, this pastichy grab bag is Elton John's best musical work. "The Lion King" was more of Julie Taymore's success; "Aida" was underwhelming camp; and "Lestat" was... actually I don't know what "Lestat" was. Not even Anne Rice got a chance to see that before they nailed the coffin.
But "Billy Elliot" is a true stage success- Elton John's songwriting is submerged in waves of theatrical sound, faux-rock and old disco, that at least have the smarts to steal from hits that worked before. The story remains the crowd-pleaser that was in movie form, except even more so, now that young Billy's discovery of his, er, balletic skills has him LITERALLY flying at the sound of music in "Electricity".
Remember that "Simpsons" episode where Bart starts doing ballet drawing tears from Nelson who finds him so graceful, yet masculine? Yeah, same here. Billy loves ballet and prancing, but the musical takes care to spell out that he IS NOT GAY.
His crushing best friend is, which made me squirm a little. Call me a homophobe, but I don't need details about a 10 year old boy's interest in cock-blowing. Hey, I would be uncomfortable if it was about a little girl too, at least in this theatrical environment. You don't need to take grandma to the theater and then find out what little Orphan Annie REALLY gets up to with Daddy Warbucks, do you? What is it with these kids today anyway? No latency period? When I was ten, the only thing I was attracted to were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Still, "Expressing Yourself" is one of those poppy, cryptic enough, sing-along "Gotta Be Me" numbers that unwittingly push a guy along the Kinsey Scale. What gives the show weight is how the kids' psycho-dramas unfold against the very grown-up conflict of a town expressing its union, ("Solidarity Forever") against the opressiveness of Margaret Thatcher's policies. "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" is a catchy, bilious song that celebrates her anticipated death.
The interplay between an artist of dubious virility and his decent, but rough-neck working class background clearly help Elton John to focus his creative energies into his best work in more than a decade. Lee Hall's lyrics allow him more room for autobiographical sentiment than even his superior work with Bernie Taupin. The 2005 London cast album is a solid recording with a stand-out performance by Haydn Gwynne as the teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, and enthusiastic choir-boy singing by Liam Mower as Billy. Never mind me pointing out the many tunes this show steals, or where the music could have used less theatricality and more authenticity: "Billy Elliot" may be the best thing the West End has sent to Broadway since... I dunno... Miss Saigon? This is clearly the show to see now. Although I wouldn't turn down tickets to that upcoming "Hair" revival. Hint hint, Dear Imaginary Reader: My birthday is coming up!
Yeah, fat chance, I know.
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