Billy Elliot The Musical live on stage in Chicago

I believe this is a "sit-down" production that is in Chicago for a long stay. Judging by the full house and enthusiastic audience, Billy Elliot The Musical deserves a good run.

It took me a while to get my head around this show; it breaks some conventions that I have stuck in my craw about musicals. Mostly, the expectation that the moving moments of a show will be during songs; here the highlights are during dances. Billy's dancing was of course the standout and Cesar Corrales, the young performer who played Billy in the matinee I saw, was excellent. Not just a well-trained dancer, but an actual stage presence.

The music by Elton John was a little disappointing to me. Apart from Billy's "Electricity", the songs don't have a tune that you can leave the theater humming. And Billy's song is nearly immediately swept out of your head by the wonderful dance number that follows. Having seen Sir Elton's Lion King and Aida, I know the man can write effective stage musical songs.

In Billy Elliot, there are three roles other than the title character who have primary songs--Billy's father; dance instructor Mrs. Wilkinson; and Billy's friend Michael. Mrs. Wilkinson is portrayed in Chicago by Emily Skinner, an accomplished Broadway veteran from Side Show, Jekyll & Hyde, and The Full Monty. That experience shown in her performance. Armand Schultz as Billy's father was best when not singing.

One thing this show did a lot, and usually well, was blend Billy's real life with his fantasy life. This happened in the dancing dress number for Billy and Michael, the pas de deux for Billy and Grown Billy, and in scenes between Billy and his deceased mother. Even the struggle between striking miners and British police authorities was a blend of realities of sorts--although I found this less effective. Perhaps purposely, the police presence was made into a joke with their first entrance that seemed straight out of Gilbert and Sullivan.

I have to end with a probing question that kept me awake last night: why when Billy left at the end of the show to go off to The Royal Ballet school, did the actor climb into the orchestra pit?

Billy Elliot The Musical
Music by Elton John
Book and lyrics by Lee Hall
Opened in London in 2005, the New York production opened in October, 2008
This Chicago production opened in March, 2010 and has an open run.
Cast: Emily Skinner, Armand Schultz, Cynthia Darlow, Patrick Mulvey, Cesar Corrales (my Billy), Gabriel Rush (my Michael),

Aida Original Broadway Cast album

When I turned this cast album in to the librarian, he proudly launched into "Ritorna vincitore". I had to explain that this was not Verdi's version, but Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. While the story may be the same, the story-telling is certainly not.

At first this score reminded me of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with a belt-voiced female narrator opening the show. But in this case the narrator is Amneris, who becomes a primary character in the story. The rock and pop twinged score is also Joseph-like.

I didn't respond positively to much of this score. I like Heather Headley's singing very much, and she is very successful in "Easy as Life" which is the best song of the show. She also sings the reprise of "Elaborate Lives" very well at the end of the show, but the song is not as strong.

Adam Pascal is most effective when singing full voice. His sotto voce ballad singing is just breathy, rather than emotional. His Act II song "Radames Letter" could be effective but suffers from pedestrian lyrics.

Sherie Rene Scott sings very well as Amneris, showcasing a comic side with "My Strongest Suit" and then more emotional singing in the reprise. Of the rest of the music, I liked the chorus piece that ends Act I, "The Gods Love Nubia" a gospel-like spiritual, which is about the only singing the chorus gets to do. "Not Me" has some interesting four-part writing for Aida, Amneris, Radames, and Mereb. The two songs of Zoser (Radames' father) don't do a thing for me.

I have to question ending the show with three reprises, rather than a new duet for Aida and Radames as they are trapped in the tomb. Maybe the production team didn't want us to focus on the death of the lead characters. Well, then why tell the story?

According to the Broadway database, there was a production of Aida that used Verdi's music, but a new libretto with the story set during the Civil War. A similar thing was done by Oscar Hammerstein II with the music of Bizet for Carmen Jones. My Darlin' Aida was produced in the 1950s (as was Carmen Jones). Hmmm.

Elton John's version ran for more than 1,800 performances, so it must be considered a success. I think I'm going to join the librarian and put Leontyne Price on the turntable.

Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida
Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Book by Robert Falls, Linda Woolverton, and David Henry Hwang
Based on the opera by Verdi
Cast: Heather Headley, Adam Pascal, Shere Rene Scott, Tyrees Allen, John Hickok, Damien Perkins, Daniel Oreskes