What do you think of this magazine article about Billy Elliot?

I had to write a magazine article for my English class. what do you think of it?

Billy Elliot in the Windy City!

By: Drama Queen (my name is on my real paper but i don't want to put it on the internet)



“Electricity sparks inside of me and I’m free, I’m free!” These are the words sung by 11 year old Billy in the climactic scene of Billy Elliot the Musical. Billy is now joining us in the windy city! After five years of Billy’s story being told on stage, it’s coming to join Broadway in Chicago! Billy’s story is one of great hope and faith, the musical’s past was very successful and it has a very bright future, especially in Chicago.

This story is about an 11 year old boy named Billy who lives in Durham County in northern England, during the miners strike in the mid-80’s. Since his father’s a miner his family is poor, but Billy’s dad has enough money to send Billy to boxing. Once Billy gets there, he hates boxing. However, he stays late one day after boxing and finds himself in a dancing class. Billy finds something wonderful in dancing and loves it. He goes on and learns how to be a great dancer! Billy soon finds himself in a heap of trouble, his father doesn’t approve of him dancing. When Billy’s dad catches him dancing, Billy goes to his friend Michael, who teaches Billy its okay to be different! Once try outs for a dance academy come around, his dad approves of him dancing and lets him try out! Will Billy be accepted into the school? For the answer to that question you will have to see the show for yourself!

In an interview with Hogan Fulton, who plays the title role of Billy on the west end of London, Hogan told me his favorite part of the show. “My favorite part of the show was” he started “Well, literally my favorite part was the electricity dance. I’ve rehearsed that dance so many times and been coached on it by so many people that I felt like I was doing it for everyone I knew. It’s such a meaningful part of the show and was the climax for me.” However, he also told me that the dance was his favorite part in the show, but “my favorite part about doing the show was growing up and meeting a ton of great people.”

Before Billy was such a phenomenon in the theater community, it was a movie that wasn’t as big as the musical. Billy Elliot the movie was first shown in France on May 19, 2000. It came to selected American theaters in October of the same year. The original Billy who was in the movie was Jamie Bell. About 5 years later, Sir Elton John’s partner thought it would be a good idea to make it into a musical. Elton John agreed and wrote the music for the show in two weeks time! Elton John said “Of all the musicals I’ve done, because I was so close and I’ve been so involved in watching the film it inspired me really to write the musical!” Now Elton’s newest hit is “Electricity” which is the most known song from the show!

After Elton John and his partner put all the finishing touches on the show it hit the stage in London May 2005. The actors who originated the role of Billy were James Lomas and Liam Mower, but the people who play Billy now on the west end are Charles Chapman, Oliver Gardner, Tom Holland, Hogan Fulton, and Rhys Yeoman. The success of Billy Elliot was so great it came to America! Billy hit the Broadway stage on November 13, 2008. Trent Kowalik, David Alvarez, and Kiril Kulish brought Billy to life on the Broadway stage. Billy Elliot won 10 Tony’s in 2009! Including best actor, where all 3 Billy’s got the Tony, and best musical! This musical was very successful to the theater community!

Now Billy is dancing his way to the windy city! Elton John is very happy that Billy will be in Chicago. He says “I have very fond memories of Chicago!” Others in the cast and crew say Chicago is a “theater city!” The show started March 18th and is planned to end August 8th. However, if it is very successful, like Wicked, it may stay longer! The actors who are playing Billy are Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio and Cesar Corrales. The show is about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including intermission. Billy Elliot is showing at the Oriental Theater, 24 west Randolph Street, Chicago IL, 60601. Ticket prices range from $30-$100. For tickets go to ticket master.com or call (312) 977-1710 if you plan to go with a group of 15 or more!What do you think of this magazine article about Billy Elliot?
Have you not seen the show yourself?



It's a good start but it doesn't show the flavor of the show. I saw the show on broadway last winter. There's a ton of cursing, rough humor and that really strict irish catholic patriarchal mentality. You didn't really elaborate on how fantastic the dancing is and how hard it must have been for someone that age to dance like that. Sure everyone in a show practices a lot. That's life. But the dancing or the choreography could still be bad. Find a credible quote about how breathtaking the dancing is or how poignant some of the scene are between Billy and his Dad, or when the dead mom talks to Billy.



It just sounds young. Like a young girl wrote it. Which is what I'm assuming you are. It's very well researched though. It's more facts though than painting a real picture about what the show is. By reading your article, I would have no idea that the show is what I saw.What do you think of this magazine article about Billy Elliot?
"The actors who originated the role of Billy were James Lomas and Liam Mower, but the people who play Billy now on the west end are Charles Chapman, Oliver Gardner, Tom Holland, Hogan Fulton, and Rhys Yeoman."



I think you have made a good start on your article. But there are some inaccuracies in your information that you should correct. The three original London Billys were James Lomas, Liam Mower and George Maguire. The current Billys on the West End are Oliver Gardner, Dean-Charles Chapman, Tom Holland and Rhys Yeomans. Fox Jackson-Keen just retired from the show on March 27, with 201 performances to his credit.



You also might want to add that there have been five US boys to play Billy Elliot on the London stage. They are Colin Bates, Corey Snide, Trent Kowalik (who played Billy for six months in London before returning home to open the show on Broadway, and is the longest serving of all the Billys from all of the productions so far with well over 200 performances as Billy, not counting partial performances and additional appearances as the "Tall Boy"), Hogan Fulton, and Tanner Pflueger (who was brought over to NY for several weeks last spring to fill in on Broadway before returning to London to finish his year-long run as Billy in that show).



Also, Chicago has FOUR Billys, not three. They are Tommy Batchelor, Cesar Corrales, Giuseppe Bausilio and J P Viernes.



I suggest that you check out our forum for accurate and up to date information about all current productions of Billy Elliot the Musical. Our web address is www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk . This forum also has a twitter feed, BEForum, where you can keep up with what's going on with the show. There is also a frrequently updated, list of all the Billy Elliot casts on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Elliot_the_Musical_casts .