The Playgoer: Quote of the Day

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Monday, June 20, 2005

Quote of the Day

"There is already debate about whether 'Billy Elliot' will eventually move to Broadway. Certainly, it lacks the surface glitter and arch references to other musicals that now seem de rigueur for big Broadway hits. Instead of winking condescendingly at the sentimental clichés that drive its plot, it finds the eternal life in them. For all its conscious craftsmanship, it's the most unself-conscious musical in decades. Speculation has it that with its thick regional accents, local slang and period political references, 'Billy Elliot' may be too British for Broadway. A more alarming thought is that while this show forges a visceral connection with its audience in a way American musicals were once famous for, 'Billy Elliot' may simply be too full of real feeling for the synthetic Broadway of today."

-From Ben Brantley's review of the London premiere of the musicalized Billy Elliot. For those of us who have been fans of director Stephen Daldry ever since An Inspector Calls days, the hype is utterly believable, Elton John notwithstanding...

Anyone seen it already?

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