'billy elliot' the musical

Since the musical version of Billy Elliot opened in London in 2005 and on Broadway in 2008, I'm a bit late in weighing in on what I think of it, but this is when I saw it, so be it.  The touring version is playing at the Ordway Theater for the Performing Arts, one of my favorite venues.

The show is flashy, and the music is good -- hey, it's Elton John, how could it not be?  But Jerry and I both decided that we liked the non-musical movie (from the year 2000) a lot better.  The problem with both movie and even more so on stage is the heavy northern-England dialect.  It's a great story but much can get "lost in translation".  I think we would have been kind of confused by the play if we hadn't seen the film first.

One of the best characters in the film is Billy's dad, and on stage the character is less interesting, without focus.  There are four young actors that alternate the lead as Billy, and the one that we saw was a very a talented dancer.  Even if you don't get all the nuances of the plot, it's an entertaining evening overall, and the show might make you want to see Swan Lake.