Goodspeed takes on the musical ‘Billy Elliot’
Goodspeed Musicals does very old musicals and it does very new musicals. It hardly ever does a political, modern show like “Billy Elliot.”
The high-kicking musical version of the 2000 movie about an 11-year-old boy whose dreams to become a ballet dancer clash with his family’s is barely past its first flush of success.
The Goodspeed is known for either premiering brand new shows or reviving shows that have been around for decades. This season, the Goodspeed Opera House did “The Music Man” from 1957, and “Because of Winn Dixie,” which was still being rewritten while it was in East Haddam.
“Billy Elliot” is very much a modern musical. It ran on Broadway from 2008 to 2014 and toured from 2010 to 2013, including a stop at The Bushnell. It ran in England even longer, from 2005 to 2016.
It’s political, with a big anthem about “Solidarity” and a protest song that mocks Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher. The score also features faux old Irish folk songs, classical ballet music and pop songs.
The composer? Captain Fantastic himself. This is the first time the Goodspeed has ever staged a musical by Elton John. His other Broadway hits include “The Lion King” and “Aida,” and he also has a noteworthy flop to his name, “Lestat” (based on Anne Rice’s vampire books).
The show’s book is by Lee Hall, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, as well as the screenplay for the recent Elton John biopic “Rocketman.”
The script has foul language, violence