Review: BILLY ELLIOT at D Cube Art Center- An Invitation From Billy has Arrived in 7 Years!

'Can I ask you a question, Billy? How does it feel like when you're dancing?' as the famous line of BILLY ELLIOT echoed throughout the theater, I locked my fingers together and held my breath as the young actor began to dance. It has been 7 years since the last performance of BILLY ELLIOT (Korean production). Ever since that, it has been one of the shows that fans highly requested for a second production. However, there was no news until last year when Seensee Company dropped hints of the return of BILLY ELLIOT. Soon enough, the cast was announced and the Korean audiences were invited to join Billy's journey from November 29th, 2017.

BILLY ELLIOT is a story about a young boy named Billy from a family of coal miners. He stumbles across a ballet class while on his way leaving from a boxing lesson. He realizes that his passion is not boxing but dancing and dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. The story's main background is a small town located north of England and focuses on the historic UK miner's strike that happened in the 1980s.

An interesting point to take notice of this production is how they introduced the musical to the public. Unlike the common way of musical companies just announcing the cast prior to the first show, the final auditions for both Michael and Billy were fully broadcasted as a live stream. Not only that, the final selection process of Billy was also revealed to the public through a television broadcast. Due to this, people were able to have a glimpse of the young actors and their amazing dance skills, months beforehand the first show.

A total of five actors, Woojin Chun, Hyunjun Kim, Jihwan Sung, Hyunseo Shim, and Eric Taylor were selected to perform the amazing Billy. I had the opportunity to see BILLY ELLIOT twice, and for my first show, Jihwan played Billy and for my second show, Hyunseo played as Billy. Each had their own strong points and uniqueness; making the two experiences I had of watching the show different but both very touching. BILLY ELLIOT is a show that is consisted of different dance genres. Though ballet is considered as the main, there are scenes where the actors do tap, contemporary, and even acrobatics. It was interesting to see how different acts were noticeable depending on who was playing Billy. When I saw Jihwan's Billy, I was truly amazed by his nimble movements and his perfect acrobatics. It was captivating to see him express so much energy and strength while doing a 175 minutes show. For the second show where Hyunseo played Billy, the ballet scenes stood out the most. His movements were elegant and every gesture he made seemed flawless. It was as if at that moment, he and Billy became one. Both actors were amazing and there is no doubt in saying that they are very talented. The story itself was touching but seeing a child actor perform and express so much energy and passion in a grand theatre was an experience that is hard to fully reproduce in words.

The actors were amazing and the music was definitely good to hear, but one thing that surprised me was the portrayal of some scenes. One of them that grabbed my attention the minute I saw was the scene right after Billy's encounter with the ballet class. The sets were moving behind and Billy was practicing some steps when a light shined on Billy, portraying his shadow on the brick wall behind the moving sets. At first, it was only one shadow, then it became and two and then three. Though it was just a brick wall and some shadows, the emptiness of the stage and the actor's movements were just mesmerizing. Another scene that caught my eye was the number, 'Angry Dance.' The lights turning into a more alarming red was definitely noticeable, but the angry movements, the powerful tap dancing, and the harmony with the music, it was a solid image of excitement mixed with anger. Through that scene, the emotions of Billy was expressed clearly enough that my body was trembling from the powerful impression that I received.

BILLY ELLIOT is a wonderful show. It is hard to explain how much detail and sensations the show has, so simply put, the show is just wonderful. Yes, the story is about a young boy who wants to be a ballet dancer, but that is not all. The show has themes of pure love, passion, hardships, reality, and even politics. And all of these are expressed through singing and dancing, whether it's a solo or a duet piece. Billy is important, but he is not the only one, every actress and actor has a part in the show and BILLY ELLIOT has so many scenes where the audience could see how the cooperation of everyone is crucial. It is a piece of work that can truly give one a full experience of a musical. The story of Billy is something that I feel everyone could connect with. The idea that anyone can achieve their dreams despite the social background they come from is an empowering message that Billy's life gives to the audience. Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of Billy's touching journey.

BILLY ELLIOT plays at D Cube Art Center until May 7th. Tickets start at 60,000 and can be purchased at the ticket box and online at www.interparkglobal.com. Be sure to check the cast prior to buying the tickets.

For more information, please visit www.interparkglobal.com

Photo Credit: Seensee Company

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