BEHIND THE SCENES: Live Cinema Broadcast of BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL - A Teenager's View

Linus Boselius (aged 13 and 3/4) gives his view of Billy Elliot The Musical.

The atmosphere in the theatre was electric - everyone was so excited waiting for the curtain to rise. When it did go up, the set was detailed and felt exactly right for the play.

The acting was very good - the kids and adults made sure that I believed in all the characters. They could all sing too, very powerfully. When I saw the kids backstage, it was really noticeable that they were so young (much smaller than me), yet they had entertained us for more than three hours. They must have been nervous with such a big house and the cameras, yet these kids didn't show it, remembering all their lines and steps. The dancing was very spectacular, my favourite being the mash-up with all the old Billys back together again.

The story was interesting and told well - it engaged the audience from start to finish. The musical is about a young boy from Easington who finds that he likes ballet more than boxing - meanwhile the Miners' Stike rages outside. His father and brother don't like the idea of him doing ballet despite his talent, and Billy misses his first audition as a result. But he does get new support from family and friends and has another chance at the London auditions. Although being very out of place and a bit casual about his preparation, he came to life when he truly expressed what dancing meant to him.

The conversations with his friend Michael, who liked to dress in his mother's clothing, were the funniest part of the show, and the dance studio pianist was also very amusing. The saddest part of the show was the moment that Billy was stopped from going to his local audition by his family and when the miners had no money because of the strike, but were still trying to raise his bus fare to London.

I would recommend the show to other kids my age (or a bit older) as the story is very good and the music and singing is very entertaining with big spectacular numbers throughout the show. It is an inspirational story for kids my age too, because it says that you can make your dreams come true, if you really believe in yourself.

You can read my Dad's thoughts on the show by clicking here.

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