Definitely Billy Elliot
 

For those of you waffling on a Brodaway musical, I'll give my ringing endorsement to Billy Elliot, which is one of the best musicals I've seen in the past 2 or 3 years. Very entertaining, and the kid who was playing the lead last night was just stupendous.

The reason I say this now is that we were able to get seats just 2 weeks ago for last night's performance (2 on the right aisle, Row E). The theater seemed to be full or nearly so, but apparently people aren't snagging all the seats so far in advance now.

Anyway, if you have the opportunity, this is one of the few Broadway musicals that I'd say is worth full price. (South Pacific is another.) And you really don't need to buy ridiculously expensive tickets from a broker if you are a little flexible and can plan a couple of weeks in advance. (Frankly, I think the best seats for this show would be about halfway back in the orchestra (center, if possible). The first few rows of the mezzanine would also be great. It's not necessarily to sit right up front, and with all the excellent dancing, you might be able to enjoy it a little more easily from further back. Not that I'm complaining about Row E.

We sat in the second row of the mezzanine and the legroom is really tight up there. I don't recommend those seats. And while I loved Billy Elliot, I think I loved "In the Heights" more and that's now regularly discounted on broadwaybox.com and elsewhere.

Thanks for that recommendation. I'm still trying to decide on a few more shows for my upcoming April trip. (I bought my ticket for "South Pacific" in January.) Is "Billy Elliot" family friendly?

Yes, I'd say that Billy Elliot is extremely family-friendly. The cast is about half children under 12. However, there is some coarse language (f**k) is used several times in the play by both the adults and the children, so that's a real concern if you don't want your younger kids exposed.

But the dancing is really amazing, and the play is busy enough that I think even younger kids would be intrigued. (The parts about Margaret Thatcher will go right over their heads, but they can learn about the politics of the miner's strike later.)

FYI: The leg room in that theater is tight even downstairs, so it's not just a mezzanine problem. But that's common in almost all the Broadway theaters, so it isn't really a consideration for me.

Oh, and as in the movie, one of the children likes to dress up in women's clothing (and there's a great musical number focused on that). It's not so specifically clear (as it is in the movie) that the kid is gay, but again, some parents will be offended.

On the Billy Elliot website, they say "We recommend 8 years of age or older. Billy Elliot the Musical is based on the
inspirational film of the same name. It contains strong language and some scenes of confrontation between policemen and miners." I would agree. Those police scenes are very loud and could be disturbing to younger kids. The show is also long. I think there are many other choices better for kids.

We saw it in January and really enjoyed the show...and loved the music. One aside...in the playbill, they have definitions of words Americans might not recognize (the one I remember is pasty). In the beginning of the second act, I noticed my niece (who's 13) look a bit confused after some references to poofs. As it turns out, she didn't know what the word meant...but after a quick explanation definitely understood the previous comments,

We saw Billy Elliot in Sydney and loved it. The musical is substantially different to the movie which I also loved. The dancing is fantastic and would go and see it again without hesitation.

I understand the concern some parents might have about the language or even the cross-dressing theme. But I can't imagine the "strike fights" bothering any kid unless it was one who has never seen the evening news on TV or who has never played a video game or seen any action movie. And I never knew a kid who was bothered with how "loud" anything is.

Thanks for this post. We're headed to NYC in July, and I'm trying to figure out what musical to take my kids (both age 12) to. Even with the above warnings, it sounds like I should keep this one in mind.

I saw Billy Elliot in London and it's the best musical I've ever seen. I remembered hearing something about it on this board but I had no idea what the story was about. But when I saw the brochure and realized the musical score was written by Elton John then I knew at least the music would be good. I think I paid about £55 for a so-so seat at this show and it was worth every last penny. Loved it, and I'll see it again if I ever get the chance.