New York: Broadway Love

May 06, 2010 12:47

Admittedly I am a HUGE fan of musicals - the singing, story, music, props - I enjoy every bit of it. Thus when our trip to NYC was confirmed the first thing i had to decide was what shows do I want to watch. Knowing my love for musical, dear husband gave me the free reign to make the decision. It was very tough! If I had the money I would be at the theater every single day. Well, i had neither the money nor the time so I picked two shows in the end. I have so say - I'm so pleased with my choices :) First, we saw Billy Elliot The Musical and the next evening, Mary Poppins. Both were spectacular and phenomenal! Let's start with Billy Elliot.



Totally understand why they won the 2009 Tony Award - Best Musical.


I saw Billy Elliot the movie some years ago and I remember loving it. It is an inspirational story about a boy finding his passion and pursuing it against all odds. The dancing was magnificent and I was just very inspired and touched by the story. Forward to 2010. I didn't realize there is a musical on Billy Elliot so when I found out I had to watch it. I knew it's gonna be spectacular because of all the dancing involved. I was also very curious to find out how the rest of the story will be interpreted. You know what? I was blown away. The songs were wonderful and the young actors and actresses were incredible especially Alex Ko who played the role of Billy in our show. I think that technically, this is a difficult role. Not only do you have to carry a tune, you need to dance exceptionally well and you also have to adopt the accent of the small town Billy is from. And there is a lot of emotions involved - the sadness, the anger, frustration, passion and joy - all of it has to be expressed impeccably. And Alex Ko did.

I was curious about this boy because in many ways his life mirrors that of Billy. 14-year old Alex was born in Iowa City and his is the youngest ever to be accepted to the University of Iowa's Advanced Ballet Class. He too suffered the loss of a parent (his dad) to cancer. I found the following video where he did a solo performance in memory of his dad.

image Click to view



I also found out that shortly after he joined the cast, he sustained a serious knee injury which kept him out of the Billy rotation for five months. Apparently he returned to the Imperial Theatre stage on Sunday, March 14, 2010 and we were blessed to see him performed on April 18. Meet this young, talented, determined and inspirational boy. I feel so lucky to have the chance to see him in action.

image Click to view



Mary Poppins, on the other hand is Practically Perfect!! Years ago my good friend saw the show and she told me that if there is only one performance I have to watch on Broadway it has to be Mary Poppins. I didn't heed her advice because Billy Elliot was my first choice. Fortunately we found the offer for discounted tickets for Mary Poppins later and went for it. I am so so glad that we did because truly it is one of the best musicals that I have seen. Everything about it is perfect - the story is heartwarming, the songs are melodious, catchy and meaningful, the props were magical and the performance itself was second to none. Les Misérables has been my all-time favourite musical for a number of years and finally I have to dethrone it for Mary Poppins.

The essence of Mary Poppins is that "When someone believes in the best of you, you can fly" Isn't that beautiful? It definitely helps that everything about it is so magical and the songs are so catchy and meaningful. This is one of my favourites.

image Click to view



"Stretch your mind beyond fantastic, dreams are made of strong elastic"

"If you reach for the stars
all you get are the stars but we've found a whole new spin
if you reach for the heavens you get the stars thrown in
Anything can happen if you let it
life is out there waiting
so go and get it grab it by the collar seize it by the scruff
one you've started living life you just can't get enough
Anything can happen it's official you can choose the super
or the superficial sailing forth the way we're steering
obstacles start disappearing
go and chase your dreams you won't regret it
Anything can happen
If you let it"

I am just so in love with the show..... as you can tell :D
And a cheap thrill, the mom of the children shares my name. Haha!



Oh yes, I do!

blessing, nyc, performance, inspiration, fun

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