So, NPH’s suit is a bit shinier than necessary- it reminds me of the suit-jamas from HIMYM. What would Barney say?
“I’m in TV.” Oh, Neil.
Oh, Constantine.
I’m going to try to be less live-bloggy and remark on actual elements now.
“They’re in the movies.”
Okay, after that line.
(There’s something weird about watching this, knowing it’s previously recorded. I’m going to be thinking all these hopeful thoughts for people but the awards are already given.)
I’m not a dancer, and most of what I’m about to say is based on high school experiences, so take it all with a grain of salt:
Some moves do have names, or at least can be described by their basic nature: kick, turn, that sort of thing. I’m fairly certain that tap has a LOT of names for their moves, but I’ve not been around much tap so have another grain of salt. If the moves are yoinked from ballet then they’ll have names for sure. But most of how dancers learn is being shown the routine- or developing it with the choreographer if it’s that sort of show- and then doing it over and over and over again. Dancers memorize what to do extremely quickly, but that’s mental memorization. Being able to dance it without looking like you are- getting the muscle memory- takes much rehearsal.
The only truly impressive thing about the Shrek number was the on-the-knees dancing. You have to be flexible and have a lot of padding for your knees.
Unless I’m being whooshed, that’s Alice Ripley in Next to Normal, not Stockard Channing.
You are correct, but Leiko is referring to the crossover-heavy opening number in which the guy from Next to Normal does in fact sing at Stockard Channing.
Thanks, CyclopticXander, for explaing me. But, for future reference, I’m a she, not a he.
I hoped that I edited it with something gender neutral before anyone noticed. In any event I apologize and I quickly corrected my mistake. Enjoy the rest of the show:D
Ah gotcha, sorry about that!
During the Dead People Montage I once again wanted to smack the director or head camera person or producer or whatever. Why is it so hard for them to give us a straight-on shot of the screen? Maybe an occasional wider shot that shows whoever’s singing. But that cinematography seemed to be more into honoring the singers and orchestras than the dear departed- names cut off, horrid angle to the projection screen… Was it the Tonys last year or the Oscars that did the same crap job of filming the montage?
Don’t worry about it at all.
(Also, I am totally enjoying the show.)
I just have to add this video. Typically they show little clips and such to the live audience during the commercial breaks. While we don’t get to see them in the broadcast, they are often hilarious. Case in point.
The lyrics to the closing number were written by Hairspray’s Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Here they are:
Chris Sieber - please!
Performing on your knnes?
Dude, that only works
To win Golden Globes
I hope, tonight,
When they’re high as a kite
To be there when the Hair cast disrobes.
I love the three Billy Elliots. Deer-in-headlights time!
Rock of Ages’s Bret Michaels had a run-in some scenery!
Sorry for the triple post, but to answer this question: Performing on stage and performing on TV are two very different things. Often stage numbers don’t work on TV screens (Mamma Mia! last night is a fine example). Stage has to be set up to accomondate the entire stage, TV is camera work and cutting to-and-fro. The sound system technology is also very different.
Stage is about 100 feet. TV is about 18 inches.
Why are there three Billy Elliotts? Is it because they’re under age so they need more than one, because of child labor laws?
Partly that, and partly because Billy ages throughout the show and the role is extremely physically demanding with all that dancing. I doubt an adult dancer would be able to handle the role eight times a week.
So each of the kids dances every night, but only for a short time each? I thought they traded nights but only had to perform 3 times a week.
Either way, from the number they included last night, I can see how that would take everything out of even the toughest dancer. Yikes!
No, you were correct in what you originally thought. The three Billys alternate nights, they don’t all go on for the same performance. And from what I remember when I saw the show last year, the show takes place within the span of a year so the character does not have to age. I can check my Playbill when I get home to find the exact dates.
Although I totally agree with you, it seemed like a lot of the sound problems were avoidable, even a little amateurish- they remind me of mistakes I’ve made running sound (or that people I trained made) on much, much smaller productions.* In at least one number, the handheld mics weren’t muted during dance breaks, but didn’t have enough gain to justify them as “amplifying the footwork”- which works, sometimes, for clogging or tap or other dance where the impact is part of the appeal. I noticed several times during the telecast that I was hearing other conversations or voices under whoever was talking- as if someone hadn’t switched off a mic backstage- that, or people were talking right by NPH, which is quite a bit more obnoxious. And if it had been a high school show, I would have instantly thought that the mic problems at the beginning of some numbers came from a sound operator who wasn’t on-the-ball and forgot to unmute the mics until after the scene started.
I sound a bit more overly critical than I really mean to be- I enjoyed the show, even with the errors. Certainly made me feel better about my own not-so-great sound board work.
*An example for a high school review show that I did the lighting and sound design and operator training on: We ended up hearing my dear friend Sara, who was in the green room at the time, say “Succotash,” instead of hearing the beginning of the number on stage, because I hadn’t made it fully clear to my sound op that we were using the green wireless, not the blue, for that segment of the show.
It’s pretty typical to have multiple child actors for a single role. First, there are the rigors of a 8 show/week schedule. Second, you pretty much have no decent coverage for a child if he is unable to perform, except to have another child in the wings.
Billy Elliot can probably run with 2 for a while, but that type of strenuous performance is going to make it more likely that one of the actors will get injured. If you only have 2 to start with, that injury will put the show in serious jeopardy.
Oh, and the sound was a joke, talk about amateur hour. The only bright spot was how quickly they got the handheld mike out when the guy’s and dolls performance was about to be ruined.
I totally heard this in a Carmen Ghia voice from the Producers.
Yes…he has some connection to the show. I forget what exactly…I saw him in the Wedding Singer.
Anyone wonder if Nicely-Nicely is gay? 
I saw Guys and Dolls on Broadway and loved it. The actress playing Sarah Brown is awesome. Lauren " Gilmore Girl" is OK…but not OMG amazing…like she sings " Adelaie’s Lamet" without a Brooklyn accent.
Billy Elliot is amazing…but they SO needed to do Solidarity instead of the bit they did.
So wanna see Hair but prolly gonna be a tough thing to see since it’s now a Tony award winner. I was VERY surprised that it won, and not WSS. The critics bashed Hair, and were all rhapasodic about WSS. Anyone else think that WSS is kinda overrated? Too many meh generic lurve songs and not a lot of action. The dancing is good thou.
I would like to point out that the 3 Billys from each production have all won best actor awards (London, Austraila and now Broadway).