Billy

‘Billy’ is a show that is not all that often performed which is indeed a shame as it is a lively and very entertaining piece of musical theatre. This was made even more evident by the fabulous performance that the company gave! The audience were treated to energy, commitment, great singing and some first class individual performances.

The ensemble worked hard and were a joy to watch in the ‘crowd’ scenes. They were all focused and this is all too often where a company falls flat, especially if not all of the ensemble are fully immersed in character. This was certainly not the case with the company here.

There were some excellent performances from the principals. Mention must go to Graham Rowlands as Geoffery, Jean Buckland as Alice and Brenda Davies as Gran who worked beautifully together as Billy’s family. All three characters were played quite brilliantly and the moment when Gran walked on in evening gown and tiara, smoking a large cigar was inspired!

Billy’s love interests were also well played. Caroline Street as played a suitably common and comedic Rita, Sally Aston portrayed a wonderfully gentle and caring Liz and Clare O’Leary as Barbara was perfect. Clare’s characterisation was brilliant as too was her voice and stage presence.

Special mention has to go to Hefin Rosser in the title role of Billy. He took the audience on a journey and led the entire company from scene to scene effortlessly. The work that he had done on character was obvious and there were moment when he absolutely shone on stage. Well done indeed in keeping up the energy and congratulations to the company for an excellent production.

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