Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Strife, Strike and Sensation are the themes of Stratford Festival’s Billy Elliot

Photo Provided By Stratford Festival. Taken By Cylla von Tiedemann

This musical production brought about a range of emotion from beginning to end.  It was much more than show about a boy wanting to study ballet. Instead it was representation of the social dynamics of the mid 80s within a mining town.  It reflected the era with interactions between angry workers and authorities, Fathers and Sons and how bucking the social norms can result in conflict and consequences.

Billy Elliot the Musical opens with the local miners on the cusp of strike.  They are awaiting word from their union and are determined to have their wages increased.  Being that the majority of the townspeople work for the coal mining company the outcome will have an economic on the whole area.

Soon after the strike becomes official we are introduced to Billy Elliot and his family which consists of Billy’s Father who is trying to take care of the household while attending to his duties as part of the union picket line, Billy’s older Brother who is also a coal miner on strike and Billy’s Grandmother who shows signs of the onset of dementia.  Because there is really no one able to keep watch of Billy he is sent the community centre for boxing lessons and this is where story really takes off.

From boxing to ballet with the addition of tap, jazz and hip hop thrown in the mix, we see the characters perform a range of emotions through both sensational song and dance.  As the show goes on each character evolves in skills and self-awareness.



We believe the Stratford Festival’s Billy Elliot would make a fantastic PARENTS NIGHT OUT.
We also think families that are wanting learn more about inclusivity may enjoy the messages in this story, but we must mention that the show contains coarse language and addresses the theme of how one identifies their sexuality.


Find Your Way to the Stratford Festival

The Stratford Festival Theatre is less than an hour from Kitchener Waterloo by car, but don’t fret if you don’t have a vehicle.  They have introduced a round trip shuttle that picks up and drops off in front on Angie’s Kitchener on Erb St. in Waterloo.  The $19 price for the shuttle service is in addition to the price of the performance tickets.  For those a little further from the area there are also shuttles from Toronto and Vaughn ($29 for shuttle service from these areas).  Get all the info at https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/whatson/busbooking

Grab Your Tickets Before They Are Gone

Once the word gets out it may be difficult to get tickets, but right now there are several promotional prices available for this must see musical!

Save on performances from now until June 24 by visiting https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/spring
New for this year, the Stratford Festival Theatre has introduced the BRAVO ZONE with tickets for $41 which includes the fees!  Also be sure to check out their 2-for-1 Evenings deal that will happen all season long and we know our readers are often looking for deals on tickets for their kids.  Find the $18.50 kids promo info at https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/DiscountsAndDeals/Deals/Kids-Tickets

Don’t see a deal that best suits you yet? Then visit the Billy Elliot the Musical ticket page at https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/Billy-Elliot/BuyTickets and under the SAVE ON YOUR TICKETS listing you can see all the ticket deals available in their drop down menu or by calling the box office toll free at 1-800-567-1600

For more info about the Stratford Festival be sure to visit these links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stratfest

Let us know about the show! Are you going to see Billy Elliot the Musical in Stratford? We want to know what your thoughts were.  Leave a comment below!

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