Music: Elton John; Book and lyrics: Lee Hall. At: Drury Lane Theatre, 10 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets: 630-530-0111 or www.drurylane.com; $45-$60. Runs through June 7
Despite the boatloads of Olivier and Tony Awards won by Billy Elliot, the hit 2005 musical adaptation of the 2000 British film has a disappointing reputation in the Windy City. That's because a sit-down engagement that opened in March 2010 at Chicago's Oriental Theatre failed to live up to expectations of being the next multi-year Broadway hit like Wicked and Jersey Boys. Billy Elliot didn't finish out the year.
But Drury Lane Theatre does its part to remind local audiences of the the acclaimed artistic quality of Billy Elliot with a superlative regional premiere staging. In fact, the more-intimate Oakbrook Terrace venue brings out more detailed nuances of the Elton John and Lee Hall musical about a Northern English lad who discovers a love for ballet in the midst of the bitter 1980s miners' strike under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative administration.
A lot of the credit goes directly to Jeff Award-winning director/choreographer Rachel Rockwell. True, many elements at Drury Lane harken back to the original London and Broadway staging by director Stephen Daldry and choreographer Peter Darling, but Rockwell does her part to clarify and personalize many moments. One touching example is having Billy nervously peer through the window to see the violence erupting outside while he's learning ballet basics.
Rockwell also works wonders with her ensemble to create a great sense of community and individual charactersparticularly with the numerous little ballet girls who constantly need correcting by the tough and blasé Mrs. Wilkinson of the wonderful Susie McMonagle ( an invaluable a veteran of the Chicago and national tour of Billy Elliot, and a commanding onstage presence ).
The "Geordie" accents also remain strongly consistent throughout, which makes the gruff grownups of Billy's dad ( Ron E. Rains ), Billy's older brother, Tony ( Liam Quealy ), his ailing grandma ( Maureen Gallagher ) all the more believable and brusque ( the same goes for community members played by the likes of Terry Hamilton, Bret Tuomi and Fred Zimmerman ).
But most importantly, Rockwell has helped shape a great title character performance from Nicolas Dantes as the shy boy who blossoms through dance ( Dantes alternates the role of Billy with Kyle Halford ). Dantes admirably gets across the confusion when encountering his cross-dressing friend Michael ( a delightfully funny Michael Harp ) and also the passive-aggressive advances of Peyton Schaffer as Mrs. Wilkinson's daughter, Debbie. ( Brooke MacDougal alternates in the role. ) There's also very cute work from Zachary Uzarraga as the lovably defiant "Small Boy."
From its dazzling production designs to the heartfelt messages of acceptance and determination, Drury Lane Theatre's Billy Elliot is a touching and uplifting winner all around. Chicago-area audiences have no excuse for not giving Billy Elliot a second chance for success.