The Center of Creative Arts produces a musical every summer. It’s a showcase for their students of musical theatre and an opportunity for those students to work with local experienced professionals. The level of achievement has been quite high in the ones I’ve seen.
That was the case with the just concluded production of Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot presented a special challenge. The musical is based on a play and a movie about a boy in a provincial English coal-mining town who wants to become a ballet dancer. In telling this story some better-than-average ability to dance is demanded. COCA fortunately has a better-than-average dance department led by Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd, both with experience with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and other leading companies.
A current student in that program is Declan Ryan, a young man with experience in theatre and the ability to perform the dance required, growing from Billy’s awkward beginnings to the accomplished work in his dream ballet with his adult self, danced by Antonio Douthit-Boyd. Ryan convincingly explores Billy’s emotional turmoil in his home and community as he secretly takes ballet lessons, deals with the conflict with his father and his extremely masculine community of miners when his secret is discovered, and steels himself to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London.
Lee Hall’s book and lyrics discretely deal with the issue of homosexuality in ballet when his friend Michael, whom we first meet as Billy’s opponent in a boxing lesson, introduces him to cross-dressing and admits to feelings for Billy. Billy insists, though he loves ballet, he is not gay. He loves the beauty of the movement and the feeling of freedom it gives him, free to be who he really is. Parker Collier partnered Billy splendidly as Michael in these scenes.
As did Duane Martin Foster as Billy’s father and John Katz as his older brother, the most militant of the striking miners, furious at Billy’s dancing. Sara Rae Womack, always wonderful, is even better in the range and directness of her Mrs. Wilkinson, the ballet teacher who mentors and shepherds Billy’s development. Also always wonderful was Alicia Reve Like as Billy’s dead mother, often alive in his thoughts. And a third of my favorite women in St. Louis theatre, Carmen Garcia, delighted as Billy’s grandma.
Compellingly completing the village and the cast, some having more experience, some less, most playing more than one role, were Jiali Deck, Bianca Sanborn, JR Pruski, Kevin Corpuz, Carl Overly Jr. Will Bonfiglio, Marie Garlich, Trey Perlut, Jerron Higgins, Lena Williams, Lucy Myerscough, Jaida Smith, Dekylah Epps, Norah Brozio, Louis Mallon, Delaney Piggins, Jennifer Wintzer, and JR Pruski.
David Blake designed the two-level, intricate, all-wood set that conveyed both its industrial and provincial settings. Jayson Lawshee’s lighting delineated that range, Claudia Brownlee’s costumes defined social roles, Ahsa-Ti Nu Tyehimba-Ford designed sound, Jerran Kowalski designed enlightening projections, Jennifer Wintzer coached the convincing dialects. Gaby Rodriguez was co-director and dramaturg. Christopher Page-Sanders choreographed the range of students and masters of the dance. Colin Healy guided the cast through Elton John’s richly emotional music. Director Nancy Bell made it all a pleasure.
—Bob Wilcox
