Columnists
On a Tiny Dancer’s shoulders
Is it reasonable to expect an 11-year-old child to carry more than 40 other actors on his shoulders?
That’s the question I asked myself as I settled in to watch Billy Elliot, The Musical, at the Stratford Festival last week. The book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who also wrote the movie screenplay; while the music is by Elton John, whom you may have heard of. The play first came out in 2000, and has had a long run in the UK and elsewhere. This is its first Stratford production.
Like the movie, the play tells the story of a boy who dreams of being a dancer. He has everything going against him, especially the fact that he comes from northeast England’s coal mining country, where the workers and their families are trapped in a doomed industry, facing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s determination to break their union. Indeed, there are two stories developed in the play: the struggle of Billy to pursue his dream, and the struggle of the mining families just to survive.
Like many musicals, the play is most enjoyable when taken in as a spectacle, rather than as a drama or a comedy. There are lots of big choreographed production numbers with plenty of action and special effects. It’s exhilarating to see everyone work together to pull it off.
There will be some 104 performances of the play through this November And right at the centre of each performance will be an 11-year-old child. And what a demanding role it is. That child has to sing, dance (tap, ballet and gymnastics) and act (including adopting a Geordie accent that entails remembering to say “Me Mam” rather than “My Mom”).
Nolen Dubuc manages to carry it all off. From his resume, it would appear he has been grooming for this role his whole short life. He was first inspired to be a dancer at the age of five, when his parents took him to see the play. Since then, he has won several dancing awards and appeared in both musical plays.(including Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast) and movies. He spends 20 hours a week honing his skills.
But just imagine the load on his shoulders. It’s not just those 40 other actors. Billy Elliot is Stratford’s signature play this season. Audiences don’t want to leave disappointed, or read lukewarm reviews and decide to stay home. There are 1,838 seats to be filled for each of those 104 performances.
I still can’t get over it. Eleven years old. When I was 11, I considered it miraculous that I got out of bed in the morning, never mind starring in a musical. And in that brief period, a person has grown from being a gleam in his parents’ eyes to holding his own as the lead in a major theatre production. It’s going to take that long to find a new owner for the Wellington corner store—if not longer.
And that brings up an interesting question. What standard should I expect from Mr. Dubuc and the Festival that is putting him out to the world? Do I cut him some slack because he is “only 11”, and liable to forget the odd line, miss a musical cue or cut a cartwheel out of his routine? Or do I hold him to the same standard as his adult peers? The answer is simple: Stratford holds itself out as a world class festival, and every production of every play should endeavour to meet that standard. If they don’t hold child actors to the same standard, perhaps they shouldn’t be putting on plays that have big roles for children.
In fact, maybe I’m suffering a little age-related bias. Why should I assume that Mr. Dubuc is the weak link in the chain, just because of his age? He’s a pro, just like the older actors. They have all spent their lifetimes at their craft. You could say Mr. Dubuc has an advantage over actors in their 30s and older: his brain is still growing. Perhaps it’s the older actors for whom I should be cutting some slack.
My hope for Mr. Dubuc is that this role is just his career highlight to date, not his career highlight, period. Some child actors make a smooth transition, some don’t. At least, with the prospect of his voice breaking and putting on a solid growth spurt, he shouldn’t have to worry about being typecast as a Billy Elliot character. It’s not too soon to start planning for those more grownup roles. How about signing up for the lead role in a revival of Grease? I’m sure John Travolta would approve.
Comments (0)