By Chung Ah-young
It is definitely an impressive talent for a mere boy to turn the stage into an arena of emotion, from passion and joy, to frustration and rage while dancing, singing and tapping with endless energy.
The Korean adaptation of “Billy Elliot” finally raised its curtain last week, with the eager anticipation of a spectacular event.
Praised as one of the decade's top musicals, the award-winning show is a collaboration of writer Lee Hall, director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling and composer Sir Elton John.
The rite-of-passage story with emotional power is the first non-English production of "Billy Elliot" in Asia and the fourth production in the world, after the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
For the Korean rendition, Billy is played by Jung Jin-ho, a tap prodigy, who surprised the creative team and was recognized for his dazzling efforts in acting and his stunning skills with unique tap choreography to “Singing in the Rain” at the February auditions in 2009. He is an amazing ballerino, singer and actor that was perfect for the role.
Although Jung received ballet lessons for the first time at the Billy School over the past year, he successfully displays his own graceful movements.
Billy is a motherless boy who lives in the North East of England with his father, brother and grandmother. His father played by Cho Won-hee and brother take part in the historical miners’ strike from 1984-85.
They are eager to fight against the shutting down of the mines in their down-at-the-heel town. Despite the growing tension between the riot police and the mine workers, Billy attends a boxing lesson after school as his father believes the sport is the only thing Billy can do in the town.
By chance, Billy comes to see a ballet class by the inspirational Wilkinson played by Jung Young-zoo. Wilkinson finds innate talents in Billy and decides to teach him in order to send him to the Royal Ballet School in London.
Billy faces harsh opposition from his father and brother and misses the scheduled audition, burying his hope to become a ballerino.
But his father realizes that Billy has a gift and should live a different life from him. To send him to the ballet school, the father betrays his co-workers on strike and returns to the workplace to earn money for his son. The miners begin to split ranks and fight each other by questioning the chances of the success of the strike. Amid the confusion, Billy continues to expend his energy to become a ballerino and wins the audition for the school.
The show reveals not only the boy’s relentless dream but also the social issues portrayed in a serious working-class accent through the miners’ lives filled with pathos.
Jung, one of the four Korean Billys selected from the four-phase audition process in Korea, gives a show-stopping performance for some three hours, especially demonstrating unbelievable tap dancing techniques and triumph in fulfilling a demanding task.
The 12-year-old takes the audience’s breath away in “Angry Dance” in which he describes his pent-up rage when his father bars him from attending the audition for the school amid the escalating clash between the riot police and workers at the end of the first act. The scene mixing ballet, tap dancing and hip hop is transformed into chaos by Billy’s outcry. The dancing boy clashes with the armed riot police and shouts out of frustration. His tireless and flawless tap dancing steals the limelight in this climactic scene and enthralls the audience.
The second act’s audition scene for the school highlights Billy’s quest for dance and resonates with his tender and sweet voice, albeit vulnerable, for “Electricity,” the ear-catching number from the musical score.
Veteran actors such as Jung Young-zoo and Cho add stability and maturity to the show, supporting numerous child actors. Jung’s powerful vocals and comical interpretation of the character are memorable parts of the show.
The power of “Billy Elliot” is attributed to a balance dealing with both a tear-jerking story and the sour reality reflecting working-class consciousness.
The translation befits Korean tastes but some words, including the use of swearing and slang, might be deemed inappropriate for children.
The musical has gained much attention as it held open auditions starting from 2009 to early this year throughout the nation in cities such as Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and Daejeon.
The year-long run of “Finding Billy” attracted some 800 talented boys nationwide that were finally narrowed down to four. They were trained at the Billy School under the “Making Billy Project” that taught them performance skills from ballet, tap, acrobatics and contemporary dance to acting and singing.
The musical scooped up ten awards at the 2009 Tony Awards. Produced by Magi Stella, the Korean production at the cost of 15 billion won continues to run through Feb. 27 2011 at the LG Arts Center.