In this case, the producers commissioned Elton John, the talented pop singer/songwriter and composer. With the possible exception of the opening number that sets the stage for the battle between miners and Margaret Thatcher's conservative, union busting administration, unlike his work in The Lion King, the music is bland and forgettable.

 

Creating a Broadway show about an aspiring dancer is kind of like casting Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn - on one hand it’s a no-brainer but in another sense the expectation bar is automatically raised a notch or two.  Happily, Peter Darling’s choreography and its execution are both exciting and memorable.  Because the part of young (pre-teen) Billy who is on stage for almost the entire show is so demanding especially for a child actor, there are three (four including the understudy) actors who rotate the part. We saw David Alvarez, who like his character was surely born to dance. Early in the show Billy visits a girl’s dance studio and struggles to follow the steps – this was probably the most challenging part of the role for the talented Alvarez.  Later, the young Billy dances with his future self (Stephen Hanna) in a brilliantly conceived dance that soars.  The tension between the miners and Thatcher’s goons was creatively captured in several numbers for the adult company.  Kudos to casting director Nora Brennan for selecting a group of talented but not typically cutesy young girls for the dance school pieces.