Tommy Batchelor‘s last performance as Billy Elliot on the Oriental Stage in Chicago was on 10/10/10. For me, this day will long be remembered as one of the most memorable occasions in my blogging career. While I had often wanted to go to New York to see this musical, it seems that every time I made those plans something prevented me from making the trip. When it was announced about a year ago that the musical would be coming to Chicago, I was ecstatic, because that location was much closer for me to attend. When I discovered that Tommy’s last performance would be on October 10th , I rushed to my computer and secured a ticket.
Tommy Batchelor, now 15, is one of the original four Billys to have played the role on the Imperial Theatre stage in New York. Because I knew that I would be guaranteed to see one of the best (and actually the last of the four original US boys to play in that role), I was very excited to attend that particular show!
As I arrived in the Windy City, excitement began to grow as I knew the theatre in Chicago was nearly twice the size of the Imperial in NYC. Having seen “Oliver!†in Grand Rapids years earlier, I knew that this was going to be a real experience.
When I approached the theatre, it finally became a reality for me. I was going to see Billy Elliot, a true Broadway production and one that has received nothing but positive reviews from the whole of the entertainment industry. Continue reading “Tommy Batchelor’s Final Performance as “Billy Elliot—