Theatre Chit Chat
That's Your Opinion...Here's mine
Billy And The Killers
Billy And The Killers is playing at Here 25 located at 145 Sixth Avenue. The musical runs ninety minutes with no intermission. It closes on November 18, 2017.
Billy (Adrian Blake Encore) is in jail. He is singing with another prisoner Nell (Sydney Shepherd).
We learn why Billy is in jail.
In order for Billy to impress Nell he tries to be a punk, the bad guy. He writes songs about death and paints morbid pictures of people being killed.
When he sings at school concerts his songs are gory. The school is not impressed with his songs. He is suspended once, another time he is kicked out, with the recommendation of seeing someone.
His father J Roy (Tom O’ Keefe) has been in trouble also. He was in jail. Billy’s mother left him.
Merrick (Sean McDermott) was both their lawyers.
Nell gets pregnant. Billy said it’s not his he wore protection. She tells him she had another lover but will not tell him whom. Nell tells him a verse from the scriptures he always quotes.
Billy is visited by police officer Spenders (Paul Sadlik) at his home. He questions him about his relationship with Nell.
The story goes back and forth between the characters till all the pieces come together.
The only dent in this being a great musical is the four musician’s on stage are good but so loud they drowned out the words to the songs. Also at times there are bright orange lights that shine on the audience and blind them.
If you can get pass this or hopefully it gets corrected this is an impressive show.
Tim O’Keefe solo song is outstanding.
Review by Rozanna Radakovich.
Photos by Annazor.
To read a candid interview with the cast click on photos for this and other shows.