A truly beautiful musical packed with emotion and humor. It tells a beautiful story and is exceptionally well done. The singing is phenomenal and the acting is spectacular. There is a reason I love watching live musicals at a theatre - they're simply the most beautiful and incredible form of storytelling accompanied by a breathtaking soundtrack. This live recording did not disappoint and captured it perfectly. To not shed a tear while watching this is a crime. I'm thankful there is a way to watch one of my favorite musicals now that it is no longer in the London West End or touring the UK and be able to live the experience as if I were there. Not seeing it live is a mistake that I've long regretted and I shall most certainly be going to watch it if it ever returns.

When I first saw the Billy Elliot movie back in 2016, I fell in love with it - it's beautiful. I was obsessed with it and the musical for the rest of the year. I'm embarrassed to say I've never watched the live recording of the musical until now but I'm glad I did, and I shall certainly watch it several more times. I truly believe anyone who likes musicals should watch this at some point, and it's up towards the very top of my list, with the likes of the Matilda the Musical and Les Misérables live productions, which I've seen both of several times live at the theatre.

Musical theatre is one of the greatest forms of entertainment when done right, and this is one of those cases. It's rather odd watching this because Billy Elliot has always been one of the only things to give me butterflies in my stomach during and after watching it. It feels weird saying that, but there's just something special about both the film and the musical theatre live production recording. Maybe it's to do with the way that I can connect with the story and Billy's character. When I watch this and the film, I think about how I grew up and how I wish I had started doing ballet, tap, acting, and gymnastics when I was a little boy so that I could be good at them today and have no fears of performing in front of people. It's a shame really because watching the Billy Elliot film when I was 13, there was the societal pressure and thought that boys don't dance and people at school would make fun of boys for it. Plus starting at that age you're with people who have been doing it for years and are much better than you, not forgetting social awkwardness and stage fright. After a year or so of doing tap dancing, I stopped when I was 15 (yes, Billy Elliot was the reason I actually had the courage to ask and start and I chose tap over ballet due to the fact I wouldn't be bullied anywhere near as much) because it just felt as if it wasn't something I was supposed to be doing as a boy and I didn't think I could get good at it. Male ballet is a beautiful dance form to watch though and I follow many male ballet dancers online. Long do I wish I started those three activities when I was 5 or 6. Anyway, that's enough talking for today.

Truth be told, this is one of the best musicals I've ever seen and one of my top 3 favorites of all time. I simply love it.