Liam Mower returns again…..

Having reviewed Liam Mower as the “original” Billy Elliot when the show first opened at the Victoria Palace in May 2005, I was also there at the end when Liam left the show last month, as I blogged about here. (I’d even paid for a ticket, since I felt it was sure to be something of an event, and it was). At the time, Stephen Daldry said of him, “He has been at the centre of Billy Elliot’s extended family for three and a half years now and his last performance will be an overwhelmingly emotional evening. As Liam hurtles towards adulthood we will be saying goodbye to one of the most celebrated child performers ever in the West End. An end of an era for us and the beginning of another huge adventure for Liam.”

But it seems this is going to be a long goodbye – as long, perhaps, as Barbra Streisand’s farewell concerts. Today it was announced that he’s to return for one night only on November 22 – for a special charity gala performance being hosted by Elton John that will benefit the Easington branch of the children’s charity ThePlace2Be that works in primary schools with children, parents and teachers from ex-mining communities.

Mower – whose own life briefly mirrored that of Billy, as he went to the Royal Ballet School to be trained as a classical dancer, but dropped out – has indeed become part of the public and critical profile for the show, since he’s the only performer we’ve actually been officially invited to review. But I’m not sure they’re right to continue to emphasise his ‘uniqueness’. Surely its time to concentrate on some of the newer boys who have now succeeded the original trio – the show is bigger than individual players within it, so its time not just for Liam to move on but also for the show to do so, too. I’m sure there’s PR value to Mower’s return, but does the show truly need it? At this rate, it could become an own-goal: a statement that the show’s success is indivisible from him.