Important:

· This assignment is Personal Response, please use “I” statements (“I noticed”, “I thought it was weird” etc).

· You need to watch TWO music performances: 1st is Billy Elliot: The Musical & 2nd is Zoot Suit, the play by Luis Valdez (You need to watch both performances!)

· 1st music performance is called musical, or musical theatre; 2nd performance is called Teatro Chicano music performance

· I will provide some links to help you answer the questions below

· Historical events of Bill Elliot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHDZpCIJAU0Links to an external site.

· Aristotle’s 6 Elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFxpK67I9s

· Interview with Luis Valdez for Zoot Suit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_nHYsTeko

· You need to understand Aristotle’s 6 Elements to answer the questions below (I provide the link above)

· Total 4-5 pages, double space, but you need to write both performances for the below questions, at least 2 pages for each music performance, you can write it separately, but you need to answer all the questions below for each performance!

· NO AI or plagiarism because need to submit to school AI and Plagiarism system!!!

Prompt:

1. What music performance(s) did you see? What is the name of the theatre where it was produced (and the date / year, if you have that information), and who directed the play? (Please write both music performance separately, also this info is found in the Link,)

2. What 1-3 things brought you into and held you in this music performance, either in directorial vision, actor approach, or design elements? What was your personal visceral or emotional experience of these elements? (Please write both music performance separately)

3. What 1-3 things took you out of show (meaning, it distracted you or made the experience less engaging)? (Please write both music performance separately)

4. What 1-3 things in the show felt meaningful to you? (Please write both performances separately)

5. What 1-3 things left you feeling confused or wanting to know more about how the director/actor/designer made their choices? (Please write both performances separately)

6. What questions would you ask those artists? (Please write both performances separately)

7. Aristotle’s 6 elements are: Plot, Character, Language, Theme, Rhythm, and Spectacle. Which of these elements did you find to be most compelling / strongest in this performance, and why? Weakest? (Please see the short video under Performance #1 to learn about Aristotle’s 6 elements.)

8. Conclude your paper: Referring back to the Context Videos and Links, how did you perceive and experience the difference between how these two performances functioned? Compare and contrast different aspects of the performances. Wrap up your paper by sharing your understanding of how they worked on you viscerally and / or emotionally—and how you feel they speak to today’s world.

9. Be sure to use specific character names (and actor names if you have them), and use clear, specific examples of moments between characters, design elements, etc, to back up your observations and questions.

SOLUTION

Part 1 — Billy Elliot: The Musical (Musical Theatre)

1. Basic Information

I watched Billy Elliot: The Musical (recorded live from London’s Victoria Palace Theatre, 2014), directed by Stephen Daldry, with music by Elton John and book/lyrics by Lee Hall.

2. What Drew Me In

I was immediately pulled in by Billy’s passion for dance during the “Electricity” scene—his physical energy and emotional vulnerability gave me chills.
The contrast between the gritty coal-mining setting and the bright, expressive ballet scenes really heightened the emotion for me.
The ensemble choreography during the strike sequences felt powerful and immersive, especially how they merged the miners and ballet dancers in overlapping patterns.

3. What Took Me Out

At times, the heavy accents made lyrics hard to understand and momentarily pulled me out.
Some scene transitions felt long, which disrupted my emotional momentum.
The occasional comic bits from Billy’s friend Michael sometimes felt out of place against the darker tone of the miners’ strike.

4. What Felt Meaningful

Billy’s relationship with his dad (Jackie) felt especially meaningful—when Jackie secretly goes to the union to ask for money so Billy can audition, I teared up.
The theme of breaking free from restrictive expectations deeply resonated with me as someone who has faced pressure to “fit in.”
The way the community came together at the end left me with a sense of hope.

5. What Left Me Confused

I wanted to know more about how they balanced the tone between political struggle and personal triumph—it sometimes felt like two different shows woven together.
I was curious how the designers used lighting to shift mood so quickly between the strike violence and the dance studio’s warmth.
I wondered how the young actor playing Billy (Elliott Hanna) sustained such stamina while performing emotionally intense dance numbers.

6. Questions I’d Ask the Artists

How did the director help young actors stay emotionally grounded during heavy strike scenes?
How were the ballet/dance numbers choreographed to show Billy’s growth over time?
How did the design team research and represent the 1984–85 UK miners’ strike accurately onstage?

7. Aristotle’s 6 Elements

Strongest: Character and Rhythm — Billy’s transformation arc was compelling, and the rhythmic integration of dance and music drove the emotional journey.
Weakest: Language — sometimes lyrics were hard to catch, and thick dialects blurred the clarity of storytelling.

Part 2 — Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez (Teatro Chicano)

1. Basic Information

I watched Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez, originally staged in 1978 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and later filmed in 1981, directed by Luis Valdez himself.

2. What Drew Me In

I was instantly hooked by the narration of El Pachuco (Edward James Olmos)—his commanding presence broke the fourth wall and pulled me right into the world.
The live swing music and zoot-suit dances created a rich cultural atmosphere that felt vibrant and celebratory even in tense moments.
The stylized lighting and minimal set design let my imagination fill in the setting, which made the story feel timeless.

3. What Took Me Out

Occasionally, the shifts between realism and Brechtian commentary felt abrupt and momentarily confused me.
The courtroom scenes sometimes dragged, slowing the energy of the story.
A few of the sound levels were uneven—some dialogue was harder to catch over the music.

4. What Felt Meaningful

Henry Reyna’s struggle against racism and injustice during the Sleepy Lagoon trial felt powerfully relevant today.
Seeing Mexican American identity celebrated unapologetically through music, language, and style was meaningful and empowering.
The solidarity between the 38th Street Gang members reminded me of the strength found in community during adversity.

5. What Left Me Confused

I wondered about how Valdez decided when El Pachuco should interact or remain a silent observer—his role blurred between narrator, conscience, and character.
I was curious how they researched the 1940s zoot suit culture to make it authentic while still theatrical.
I wanted to know how they chose which historical facts to emphasize or fictionalize.

6. Questions I’d Ask the Artists

How did you balance entertainment and political activism in your staging?
How did the actors prepare to portray characters based on real people without making them stereotypes?
What role do you hope El Pachuco plays for Chicano youth watching today?

7. Aristotle’s 6 Elements

Strongest: Theme and Character — the themes of cultural pride and injustice felt central and powerful; El Pachuco as a symbolic figure made the story unforgettable.
Weakest: Rhythm — pacing occasionally slowed during courtroom or expository moments, making energy dip.

Part 3 — Conclusion: Comparing the Two Performances

Watching Billy Elliot: The Musical and Zoot Suit back-to-back felt like experiencing two entirely different ways of telling personal and political stories through music.

Billy Elliot used realistic settings, continuous storytelling, and emotional build-up through music and dance, pulling me in through Billy’s individual journey. In contrast, Zoot Suit used Teatro Chicano’s stylized approach—breaking the fourth wall, using symbolic characters, and weaving music into historical protest.

Billy Elliot worked on me emotionally and viscerally—I felt uplifted by Billy’s triumph and his family’s transformation. Zoot Suit worked on me politically and intellectually—it made me question how systemic racism still echoes today.

While both shows blended music and theatre, Billy Elliot felt like a personal coming-of-age story against a social backdrop, while Zoot Suit felt like a community’s cultural declaration against injustice. Experiencing them together reminded me how powerful theatre can be: one made me cry, and the other made me want to stand up and fight for justice.

References

Billy Elliot: The Musical (2014), dir. Stephen Daldry, Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
Valdez, L. (1981). Zoot Suit [Film adaptation of the 1978 stage play], dir. Luis Valdez.
National Theatre. (2016). Historical Events of Billy Elliot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHDZpCIJAU0
Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFxpK67I9s
Interview with Luis Valdez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_nHYsTeko

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