Billy Elliot dances again in the Maag Halle Zurich

Incredibly topical: the scene in which the two friends Billy and Michael try on women's clothes and dance away prejudices and social rigidities with ease. This is what musicals should sound like. This is how musicals should be. When words are no longer enough, when language alone can no longer express what is going on inside, then there is dancing, then there is singing, then there is shouting.

Billy embodies so much more than just a boy looking for his way in all the everyday chaos of the English Thatcher era. Billy embodies the talent that makes its way, that wants to get out into the light. That burns, that cannot be extinguished, against all fear, against all conventions.

Slippers instead of boxing gloves

Slippers instead of boxing gloves in the working-class district of an impoverished mining town. Boys box, girls dance, that's how it's supposed to be, that's how society portrays it. Billy doesn't fit in. He lost his mother early on, a hole in his heart, his father has this hole too, of course, and his big brother and grandmother are all trying to cope with the hard life. The tone is rough, there is little room for reflection.

By chance, Billy ends up in the girls' ballet and the teacher sees his talent. This also shows that an inner fire, a talent, needs to be seen in order for it to resonate. The ballet teacher who doesn't give up, who spurs Billy on, who dares to stand up to Billy's big brother and father.

The lyrics have been translated from English into German by Roman Riklin. Brilliantly direct, the sound blends in with the great stage design, the lyrics, translated by Eric Hättenschwiler, seem unaffected and are not trimmed for punchlines. Great. Authentic, the boys are awesome. Billy, played by 14-year-old Leo Lemmerich, and his friend Michael, played by Tyler Grünberg, you want to shout at them all the time. Yeah, just like that. Be a man, do exactly what you want, be yourself.

Class differences, injustice, re-establishing role models - all these areas of tension are topical, even though the play is set in 1984. At a time when boys are increasingly falling behind because they are only slowly being given role models who show them how to be a man, that boys and men can be strong, funny, soft, sad and playful without being pigeonholed, Billy Elliot is just right for the present.

Oh, it's a joy, I laughed, I cried. I sympathized and suffered with Billy, but also with his father and brother, who feel so much less because they don't know how. Who fight other battles for justice, for survival, where can there be room for sensitivities, for dreams, for longings? Billy's grandfather is brilliantly sung about by his demented grandmother. Drunk, violent but dancing with Grandma, everything was there, emotion and sensuality. As soon as the alcohol was out of the system, it was back to the role of the traditional "guy".

Billy sees no future

Billy gives up for a moment, crushed by the hopelessness of his daily reality. But then, in a touching scene, his father realizes in a conversation with the ballet teacher that there is more to it than dancing and it dawns on him. He has been secretly watching Billy dance.

In a heart-rending scene, the miners' families put their last coins together and make it possible for Billy and his father to travel to London to the Royal Theater so that Billy can audition to become a ballet dancer.

He travels to London and is accepted.

The premiere in the Maghalle was an absolute success. Director Mitch Sebastian has created magic together with the team and the performers. The revival of Billy Elliot is a must for anyone who wants to feel, for anyone who wants to laugh, marvel, clap and be happy for two hours.

The energy that spills from the stage into the audience is intoxicating. The audience thanks them with a standing ovation that lasts for minutes. The best reward for the work of the actors and actresses.

If theater can do that, then it has won.