"The highly anticipated season-closer of 'Billy Elliot the Musical' has been a long-time coming for Theatre Calgary... I left the Max Bell Theatre with the same excitement for all the things to come from this incredible production...Not only did Stafford Arima assemble a cast of incredibly talented performers from around Calgary, but he has created a show that I hope speaks to many audience members about the importance of the arts, pursuing one's passion, and how community can make anything happen. I was blown away by the electricity on that stage and it is a must-see."
April 19, 2019, by Vicki Trask

"Arima is to be applauded on so many levels. He is able to take the audience from scenes of hilarity to those of powerful sentiment. He never lets us forget Billy isn’t the only one suffering oppression...Arima has triple-threat actors who can immediately ground this play in reality. We care about these people because they are so identifiable."
April 16, 2019, by Louis B. Hobson

"Theatre Calgary has taken some chances this year (which, I must say, fills me with joy even when I don't love each and every show). But they're closing out their season with a crowd-pleasing, can't-help-but-love-it sure-thing...Arima has plenty of experience staging a big juicy musical like this, so he is capable of taking full advantage of each performer's strengths."
April 26, 2019, by Lori Montgomery