Billy Elliot the Musical

Infobox Musical
name= Billy Elliot


caption= West End Poster
music= Elton John
lyrics= Lee Hall
book=Lee Hall
basis= 2000 Film "Billy Elliot"
productions= 2005 West End
2007 Australia
2008 Broadway
awards= Olivier Award for Best New Musical

"Billy Elliot the Musical" is a musical based on the 2000 film "Billy Elliot". The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall (who wrote the film's screenplay). The musical revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfilment are balanced against a counterstory of family and community strife caused by the 1980s coal miners' strike. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A.J. Cronin's novel, "The Stars Look Down", and the musical's opening song is an homage. [cite web | url =http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=1432002 | title = "Scotsman" interview (2002)]

The musical opened in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The success of "Billy Elliot the Musical" has led to productions in Australia and on Broadway.

Productions

West End

The work premiered in March 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London, where it is still showing; it reportedly cost £5.5 million to make (the original film version cost $5 million). [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/04/11/btgwynne11.xml Interview with Haydn Gwynne] ] It is directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. Ian MacNeil designed the sets, Nicky Gillibrand designed the costumes, and Rick Fisher designed the lighting. The original cast album was released on January 10, 2006. The musical received favourable reviews and won Three Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor and Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. [http://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news/mar08/billy15mar08.htm "Billy Elliot - The Musical to open at the Imperial Theatre on 16 Oct" New York Theatre Guide, 15 March 2008] ]

Australia

The musical opened at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007 (with the Australian Media Premiere later on 13 Dec). [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/113505.html playbill article, Dec. 13, 2007, "Elton John and Lee Hall Take a Bow at Billy Elliot's Australian Opening Dec. 13"] ] In January 2008 the production won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards, and it has been earning good notices. [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935644.html?categoryid=33&cs=1 "Variety" review of the Sydney production] ] This production also won the Helpmann Award for Best Musical. [ [http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=279 News ] ] The production will conclude in Sydney on November 9, 2008 and be subsequently transferred to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, which shall open on December 13, 2008. [ [http://performingartskids.com/2008/06/02/billy-elliot-to-dance-into-melbourne-australia/ Billy Elliot to dance into Melbourne, Australia | performingartskids.com ] ]

Broadway

The production opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theater [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=403984&in_page_id=1773 Information about the Broadway production and possible changes to the show] ] on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on November 13. The London production's creative team directed and designed the Broadway production. The title role is set to be rotated among three young actors, David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik.cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|title=Playbill News: Broadway Finds Its Billy Elliots|publisher=Playbill|date=2008-04-22|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/117008.html|accessdate=2008-07-21] cite web|title='Billy Elliot' announces its New York cast|publisher=Associated Press|date=2008-07-16|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jC_k7cyKPlXF0qb6yz6hehBPsRAgD91UHUM00|accessdate=2008-07-21] cite web|last=Kahn|first=Robert|title=Wantagh teen wins lead 'Billy Elliot' Broadway role|publisher=Newsday|date=2008-04-22|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etbillyelliot0423,0,3515187.story|accessdate=2008-07-21]

ynopsis

Set in County Durham, against the backdrop of the 1984-85 coal miners' strike, motherless eleven-year-old Billy inadvertently finds his way into a girls' ballet class run by Mrs. Wilkinson and is attracted to the grace of the dance. Without telling his family, who would prefer that he study boxing, Billy continues to come to the dance class, and Mrs. Wilkinson, recognising his talent, encourages him to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. Billy's friend Michael is a boy with homosexual feelings, and Mrs. Wilkinson's daughter Debbie is another friend of Billy's. Meanwhile, Billy's gruff, conservative father and brother are engaged in a daily battle with policemen in riot gear protecting strike breakers. They struggle to get the family by with very little strike pay. The father comes to terms with his son's desire to be a dancer, as he becomes resigned to the realisation that coal mining is a dying business. The musical gives more emphasis to the miner's strike than the film, and consequently its tone is a bit darker and harder-edged than the film's, but the ending is uplifting nevertheless, and the musical has many comic touches. The show contains language that may be too strong for young children.

Musical numbers

;Act I
* The Stars Look Down
* Shine
* Grandma's Song
* Solidarity
* Expressing Yourself
* The Letter
* Born to Boogie
* Angry Dance

;Act II
* Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher
* Deep into the Ground
* Swan Lake
* He Could be a Star
* Electricity
* Once We Were Kings
* The Letter (Reprise)
* Finale

Awards and milestones

The show was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards and won four of them in 2006. These were best musical, best choreography (Peter Darling), best sound design (Paul Arditti), and best actor(s) in a musical (James Lomas, George Maguire, and Liam Mower). At thirteen, Mower was the youngest actor ever to win the award. The actors were also the first to win the award in a shared capacity. Lomas, Maguire, and Mower also jointly received the Theatre Goers' Choice Award 2005 for The Most Promising Newcomer. "Billy Elliot the Musical" has also won The Evening Standard Award 2005, among others. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4753606.stm "Elliot musical leads stage awards"] from BBC News (accessed February 28, 2006)]

On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys (Lomas, Maguire and Mower) appeared in a final show together to celebrate the show's first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Sir Elton John. When the musical celebrated its third anniversary in London, the newly-cast Billys for the Broadway production danced to “Electricity”.

Characters and original casts

London cast

*Billy – James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower
*Michael – Brad Kavanagh, Ashley Lloyd and Ryan Longbottom
*Debbie – Brooke Havana Bailey, Emma Hudson and Lucy Stephenson
*Mrs. Wilkinson – Haydn Gwynne
*Dad – Tim Healy
*Tony – Joe Caffrey
*Grandma – Ann Emery
*George – Trevor Fox
*Mr. Braithwaite – Steve Elias
*Dead Mum – Stephanie Putson
*Billy's Older Self – Issac James

Broadway cast

*Billy – David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish
*Michael – David Bologna and Frank Dolce
*Debbie – Erin Whyland
*Mrs. Wilkinson – Haydn Gwynne
*Dad – Gregory Jbara
*Tony – Santino Fontana
*Grandma – Carole Shelley
*George – Joel Hatch
*Mr. Braithwaite – Thommie Retter
*Dead Mum – Leah Hocking
*Billy's Older Self – Stephen Hanna

ee also

*"Billy Elliot"
*"The Stars Look Down"

References

External links

* [http://www.billyelliotthemusical.com/ "Billy Elliot the Musical" official site]
*ibdb show|475106
* [http://www.friendsofbilly.com/ Friends of Billy Elliot]
* [http://www.nodanw.com/shows_b/billyelliot.htm NODANW production information-London]
* [http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/b/billyelliotthemusicallyrics/ Song lyrics]
* [http://www.jaixa-imaging.net/framebetm.htm Photographs from several cast members (London production)]