Billy Elliot the Musical
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| Billy Elliot | |
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| West End Poster | |
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| Music | Elton John |
| Lyrics | Lee Hall |
| Book | Lee Hall |
| Based upon | 2000 Film Billy Elliot |
| Productions | 2005 West End 2007 Australia 2008 Broadway planned |
| 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.[1]
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 a forthcoming Broadway production.
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[edit] Productions
- West End
The work premiered in March 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London, where it is still showing. 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.[2]
- Australia
The musical opened at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007 (with the Australian Media Premiere later on 13 Dec).[3]In January 2008 the production won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards, and it has been earning good notices.[4] The production will conclude in Sydney on 23 November 2008 and be subsequently transferred to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, which shall open on 30 December 2008 ahead of the premiere on 15 January 2009. [5]
- Broadway
The production is scheduled to open on Broadway at the Imperial Theater[6] on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on November 13. The London production's creative team will direct and design the Broadway production.[2] The title role is set to be rotated among three young actors, David Alvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik.[7]
[edit] Synopsis
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.
[edit] Musical numbers
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[edit] Awards and milestones
The show was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards and won four of them on 26 February 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. They were also the first ever 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 several other awards: The Evening Standard Award 2005, the Critics' Circle Theatre Award 2005, and the Theatre Goers' Choice Award 2005, all for best British Musical.[8]
On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys (Lomas, Maguire and Mower) came together for one final show together to celebrate the show's first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the show and were joined at the end by Sir Elton John, who led the audience in singing Happy Birthday. The musical celebrated its second birthday on 12 May 2007. The occasion was marked by fans, but the Company itself did not celebrate the occasion publicly. The occasion coincided with the announcement of the new Australian Billys (Rhys Kosakowski, Nick Twiney, Rarmian Newton and Lochlan Denholm).
On 12 May 2008, The company celebrated is 3rd anniversary in London. The show was started off with an introduction by director Stephen Daldry. The show was then interrupted with the curtain coming down forty minutes in due to a technical hitch but then carried on as normal. At the end of the show Daldry presented the cast with a magnificent birthday cake and then the newly cast Billy's for the broadway production did a dance to Electricity (a number from the show) at which the whole show ended with a standing ovation.
[edit] Characters and original 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 – Paul Broughton
- Mr Braithwaite – Steve Elias
- Dead Mum – Stephanie Putson
- Billy's Older Self – Issac James
[edit] References
- ^ Scotsman interview (2002).
- ^ a b "Billy Elliot - The Musical to open at the Imperial Theatre on 16 Oct" New York Theatre Guide, 15 March 2008
- ^ playbill article, Dec. 13, 2007, "Elton John and Lee Hall Take a Bow at Billy Elliot's Australian Opening Dec. 13"
- ^ Variety review of the Sydney production
- ^ http://performingartskids.com/2008/06/02/billy-elliot-to-dance-into-melbourne-australia/
- ^ Information about the Broadway production and possible changes to the show
- ^ playbill article, April 22, 2008, Broadway Finds Its Billy Elliots
- ^ "Elliot musical leads stage awards" from BBC News (accessed February 28, 2006)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Billy Elliot the Musical official site
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Friends of Billy Elliot
- NODANW production information-London
- Song lyrics
- Photographs from several cast members (London production)
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