Billy Elliot, The Musical, richly tells the story of a a working-class British boy discovering he has a special talent for ballet, while the boys all around him are more interested in boxing. Based on the critically acclaimed 2000 award-winning film, the story took place during the UK coal miner’s strike in 1984, in opposition to the threatened closure and privatization by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The show intersperses Billy’s dancing ability and his dreams to become a dancer with the crumbling resistance of coal miners and loss of their jobs, which included Billy’s dad and his brother. With a score by Elton John, the musical comes directly from London where it was a huge smash.
Above all else Billy Elliot is a tale of triumph over adversity, a feel-good celebration of one boy following his heart and making his dreams come true. The recently opened show has captured Broadway’s heart and has received some of the best reviews for any musical in years as director Stephen Daldry, writer Lee Hall and choreographer Peter Darling turn the highly acclaimed film into an all-singing, all-dancing stage spectacular. The cast features Gregory Jbara (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Haydn Gwynne (Olivier Award nomination, London production), Santino Fontana (Sunday in the Park with George revival)Carole Shelley (The Elephant Man, Wicked) and, sharing the role of Billy are Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez and Trent Kown,.
