Billy Elliot London: From Screen to Stage

Billy Elliot is one of the most acclaimed, award-winning musicals on the stage today. Going from the screen to stage, it's been capturing audiences since 2005 in London's West End and has gone on to dazzle people from all over the world. It's estimated that 9.5 million people worldwide have seen the inspirational story of Billy Elliot, the boy who goes against the grain when stumbling from a boxing ring into a ballet class, making his dreams come true.

Plot

Billy Elliot the Musical is based off of the film, Billy Elliot (2000), written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. It tells the story of a boy named Billy, living in a Northern mining town that trades in his boxing gloves for ballet shoes. His passion for dance inspires his whole community and changes his life permanently. Billy's personal struggle is set against the backdrop of the UK's miner strike that happened in Northern England between 1984 and 1985.

Schedule

Billy Elliot London tickets are available for the current production at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The stage production has been running since 2005 and continues to receive rave reviews from critics and fans alike. From London, the joy of this musical has made its way to Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Chicago, South Korea and even South America! With powerful dance numbers, a compelling story and music composed by Elton John, it is no wonder tickets sell out fast for this entrancing musical!

Trivia

Billy Elliot the Musical has been nominated for 9 Laurence Olivier Awards and won four, including "Best New Musical". It has also won 10 Tony Awards, 10 Drama Desk and 7 Helpmann Awards.

From screen to stage and then back to screen! A live recording of the Billy Elliot London's cast was recently released on Blu-ray/DVD in the UK, as well as, limited release in theatres around the world. 25 of the actors who have played Billy make an appearance.

Cast

The cast of Billy Elliot The Musical is filled with award-winning, long established theatre actors and a group of kids who have the tenacity and talent for long-term success. Many people who worked on the film version have stepped into the same roles for the stage production, including Stephen Daldry (director), Lee Hall (writer), Peter Darling (choreography) and Jon Finn (one of the producers). Lee Hall has remarked that making a musical about his film only seemed possible if the original creative team from the movie would be involved.

Original Author

Lee Hall, who also wrote the screenplay to the 2000 Billy Elliot film, wrote the book and lyrics associated with the stage production. Superstar Elton John composed the music. Lee Hall based the story (in part) on the 1935 novel The Stars Look Down, written by A.J. Cronin about a miners' strike. The musical pays homage to this with the opening song. Elton John had seen the film Billy Elliot at the Cannes Film Festival. It moved him so much that he wanted to make a musical based on the film. They collaborated, with Hall writing the lyrics, and John composing the music.

Producer

Serving as Executive Producers are David Furnish and Angela Morrison. Furnish directed the BAFTA nominated documentary Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras and created the film production company Rocket Pictures. He is exceedingly proud of his relationship with Billy Elliot the Musical and has been part of stage productions for it all over the world.

Angela Morrison is a law graduate from University College, London and has been with Working Title Films since 1992. She is the chief operating officer over there. Angela won the British Women in Film Business: Woman of the Year Award. She was also the Executive-in-charge of production for the original film Billy Elliot.