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Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot: The Musical is a British coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy Elliot, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment is balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984–1985 miners' strike in County Durham, in North East England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.
The musical premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End in 2005 and ran through April 2016. The production was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards and won four, including Best New Musical. Its success led to productions—on Broadway, in Australia, and in numerous other countries. The New York production won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, Best Musical. The production in Australia also won numerous awards, including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.
A live recording of the musical was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 24 November 2014.
The premiere of the musical was planned at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, but this was abandoned due to financial problems of the Tyne Theatre's operator, and the production's growing budget.
The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, opening in previews on 31 March 2005 and officially on 11 May 2005. It closed on 9 April 2016, when the theatre closed for refurbishment, after 4,600 performances. The show reportedly cost £5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million). The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated in the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson, Tim Healy as Billy's father, and Stephanie Putson as Billy's mother. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, the costumes by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting was by Rick Fisher, and sound by Paul Arditti.
The musical received favourable reviews: The Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "the greatest British musical I have ever seen". It won four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2006: Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Theatre Choreographer and Best Sound Design. It also won the Evening Standard Theatre Award, the Critics' Circle Theatre Award, and the Theatregoers' Choice Award, all for Best Musical.
The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006. On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Elton John. At the 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards, the show won another Olivier Award, the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Most Popular Show (voted for by theatre goers), after many years of being finalists for the award. After Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, according to director Stephen Daldry, the audience were given the choice to decide whether the song "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" would be included in the performance that day, since the lyrics include the sentence: "We all celebrate today 'cause it's one day closer to your death". As only three audience members voted against it, the performance went ahead as usual. On 3 July 2015, 12-year-old Nat Sweeney from Birmingham became the 41st actor to play the role of Billy in London, making him the 100th to play the role worldwide. Elton John appeared on stage at the final West End performance in April 2016.
In June 2014, it was announced that the musical would be screened and broadcast live to cinemas around the UK and the world. On 28 September, the matinee of the musical was broadcast as it was being filmed at the Victoria Palace Theatre to cinemas around the UK and other countries, with further encore screenings of that same performance on other dates. Billy was played by Elliott Hanna. Liam Mower, one of the three actors who originated the title role, returned to play the role of Older Billy. In addition, 25 past and present actors to have played the title role on the West End performed a specially-choreographed dance number at the finale. The live broadcast topped the UK and Ireland box office the weekend it was broadcast, a first for an event cinema release, beating The Equalizer with £1.9m. This performance was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom. This cast includes Elliott Hanna in the title role with Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy's dad, Chris Grahamson as Tony and Ann Emery as Grandma. Further cast included Claudia Bradley as Dead Mam, Howard Crossley as George, David Muscatt as Mr. Braithwaite, Alan Mehdizadeh as Big Davey, Liam Mower as Older Billy and David Stoller as Posh Dad.
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Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot: The Musical is a British coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy Elliot, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment is balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984–1985 miners' strike in County Durham, in North East England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.
The musical premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End in 2005 and ran through April 2016. The production was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards and won four, including Best New Musical. Its success led to productions—on Broadway, in Australia, and in numerous other countries. The New York production won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, Best Musical. The production in Australia also won numerous awards, including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.
A live recording of the musical was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 24 November 2014.
The premiere of the musical was planned at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, but this was abandoned due to financial problems of the Tyne Theatre's operator, and the production's growing budget.
The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, opening in previews on 31 March 2005 and officially on 11 May 2005. It closed on 9 April 2016, when the theatre closed for refurbishment, after 4,600 performances. The show reportedly cost £5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million). The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated in the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson, Tim Healy as Billy's father, and Stephanie Putson as Billy's mother. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, the costumes by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting was by Rick Fisher, and sound by Paul Arditti.
The musical received favourable reviews: The Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "the greatest British musical I have ever seen". It won four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2006: Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Theatre Choreographer and Best Sound Design. It also won the Evening Standard Theatre Award, the Critics' Circle Theatre Award, and the Theatregoers' Choice Award, all for Best Musical.
The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006. On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Elton John. At the 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards, the show won another Olivier Award, the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Most Popular Show (voted for by theatre goers), after many years of being finalists for the award. After Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, according to director Stephen Daldry, the audience were given the choice to decide whether the song "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" would be included in the performance that day, since the lyrics include the sentence: "We all celebrate today 'cause it's one day closer to your death". As only three audience members voted against it, the performance went ahead as usual. On 3 July 2015, 12-year-old Nat Sweeney from Birmingham became the 41st actor to play the role of Billy in London, making him the 100th to play the role worldwide. Elton John appeared on stage at the final West End performance in April 2016.
In June 2014, it was announced that the musical would be screened and broadcast live to cinemas around the UK and the world. On 28 September, the matinee of the musical was broadcast as it was being filmed at the Victoria Palace Theatre to cinemas around the UK and other countries, with further encore screenings of that same performance on other dates. Billy was played by Elliott Hanna. Liam Mower, one of the three actors who originated the title role, returned to play the role of Older Billy. In addition, 25 past and present actors to have played the title role on the West End performed a specially-choreographed dance number at the finale. The live broadcast topped the UK and Ireland box office the weekend it was broadcast, a first for an event cinema release, beating The Equalizer with £1.9m. This performance was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom. This cast includes Elliott Hanna in the title role with Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy's dad, Chris Grahamson as Tony and Ann Emery as Grandma. Further cast included Claudia Bradley as Dead Mam, Howard Crossley as George, David Muscatt as Mr. Braithwaite, Alan Mehdizadeh as Big Davey, Liam Mower as Older Billy and David Stoller as Posh Dad.