Guest Author - Lorna London Sloukji

Based on the 2000 film, Billy Elliot, this smash-hit London musical is finally making its way to American audiences. Debuting this fall at the Imperial Theatre on October 1, the musical has an official opening scheduled for November 13.

Billy Elliot-The Musical has been active for four years in the UK, grossing about $175 million between London and Australia.
With a musical score by Elton John and the team from the film, other original production figures such as screenwriter, Lee Hall, director, Stephen Daldry, producer Eric Fellner, and choreographer, Peter Darling are also involved with the musical.

In the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Elton John felt so inspired by the story that he approached director, Daldry about adapting the film into a musical.

Daldry, Fellner, and Hall mused over this concept for a couple years. Hall felt intimidated at the thought of the adaptation. He says about his meeting with Elton John, “When I met him, I thought he would say, ‘Oh yes, we’ll do the musical, but I’ll get Bernie Taupin.’ But he said, ‘No, you must do it.’”
And so they did. A story about a young boy in a melancholy northern England town who becomes an exceptionally gifted dancer has motivated thousands of audiences internationally. And now, people can enjoy the beauty of this story on stage.

Hall wrote the film based on his own upbringing and experiences. “When I grew up at that time, I was kind of dancing in my bedroom to the Elton John songs of the day and had all his albums…And now I’m at the end of the piano, watching Elton set music to my lyrics. The whole thing is very sort of strange and circular.”

The Broadway company features several talented boys playing Billy Elliot—David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish. Carole Shelley plays the beloved grandma, Gregory Jbara plays Billy’s father, Santino Fontana plays Tony, and Haydn Gwynne has been casted as Mrs. Wilkinson.

New choreography includes a tap-based number which will boast Trent Kowalik’s, one of the Billys’, unique dancing skills.

Peter Darling, the musical choreographer asserts that each Billy comes with his own set of skills which is wonderful but also poses a challenge when generating choreography numbers.

“It was an astonishing level of skill,” Darling says of the auditions in New York. “Kiril is what I term a ballet boy, but his training is very much in the Russian training, and so his inclination is toward much bigger movement. David trained at the American Ballet Theatre and his technique suits a different kind of movement. Tent is an Irish step dancer, who has learned to become a ballet dancer and is trying to sort of adapt his technique to ballet.”

For more information on the musical, check out the link below, under “Related Links.”