Twenty-seven former and current Billy Elliots will unite on stage in a specially choreographed mash-up finale on Sunday 28 September when Billy Elliot the Musical is broadcast live from the Victoria Palace Theatre to cinemas across the UK and around the world. All three original Billy Elliots - James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower - will take part in the spectacular finale. In addition, as previously announced, Liam Mower will play the role of Older Billy at this performance.
Liam Mower (22, from Hull), James Lomas, (24, from Sheffield), George Maguire (23, from Stanford-Le-Hope), Leon Cooke (23, from Newcastle under Lyme), Matthew Koon (20, from Salford, Lancashire), Dean McCarthy (22, from Dublin), Layton Williams (20, from Manchester),Oliver Taylor (20, from Devon), Joshua Fedrick (20, from Saltash, Cornwall), Fox Jackson-Keen (19, from Hornsey, London), Tom Holland (18, from Kingston-upon-Thames), Brad Wilson(18, from Doncaster), Ollie Gardner (17, from Bath), Rhys Yeomans (16, from Oldham), Aaron Watson (16, from Kings Lynn, Norfolk), Scott McKenzie (17, from Dumbarton, Scotland), Josh Baker (16, from Rochester), Ryan Collinson (16, from Southport), Kaine Ward (15, fromHertfordshire), Harris Beattie (15, from Aberdeen), Harrison Dowzell (14, from Nottinghamshire), Redmand Rance (14, from Fareham) and Ali Rasul (13, from Hartlepool) will be joined by currently Billy Elliots – Elliott Hanna (11, from Liverpool), Bradley Perret (12, from Juan-les-Pins, France), Matteo Zecca (12, from Buckinghamshire) and Ollie Jochim (12, from Essex).
Director Stephen Daldry said, “We are thrilled to welcome so many of our former Billys back to the Victoria Palace Theatre for this very special performance. We’ve been delighted to see them flourish as performers since their time in the show and it will be wonderful to bring them together again for this unique event.”
The cast is led by Ruthie Henshall as Billy’s dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy’s dad, Chris Grahamson as Tony and Ann Emery as Grandma, joined by Claudia Bradley, Howard Crossley, Barnaby Meredith and David Muscat. Ensemble members are Craig Armstrong, David Bardsley, Paul Basleigh, Spencer Cartwright, Lucinda Collins, Gillian Elisa, Lee Hoy, Ruri James, Chris Jenkins, Charlie Martin, Alan Mehdizadeh, Steve Paget, Ben Redfern, Charlotte Riby, Mark John Richardson, Mike Scott, Phil Snowden, Wendy Somerville, Spencer Stafford and David Stoller.
Set in a northern mining town, against the background of the 1984/’85 miners’ strike, Billy Elliot is the inspirational story of a young boy’s struggle against the odds to make his dream come true. Billy’s journey takes him out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever.
Based on the Academy Award® nominated film, Billy Elliot the Musical has been dazzling London’s theatergoers at the Victoria Palace Theatre since 2005, and has gone on to captivate audiences around the world, winning over 80 theatre awards globally including 10 Tony Awards®and 5 Olivier Awards. Billy Elliot the Musical has now been seen by nearly 10 million people worldwide and is brought to life by the multiple award-winning creative team behind the film including writer Lee Hall (book and lyrics), director Stephen Daldry, and choreographer, Peter Darling, joined by Elton John who composed the show’s score. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, the associate director is Julian Webber, costume design is by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.
Productions of Billy Elliot the Musical have been staged on Broadway, as well as in Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago, Toronto and Seoul, South Korea. The North American touring production, which began in 2010, finished its spectacular run in August 2013 with an engagement in São Paulo, Brazil, the first time Billy Elliot played in South America. The show will open in the Netherlands in November this year, and further international productions are currently planned.
Billy Elliot the Musical is presented in London by Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Tiger Aspect and is based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal film. The show is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are executive producers.
