A hit in London and one of
the most highly anticipated shows of the upcoming theatre season, BroadwayWorld.com
was on hand as the recently announced cast and creative team of Billy Elliot were introduced to the New York press. The event took place Monday July 29th at Manhattan's Little Shubert Theatre.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot has played over
1,300 performances and recently celebrated its 3rd anniversary in London. Billy Elliot the
Musical opened at London's VictoriaPalace
in May 2005 to unanimous critical acclaim. The production went on to sweep London's nine awards for
Best Musical, including the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle
Theatre Awards. In London,
Billy Elliot has now been seen by over 1.5 million people and has grossed over
£65 million. The musical opened to equal acclaim at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia
in December 2007. The two current productions have played to over 2.3 million
people.
The roles of Billy's teacher, father, grandmother and brother will be played respectively by: Haydn Gwynne, who created the role of dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in the show's original London cast, will make her Broadway debut recreating her Olivier-nominated performance; Gregory Jbara (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Victor/Victoria) will play Dad; Tony winner Carole Shelley (The Elephant Man, Wicked) will play Grandma; and Santino Fontana (Sunday in the Park with George revival) will play Tony.
