Leah Hocking News

Charming and unabashedly buoyant, BILLY ELLIOT--which danced away with 10 fairly well-deserved Tony Award wins including Best Musical back in 2009--is a smile-inducing, pleasingly-staged musical based on the 2000 film. The stage musical version's national tour has finally stopped in Los Angeles for a five-week engagement at the Pantages Theatre through May 13. (more...)

In 1984 when Northern English coal miners went on strike in defiance of Margaret Thatcher's announcement to dissolve the unions, there was little hope for the future. Prospects were dim for kids like Billy Elliot who would be expected to enter the family business like his dad and his dad before him and on down the family lineage. Within 10 years, there would be no jobs, and where would Billy go, what would he do? Fortunately, this 11 year-old had unstoppable dreams that would perhaps take him far, if only he could defeat the tremendous odds and get his dad to agree to an audition in London for the Royal Academy - ballet. Since 2000, when the film Billy Elliot won the hearts of the entire world, there came a musical stage version - in 2005 on the West End and 2008 on Broadway, winning 10 Tony Awards. The stage version was as successful as the movie, mainly because the screenwriter Lee Hall and director Stephen Daldry stayed with the project. Billy Elliot has universal appeal for kids with artistic talent, and speaks to the young at heart in all of us. Finally Billy is in LA at the Pantages through May 13 only, with a sensational cast that will have you standing, cheering and singing its praises for years to come. (more...)

blurbThe U.S. National Tour of the 2009 Tony Award winning musical BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL officially opened in Los Angeles April 12, 2012 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood for a limited 5 week engagement through May 13. (more...)

The latest Broadway show to hit the stage at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio Texas is BILLY ELLIOT, which ended its run yesterday, April 1. From the moment the lights dimmed, you couldn’t help but be drawn into the story of struggle and survival as young Billy and his family worked through many issues. Many could relate to the struggles and emotions in this little family. (more...)

Today I am joined by Leah Hocking who is currently touring with BILLY ELLIOT playing the role of Mrs. Wilkinson. Leah performed with the original Broadway cast of BILLY ELLIOT as Billy’s Mum. This time, she goes out on the road playing the role of Mrs. Wilkinson. (more...)

I was one of the lucky ones who had the chance to see Billy Elliot: The Musical on Broadway before it closed on January 8, 2012. Although this scaled-down NETworks version may lose some of its grandiose sets and sparkle, Billy Elliot still transmits enough electricity to power all of Columbus’ Palace Theatre. (more...)

Have you ever had a dream? To be an astronaut? A painter? A singer? For Billy Elliot, the title character of the hit Elton John musical that plays the Fabulous Fox Theatre March 13 – 18, his dream is to dance, which creates plenty of tension for his blue-collar, northern England family. Based on the movie of the same name, Billy Elliot shows us that sometimes your passions are something you never imagined yourself doing and once you discover them nothing should stop you from pursuing those goals. Helping Billy achieve his dream is his dance teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, who pushes him to be his best. Playing the role in this production is veteran Broadway actress Leah Hocking who sat down with me to talk about her experience with following her own dreams of being an actor. (more...)

Last night before a crowd of 200 theatre makers and theatre lovers, theatreWashington announced the nominees for the 28th Helen Hayes Awards. The National Theatre’s Helen Hayes Gallery set the scene for the announcement of nominees in 26 categories for artistic excellence and the announcement of the recipient of the 2012 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company. The Helen Hayes Awards is one of the most prestigious honors for artists and theatre companies in Washington’s vibrant theatre scene. (more...)

The Tokyo production of Jekyll & Hyde will open on March 6, and you can go behind the scenes of rehearsals in the video below! (more...)

From Nick Jonas and Michael Urie to the Ladies of THE VIEW to Adam Pascal, Raul Esparza, Barbra Streisand to Alan Menken, Bernadette Peters to Susan Boyle, Colin Quinn to GLEE and Everything in Between - It's the BroadwayWorld.com 2012 Valentine's Day Special - It's the Biggest Ever! (more...)

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh announce that NETworks Presentations, LLC will bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center from January 31 through February 12, 2012. (more...)

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh announce that NETworks Presentations, LLC will bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center from January 31 through February 12, 2012. (more...)

The Kennedy Center in association with NETworks Presentations, LLC presents the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the Kennedy Center Opera House from December 13, 2011 to January 15, 2012. (more...)

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh announce that NETworks Presentations, LLC will bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center from January 31 through February 12, 2012. (more...)

Billy Elliot on tour will come to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando, FL, from February 15 2012 to February 26 2012. (more...)

Do not miss this dance musical based on the film of the same name. (more...)

The Kennedy Center in association with NETworks Presentations, LLC presents the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the Kennedy Center Opera House from December 13, 2011 to January 15, 2012. (more...)

NETworks Presentations, LLC brings the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Philadelphia's Academy of Music from Nov. 16 - 27, part of the Broadway Season, presented by The Kimmel Center and The Shubert Organization. (more...)

The 2009 Tony Award winning Best Musical makes its Philadelphia debut. (more...)

NETworks Presentations, LLC brings the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Philadelphia's Academy of Music from Nov. 16 - 27, part of the Broadway Season, presented by The Kimmel Center and The Shubert Organization. (more...)