Batchelor Bids BILLY ELLIOT Farewell 12/11, Tavares and Redhead Join as Broadway's Newest 'Billys'

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Dayton Tavares and Liam Redhead will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical, both in the role of ‘Billy.'

Tavares, 13, who previously played ‘Billy' in the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Billy Elliot, will be the 6th boy to perform the role on Broadway. Redhead, 14, a student at Toronto's prestigious National Ballet School, will be the 7th boy to make his Broadway debut as ‘Billy.' First performance dates for both boys will be announced soon.

Tommy Batchelor will play his final performance as Billy on Broadway on Friday, December 11th. As previously announced, Batchelor will star as ‘Billy' in the Chicago production of Billy Elliot. The production will begin performances on March 18, 2010 at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph, Chicago) before embarking on a multi-city tour.

The 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical currently stars David Alvarez, Tommy Batchelor, Alex Ko and Trent Kowalik as Billy, Kate Hennig as Mrs. Wilkinson, Gregory Jbara as Dad, Carole Shelley as Grandma, Will Chase as Tony and Trevor Braun and Keean Johnson as Michael.

Billy Elliot the Musical is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds. Set against the historic British miners' strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy's journey as a boy in a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre (240 W 45th St) Thursday, November 13th and was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Tickets for Billy Elliot the Musical range from $41.50 to $136.50, and can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office (240 West 45th Street) or by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or visiting www.Telecharge.com. The playing schedule for Billy Elliot is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm.

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

DAYTON TAVARES (Billy). Hi, my name is Dayton Tavares and I am 13 years old. I
had the honor of playing the role in the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Billy Elliot
and I am so excited to now be making my Broadway debut as Billy! I used to watch both
of my sisters dance and I thought it looked like fun, so in 2005 I decided to take a hip-
hop class and that's how I discovered that my true passion was to dance and perform. I
also love to sing, play soccer and am a black belt in taekwondo. Since I started dancing,
I've won lots of awards, including Australian Dancer of the Year in 2007, which meant
that I got to represent Australia at the World Dance Championships in Las Vegas. I
won prizes in the competition including my favorite - Mr. Junior LasVegas! I have
performed at the Urban Music Awards, Industry Awards and the Sydney Opera House. I
also toured Malaysia with Studio 11 until I got the amazing opportunity to be Billy. This is
a dream come true for me and I want to thank everyone at Billy Elliot in Australia and
New York and also my Mum, Dad and sisters Aeysha and Tenille. See you on Broadway!

 

LIAM REDHEAD (Billy). Hello! My name is Liam, I'm 14 years old and I can't wait to
be Billy on Broadway! I began dancing at age 7 when I joined my sister in a hip hop class
at the Barber Treleaven School of Dance in my hometown of North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
I liked that so much that I started studying jazz and tap and then at age 9 I joined their
competitive group and was introduced to ballet. During the next three years, I competed
locally as well as in New York, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where I won the national title
of Mr. Pre Teen with Dance Educators of America as well as the President's Cup for the
highest mark at the competition. That summer, I joined the Young Dancer Summer
Workshop on scholarship at the JKO School and then in the fall of 2007, I moved to
Toronto to attend the National Ballet School. I got to perform the role of Misha in the
James Kudelka version of The Nutcracker with The National Ballet of Canada in
December 2007 and 2008. At NBS, I really developed my passion for classical dance. A
big thank you to Mom, Dad, my sisters and brother for believing in me.

For tickets and information visit www.billyelliotbroadway.com