Julian Elia Joins Cast of Broadway's BILLY ELLIOT

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Julian Elia will join the cast of 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the role of ‘Billy'. Elia, who started his journey in the Toronto production of Billy Elliot, will be the sixteenth ‘Billy' to perform on Broadway. Current ‘Billy,' Giuseppe Bausilio, will play his final performance Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 7:30pm.

JULIAN ELIA (Billy), a 13 year old Markham, Ontario native, is thrilled to fulfill his dream of playing the role of Billy on Broadway after performing in the hit run of the show in Toronto! He has trained since the age of six under the direction of Dawn Rappitt at Elite Danceworx, as well as training under Anna Karpova and Vladimir Karpov in Russian Ballet (Vaganova Method). Julian also dances competitively in Jazz, Tap, Acro, Hip Hop and Contemporary. When not dancing, he has travelled the world with his sister, Rosie, as co-hosts of the Gemini Award-nominated television series Are We There Yet? World Adventures (CBC/Treehouse/Sinking Ship Ent.). Most recently he appeared in a recurring role on the upcoming Canadian television series The Yard (Movie Central), as well as various TV and radio commercials.

Billy Elliot the Musical, the show that Time Magazine called "The Best Musical of the Decade," currently stars Emily Skinner (Mrs. Wilkinson), Daniel Jenkins (Dad), Katherine McGrath (Grandma), Patrick Mulvey (Tony), Jack Broderick and Cameron Clifford (Michael) and Giuseppe Bausilio, Tade Biesinger, Myles Erlick, Joseph Harrington, and Peter Mazurowski as ‘Billy.'

Billy Elliot the Musical, winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical, features music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry.

Billy Elliot is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community and changes his life forever.

Tickets for Billy Elliot the Musical range from $41.50 to $151.50, and can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office (246 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, Thursday - Sunday at 7:30, and Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm. Billy Elliot the Musical will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at the Imperial Theatre (246 West 45th Street), having played 40 preview and 1,304 regular performances.

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, the associate director is Julian Webber, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

For tickets and information visit www.BillyElliotBroadway.com