On Tuesday, November 11th, Billy Elliot the Musical was featured on ABC's "The View." Composer Elton John, and stars David Alvarez,Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish joined the ladies of "The View" to discuss the new musical. "The View" airs locally on channel 7 - WABC in the tri-state area.
The multi-award winning Billy Elliot the Musical opens at Broadway's Imperial Theatre (240 W 45th St) tonight, Thursday, November 13th. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliotthe Musical began previews Wednesday, October 1st. The show is presented by Universal Pictures Stage Productions,Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment, based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal film.
Billy Elliot stars
David Alvarez,
Trent Kowalik and
Kiril Kulish as Billy,
Haydn Gwynne, who created the role of dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in the show's original London cast and will make her Broadway debut recreating her Olivier Award-nominated performance;
Gregory Jbara (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Victor/Victoria) as Dad; Tony winner
Carole Shelley (The Elephant Man,
Wicked) as Grandma;
Santino Fontana (Sunday in the Park with George revival) as Tony,
David Bologna and
Frank Dolce alternating in the role of Billy's friend Michael,
Stephen Hanna as Billy's Older Self,
Joel Hatch as George,
Leah Hocking as Mum,
Thommie Retter as Mr. Braithwaite and
Erin Whyland as Debbie. Hadyn Gwynne is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association.
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.
Billy Elliot the Musical, based on the beloved 2000 film which garnered three Academy Award and 13 BAFTA nominations, opened at London's Victoria Palace in May 2005 to unanimous critical acclaim. The Mail on Sunday wrote, "Truly electrifying...this heart-stopping show is a must-see." The Sunday Express raved, "Pure magic." And The Daily Telegraph proclaimed it simply, "The greatest British musical I have ever seen." The production went on to sweep London's nine awards for Best Musical, including the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Theatre Awards. It has played over 1,400 performances and celebrated its 3rd anniversary in May '08.
Billy Elliot the Musical next opened to equal acclaim at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia in December 2007. The Australian wrote, "
Billy Elliot should come with a warning: abandon cynicism all ye who enter. Open your heart, get out the tissues and surrender." The Sydney Morning Herald raved, "Joyously entertaining,
Billy Elliotbursts into starry-eyed showbiz magic ... A rapturous pinnacle of self-expression and fulfillment." The Sunday Telegraph called it, "Bloody brilliant! Funny, exuberantly rude and heartbreakingly moving." The Sydney production went on to win seven 2008 Helpmann Awards, including Best Musical.
Billy Elliot has now played to over 2.4 million people worldwide.
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 choreography by
Peter Darling, 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.
For tickets and information visit
www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
Photos by ABC/Retna Ltd.
Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elton John, Trent Kowalik, David Alvarez and Kiril Kulish
Elton John
Kiril Kulish
Kiril Kulish
