Photo Coverage: Israeli Production of BILLY ELLIOT

Following performances in London's West End, Broadway, Italy, Netherlands, Australia and Japan, the successful and highly praised musical BILLY ELLIOT now reached the Israeli stage.

For over a decade the successful musical Billy Elliot has been inspiring and captivating millions of viewers around the world and now in Israel as well!

The musical has been translated to Hebrew by Eli Bijaoui and under the direction of Eldar Groisman is staged for the first time in Israel, starring Avi Kushnir as Billy's father, Oshri Cohen as Tony - Billy's brother, Dafna Dekel as Mrs Wilkinson the dance teacher and Dina Doron as the grandma.

The role of Billy is alternately played by Arnon Herring and Shon Granot Zilberstein, accompanied with song and dance by the wide cast of actors, dancers and children who join Billy and his family along the production as school class members, ballet class girls, the village residents, coal miners and dozens of other roles.

The brilliant music was written by no other than Sir Elton John! And will be performed on stage accompanied by a live orchestra.

The successful musical is based on the award-winning movie Billy Elliot which takes place at a village in north England during the famous 1984-1985 coal miners' strike against the policy of the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. The plot follows Billy, a brave boy in a conservative village, who decides to replace his boxing gloves with ballet shoes and fights against all odds in order to make his dream come true. Billy, with the help of his dance teacher, fights prejudice opinions but his desire to fulfill his ambitions finally becomes an inspiration for his family and the entire town to change his and their lives forever. Twenty years later and the personal-social story is still relevant than ever. The working class is trying to raise its head and fight for their social rights and for a better future, which corresponds with the current social state in Israel as well, while next to it is Billy's personal story wishing to make his dream come true against all odds- the personal story of almost each and every one of us throughout our lives.

The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005, was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four. The success of the musical led to productions in Broadway, Australia, Toronto, Chicago, Brazil, Denmark and Netherlands. Almost every place Billy Elliot arrived at the musical won prestigious awards, including Best Musical of 2006 (London), Best Actors and Best Musical of 2009 (New York), Best Actors and Best Musical of 2008 (Australia), Best Foreign Musical of 2010 (South Korea) and various awards in 2014 in Netherlands.

The producers of the musical in Israel: nmc united company, Shuki Guri and Fredi Ziskrout (Galim Productions) and Yaron Peled.

Billy Elliot can be seen in the upcoming weeks at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center and in the future in various theatres across the country.
For tickets and more information visit: www.billyelliot.co.il .

Photo Credit: Yossi Zwecker.

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