Photo Flash: First Look at BILLY ELLIOT at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre is proud to present Billy Elliot the Musical directed and choreographed by Signature Theatre Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's Passion, West Side Story). Based on the powerful and acclaimed film, all 11-year-old Billy wants to do is dance. Initially facing opposition from society and his father, Billy's passion instead unites the community and changes his life in extraordinary ways. The original production with book and lyrics by Lee Hall and music by Tony, Grammy and Academy Award® winner Elton John was universally lauded, sweeping the Tony, Drama Desk and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. Billy Elliot the Musical runs now thru January 6, 2019 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre.

"You probably know Billy Elliot as the story of a working-class boy who wants to dance, but it is about far more than that," said director/choreographer Matthew Gardiner. "It's a show about people who feel like their voices aren't being heard. It's as much about the young boy who wants to break out through dance as it is about the community around him that feels forgotten. It's the juxtaposition of the childhood dream against the reality of the world around him, that makes Lee Hall and Elton John's musical so moving and joyous. I'm thrilled to direct and choreograph this company of actors and to work together to bring Billy's story to life."

The production will star Signature newcomers Liam Redford and Owen Tabaka alternating in the title role. Redford and Tabaka will be joined by Nancy Anderson(Broadway's Sunset Boulevard, Signature's Side by Side by Sondheim) as Mrs. Wilkinson, Jacob Thomas Anderson (National Tour Matilda The Musical) as Michael Caffrey, Catherine Flye (Shakespeare Theatre's Secret Garden, Arena Stage's Oliver!) as Grandma, Chris Genebach (Olney's The Crucible, Shakespeare Theatre's Hamlet) as Jackie Elliot, Dan Manning (Signature's Silver Belles, Road Show) as George, Grant Richards (National Yiddish Theatre's Fiddler on the Roof, National Tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella) as Adult Billy, Sean Watkinson (Signature's Miss Saigon, Lyric Theatre's West Side Story) as Tony Elliot, Crystal Mosser as Mum and Olivia McMahon (Olney's Annie) and Vivian Poe (Imagination Stage's Beauty and the Beast), alternating in the role of Debbie Wilkerson.

The adult ensemble is rounded out by Kurt Boehm (Signature's Crazy for You), Jamie Eacker (Signature's Titanic), Sean Fri (Signature's The Threepenny Opera),Daniel S. Hines (The Guthrie Theater's South Pacific), Vincent Kempski (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Solomon Parker III (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Harrison Smith (Signature's Jesus Christ Superstar), Kedren Spencer (Shakespeare Theatre's The Tempest), and Stephawn P. Stephens(Signature's Dreamgirls). Swings include Calvin Malone (Olney's South Pacific), Emily Madden (Olney's On the Town), Jane Petkofsky (Theater Alliance's The Events), and Daniel Powers (Virgina Repertory's West Side Story).

The children ensemble, which alternates performances, includes Franco Cabanas (Ford's A Christmas Carol), Sofia A. Cruz (Olney's Annie), Annie Dodson,Declan Fennell, Malcolm Fuller (Druid Theatre Company's Waiting for Godot), Anya Katherine Jones (The MUNY's Jersey Boys), Harrison MacInnis, Molly Rose Meredith (Annie National Tour), Dulcie Pham (Ford's Ragtime), Noelle Robinson (Ford's A Christmas Carol), Sissy Sheridan (Olney's Annie), Simone Straub-Clark (NextStop Theatre's A Charlie Brown Christmas), Maya Stumpf, and Simone Warren (Olney's Annie).

The creative team includes Musical Director Tom Vendafreddo (Paramount Theatre's Jesus Christ Superstar), Angry Dance Tap Choreographer Mark Orsborn(NBC's World of Dance), Associate Choreographer Kelly Crandall d'Amboise (Signature's La Cage aux Folles), Scenic Design by Jason Sherwood (Atlantic Theater Company's This Ain't No Disco), Lighting Design by Amanda Zieve (Signature's Titanic), Costume Design by Kathleen Geldard (Signature's Les Misérables), Sound Design by Ryan Hickey (Signature's Passion), Wig Design by Anne Nesmith (Signature's Passion), Assistant Director and Dialect Coach Rex Daugherty (Signature's 4,380 Nights), Fight Choreography by Casey Kaleba (Signature's The Scottsboro Boys), Assistant Choreograher Dani Ebbin, Production Stage Manager Kerry Epstein, Assistant Stage Manager Madison Bahr, Production Assistant Joey Blakely, DC Casting by Kelly Crandall d'Amboise, and New York Casting by Laura Stanczyk CSA.

Photo Credit: Christopher Mueller.

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