Backstairs Billy 2023
Ages: 14+
Opened: November 7, 2023Closing: January 27, 2024
Backstairs Billy - 2023 West End History , Info & More
Duke of York's Theatre
St Martin's Ln, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4BG, United Kingdom London WC2N 4BG
Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, Ever Decreasing Circles) and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast, Nine Perfect Strangers) star in Marcelo Dos Santos’ hilarious new comedy Backstairs Billy, directed by Tony and Olivier award-winning director Michael Grandage.
1979. Inside Clarence House, The Queen Mother’s receptions are in full swing and the champagne is flowing. Guiding the proceedings is William ‘Billy’ Tallon, holder of the royal corgis and Her Majesty’s loyal servant.
Outside, strikes are bringing the country to its knees and Britain is on the verge of changing seismically under Margaret Thatcher. These two worlds are about to collide with dizzying consequences… Book your royal appointment today.
__Access Performances__
Captioned: 23rd November 7.30pm
Audio Described: 29th November 7.30pm
BSL: TBC
Backstairs Billy - 2023 - West End Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Backstairs Billy
Backstairs Billy review
6 / 10
Grandage’s production has its pleasures. Wilton brilliantly humanises the Queen Mother: tough, beady and remorselessly self-centred beneath her soft, powdery exterior, stewing in genteel displeasure that she’s been sidelined since her husband’s death, and staving off loneliness with gin and pointless chit-chat. Evans is a myopically snobbish, flamboyantly entertaining Billy, with his wicked, gimlet-eyed twinkle and swan-like, gliding efficiency. It is difficult to imagine how it could all be done better. But I’m also not entirely sure why you’d bother.
Backstairs Billy
8 / 10
There's something gleefully subversive about Dos Santos’s script and Grandage’s bouncy production, which makes it compelling. It’s harder-edged than the simple, ‘joyful comedy’ about an odd-couple friendship that it’s promoted as in the accompanying blurb. Sure, at one level, it does what you might expect from the glut of royal rehabilitation stories we’ve seen on TV and film. It has some great one-liners, gives us a roll call of colourfully eccentric or over-privileged people to laugh at… and there are actual corgis.
1 - 5 of 5
Save up to 56% on BACKSTAIRS BILLY, Starring Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 9, 2024
by Aliya Al-Hassan - January 9, 2024
Tickets from just £15 for Backstairs Billy-saving up to 56%!
Boxing Day Sale: Tickets From £25 for BACKSTAIRS BILLY
by Aliya Al-Hassan - December 29, 2023
by Aliya Al-Hassan - December 29, 2023
Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, Ever Decreasing Circles) and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast, Nine Perfect Strangers) star in Marcelo Dos Santos’ hilarious new comedy Backstairs Billy, directed by Tony and Olivier award-winning director Michael Grandage.
Show Of The Week: Tickets from £30 for BACKSTAIRS BILLY, Starring Luke Evans and Penelope Wilton
by Aliya Al-Hassan - November 27, 2023
by Aliya Al-Hassan - November 27, 2023
Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey, Ever Decreasing Circles) and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast, Nine Perfect Strangers) star in Marcelo Dos Santos’ hilarious new comedy Backstairs Billy, directed by Tony and Olivier award-winning director Michael Grandage.
Review: BACKSTAIRS BILLY, Duke of York's Theatre
by Laura Jones - November 8, 2023
by Laura Jones - November 8, 2023
As the curtain rises, we’re met with a sea of pink – pink damask walls and heavy pink velvet curtains, with pink and white flowers adorning every available surface. This is the Garden Room at Clarence House (brilliantly designed by Christopher Oram), and the year is 1979.
Review Roundup: BACKSTAIRS BILLY, Starring Penelope Wilton and Luke Evans
by Nicole Rosky - November 8, 2023
by Nicole Rosky - November 8, 2023
Michael Grandage Company just celebrated opening night of Marcelo Dos Santos’ new comedy Backstairs Billy which looks at a pivotal moment in the 50 year relationship between the Queen Mother and her loyal servant William “Billy” Tallon. Michael Grandage directs Penelope Wilton as the Queen Mother and Luke Evans as Billy.
Backstairs Billy FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long has Backstairs Billy been running on the West End?
Backstairs Billy opened at the Duke of York's Theatre on Tuesday Nov 07, 2023 and has now been running for 2 months.
Backstairs Billy History
Other Productions of Backstairs Billy
| 2023 | West End |
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