Billy Elliot
Produced by Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions

Cast: Genevieve Lemon, Richard Piper, Lola Nixon, Justin Smith, Lochlan Denholm, Rhys Kosakowski, Rarmian Newton, Nick Twiney, Maureen Andrew, Fiona Booker, Kelsi Boyden, Taylor-Rose Campanella, Tony Cogin, Michelle Collins, Grant Dale, Stephen Davison, Colin Dean, Thomas Doherty, Scott Eveleigh, Linal Haft, Landen Hale-Brown, Scott Hili, Glen Hogstrom, Joshua Horner, Shannon Joliff, Caroline Kaspar, Samantha Morley, Leonie Page, Simon Roborgh, Matthew Serafini, Nathan Sheens, Clive Smither, Joel Slater, Gerry Symonds, Matt Trent, Paul Whiteley, Tracey Wilson, David Wynen, John Xintavelonis.

Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall
Music: Elton John
Director: Stephen Daldry

Publicist: JP Bolton

Australian Premiere: Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Thursday, December 13, 2007.


The Lowdown:
Hit international musical that made its debut in Australia ahead of America. The musical opened with a huge buzz in Sydney, and received positive reviews all-round.


AussieTheatre.com Review:
Every now and again, a show comes along that ignites the passion, the excitement and the energy inside an audience member that they felt the first time they fell in love with the theatre.

Billy Elliot is such a show.

This remarkable, extravagant, stunning and near-perfect production is the thing that has been missing from the Australian theatre scene for so long and is the perfect example of a show that would get a first-timer hooked on the art form for life.

There has been some fantastic theatre showcased in Australia in recent years, but none with the pulling power Billy Elliot provides, not only for its own run at the delightful Capitol Theatre but for the immediate future of commercial theatre in this country.

The only problem with Billy Elliot is trying to pick a single highlight.

Is it Billy's (played on opening night by Rhys Kosakowski) show-stopping performance of 'Electricity' in the second act, or Genevieve Lemon's 'Shine' for which she deserves every plaudit going around. What about the finale of 'Solidarity', the hilarious moment when Billy discovers his best friend Michael (played on opening night by Landen Hale-Brown) wearing his sister's clothes, or the beautiful scenes between Billy and his dead mother?

The list goes on, and on, and on.

Praise of course must be thrown upon Kosakowski who, like his fellow Billys I am sure, is nothing short of breathtaking in the title role. However, it would be wrong to not equally recognise some of the other standout performances, including Lemon as Mrs Wilkinson who essentially owns the first act. She is a legend, a true legend, and her performance is very much a five-star effort. Richard Piper's comic timing is superb, while Lola Nixon is hilarious as Grandma, and Justin Smith is utterly fantastic as Tony.

Stephen Daldry's direction is innovative - and that's not a term that should be used lightly - and is greatly assisted by Ian MacNeil's wonderful set design and Peter Darling's strong choreography.

Perhaps Billy Elliot's key to success lies in its ability to walk many paths. As much as it is real and hard-hitting, it is magical and fairytale-like. And while it is set in mid-80's England, a time of struggle and hardship, it manages to create a feeling of richness, one that, as the lyrics of 'Electricity' suggests, you can't control - "I suppose it's like forgetting, losing who you are".

The show's somewhat mainstream "unlikely dancer becomes a star" storyline will please the masses, Elton John's music and Lee Hall's book and lyrics will warm the tastebuds of theatre aficionados and the backdrop of the mining strike of 1984/5 will certainly entertain those looking for something stronger in terms of script content.

Only a fool would spend time pointing out flaws in this show. Sure, there's one or two elements that could be improved, but if theatre's primary goal is to entertain and enchant, Billy Elliot not only takes the gold medal, it's a body length in front of the world record line.


Production Shots:



Further Information:
None Available