Rick Fisher News

The stage continues to mine the movies for product, and sometimes it strikes gold (High Fidelity-although not hugely successful was, for me a better musical than a movie) and sometimes it strikes tin. The hugely acclaimed and multi-awarded BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL falls into the latter category, taking a gloriously fine and moving film and turning it into a bloated, tuneless production that's only saved by the winning performance of its lead (which rotates between four young lads) and some dazzling choreography Unfortunately, it tries too hard to cram into far too many plot elements, clocking in at almost three hours. And, it features a legendary pop tunesmith's worst work to date, leaving its audience with nary a hummable song in its score. It's a real shame because there are absolutely electric moments to be found here and there. But, too often, what worked on the big screen doesn't make the transition to the stage in smooth fashion.

NETworks Presentations, LLC brings the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Philadelphia's Academy of Music from Nov. 16 - 27, part of the Broadway Season, presented by The Kimmel Center and The Shubert Organization.

NETworks Presentations, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical to St. Louis' Fabulous Fox Theatre from November 1-13. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim on Broadway including 10 Tony Awards.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical to St. Louis' Fabulous Fox Theatre from November 1-13. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim on Broadway including 10 Tony Awards.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Julian Elia will join the cast of 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the role of ‘Billy'. Elia, who started his journey in the Toronto production of Billy Elliot, will be the sixteenth ‘Billy' to perform on Broadway. Current ‘Billy,' Giuseppe Bausilio, will play his final performance Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 7:30pm.

On 14 November 2011 Gillian Bevan (Mrs Wilkinson) and Deka Walmsley (Dad) will join the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical along with Ann Emery who returns to the cast to play Grandma, the role she originated on stage at the Victoria Palace in 2005 and played until 2010.

On 14 November 2011 Gillian Bevan (Mrs Wilkinson) and Deka Walmsley (Dad) will join the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical along with Ann Emery who returns to the cast to play Grandma, the role she originated on stage at the Victoria Palace in 2005 and played until 2010. They will be joined by new principal cast members Michael Peavoy (Tony), Sean Kearns (George) and Simon Ray Harvey (Mr. Braithwaite).

NETworks Presentations, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical to St. Louis' Fabulous Fox Theatre from November 1-13. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim on Broadway including 10 Tony Awards.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical, will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at the Imperial Theatre (246 West 45th Street). The show that Time Magazine called 'the best musical of the decade,' Billy Elliot will have played 40 preview and 1,304 regular performances. The production recouped its $18 million investment in only 14 months over 492 performances and on Broadway, the show has been seen by 1,659,867 theatergoers to date. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot began previews Wednesday, October 1 and opened to critical acclaim on November 13, 2008.

NETworks Presentations, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines June 12-17, 2012 as part of the Willis Broadway Series.

On Saturday, September 17th Billy Elliot the Musical will hold its second annual open call for Ballet Girls at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 W 44th St). Sign up begins at 10am. Billy Elliot is on the lookout for dancers with strong tap skills from 8-12 years old to shine as Billy Elliot's Ballet Girls. The production is seeking a variety of shapes and sizes (tiny, chubby, lanky, quirky, etc) with expressive character and lots of personality - not your traditional ballerina.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Myles Erlick and Jack Broderick will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the roles of ‘Billy' and ‘Michael,' respectively. Erlick, a native of Burlington, Ontario, started his journey as one of the original ‘Billys' in the Toronto production of Billy Elliot. He will be the fifteenth ‘Billy' to perform on Broadway. Broderick has previously played the role of ‘Michael' in both the Chicago and Toronto productions of Billy Elliot. Current ‘Michael,' Neil McCaffrey will play his final performance Sunday, September 25 at 7:30pm. And current ‘Billy,' Giuseppe Bausilio will play his final performance on Sunday, October 9 at 7:30 pm.

The producers of BILLY ELLIOT on Broadway announced today that Daniel Jenkins, Katherine McGrath and William Youmans will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the roles of ‘Dad,' ‘Grandma,' and ‘George,' respectively. Current ‘Dad,' Tony winner Gregory Jbara, ‘Grandma,' Tony nominee Carole Shelley and ‘George,' Joel Hatch will play their final performance Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 7:30pm. Jenkins', McGrath, and Youmans' first performance is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00pm.

Billy Elliot the Musical today announced a new performance schedule. Beginning September 5, the show will now play Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday - Sunday at 7:30pm, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm; dark Mondays.

The story of a boy who stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, Billy Elliot is generally regarded as family fare; still, school groups hesitate to choose the show for their students, according to producer Eric Fellner.

On Saturday, September 17th Billy Elliot the Musical will hold its second annual open call for Ballet Girls at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 W 44th St). Sign up begins at 10am. Billy Elliot is on the lookout for dancers with strong tap skills from 8-12 years old to shine as Billy Elliot's Ballet Girls. The production is seeking a variety of shapes and sizes (tiny, chubby, lanky, quirky, etc) with expressive character and lots of personality - not your traditional ballerina.

13 year old Adam Vesperman from Seattle, USA, made his West End stage debut as Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre, becoming the twenty-seventh boy to play the title role in the hit west end show Billy Elliot The Musical.

The producers of BILLY ELLIOT on Broadway announced today that Daniel Jenkins, Katherine McGrath and William Youmans will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the roles of ‘Dad,' ‘Grandma,' and ‘George,' respectively. Current ‘Dad,' Tony winner Gregory Jbara, ‘Grandma,' Tony nominee Carole Shelley and ‘George,' Joel Hatch will play their final performance Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 7:30pm. Jenkins', McGrath, and Youmans' first performance is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00pm.

The winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical (plus nine other Tonys) Billy Elliot the Musical will have you reaching for the ballet barre - or at least reaching out for your own dreams again if you've happened to set them aside. Playing now through September 17th, Billy Elliot is nothing short of amazing.

Billy Elliot the Musical today announced a new performance schedule. Beginning September 5, the show will now play Tuesday at 7pm, Thursday - Sunday at 7:30pm, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm; dark Mondays.