Billy Elliot Dances Up Storm
The Age
Saturday November 15, 2008
A MONTH before it opens in Melbourne, ballet-boy Billy Elliot has started dancing down Broadway.
New York's red carpet premiere of Billy Elliot the Musical drew film stars including Ben Stiller, Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz.The creative team of musician Elton John, director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) and writer Lee Hall has remained in place since Billy Elliot the Musical made its debut in London's West End in 2005. All three turned out in New York to support the musical version of the award-winning 2000 film."The show is about hardship and about the beauty that can come from hardship," Sir Elton told The Age, as the US reels from the impact of the credit crisis and soaring unemployment."There's a universality to the story that people react to. Especially in the times we're in at the moment."The film and musical, which follow the same story but differ in focus and narrative structure, are set during the British miners' strike of the mid-1980s. Poverty becomes commonplace as pit villages protest against mine closures and job losses. During the upheaval, Billy Elliot falls in love with dance and embarks on a journey to the stage.Hall, writer of the film and the musical, said the times suited a production about an era of difficulty."It's strange that we're opening right now at this time," he said. "I look at the musical differently because of it."The Sydney production joined Mamma Mia and The Lion King as the only musicals to run for a year in the city over the past decade.It won seven Helpmann Awards this year, including Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Daldry in association with Julian Webber), Best Choreography in a Musical (Peter Darling), Best Music Direction (Stephen Amos) and Best Actor in a Musical for the four boys who shared the title role.Preview performances of Billy Elliot the Musical begin in Melbourne at Her Majesty Theatre on December 13. The premiere is to be held on New Year's Eve.
© 2008 The Age
Share This