The London production of Billy Elliot the Musical turns 4 on 12 May, an impressive landmark for a show that has fast become a global phenomenon. The show’s birthday, which will also mark the show’s 1700th performance at the Victoria Palace will be celebrated with an influx of new kids, including twelve year old Oliver Gardner who will become the 32nd boy to take on the title role, joining Tanner Pflueger, Brad Wilson, Tom Holland and Fox Jackson-Keen.
Billy Elliot’s milestone will give the show’s team an opportunity to look at the astonishing achievements of the past and also to look to a very bright future. Billy Elliot’s extraordinary performance at the 2006 Olivier Awards, where it won four of its nine nominations is set to be reapeated around the world. The award for Best Actor in a Musical was presented to original Billys James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the first time it had been given in a shared capacity. Last year, this was mirrored at the Australian Helpmann Awards when the four Sydney Billys were granted the same honour.
The Broadway production was heralded with huge fanfare when it opened last summer and was an instant success. With rave reviews and sky high ticket sales (it is currently the third highest selling Broadway show behind Wicked and West Side Story), the Imperial Theatre production has been nominated for an astounding fifteen Tony Awards, a feat only achieved once before by The Producers in 2001. Broadway Billys Kirl Kulish, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik (the first Billy to perform in two productions, after making his debut in London) are favourites to jointly take home the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
The spread of Billy Elliot is far from over. The show’s inevitable Tonys success is sure to drive more cities to stage their own productions (shows in Germany and France are already rumoured), and will probably result in a US national tour to accompany the Broadway show. Billy Elliot is also rumoured to be making a return to the big screen, as Elton John and producer Eric Fellner have both said that a musical movie project is currently being discussed.
