"Billy Elliot : The Musical" announces casting Update.

"Billy Elliot : The Musical" announces casting Update.

Billy Elliot : The Musical which has its stage premiere at the Victoria Palace in May 2004, following previews from 24 March 2004 has announced its cast.

The cast is: Haydn Gwyyn (Mrs Wilkinson), Tim Healey (Dad), Anne Rogers (Grandma), Joe Caffrey (Tony), Steve Elias (Mr Braithwaite), Trevor Fox (George), Stephanie Putson (Mum). As previously announced Billy will be performed by James Lomas (14) from Sheffield, George Maguire (13) from Essex and Liam Mower (12) from Hull, who will alternate playing the title role during the run. Joining them will be Tyneside born Brooke Havana Bailey, Emma Hudson and Lucy Stephenson, playing Debbie - Mrs Wilkinson's daughter, and Brad Kavanagh from Cumbria, Ashley Lloyd from Blackpool and Ryan Longbottom from Dewsbury, playing Michael - Billy's best friend.

The Company also includes Daniel Coll, Erica Ann Deakin, Alex Delamere, Damien Delaney, Susan Fay, Alan Forrester, Isaac James, Gillian Kirkpatrick, Chris Lennon, David Massey, Michelle McAvoy, Karl Morgan, Daniel Page, Steve Paget, Lee Proud, Mike Scott, Phil Snowden and Tessa Worsley.

Billy Elliot : The Musical is produced by Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan co-Chairmen of Working Title Films and theatre impresario Sally Greene, from Old Vic Productions along with Jon Finn.

The show has Book & Lyrics by Lee Hall & Music by Elton John. It is directed by Stephen Daldry, designed by Ian MacNeil, costumes by Sue Blane and choreography by Peter Darling .

Billy Elliot is the story of a boy from a humble Tyneside background, whose mother is dead, and whose father and brother are caught up in the bitterly fought community-splitting miner's strike of 1984. Billy's father wants his son to learn to box, like him and his father before him. But instead Billy becomes fascinated by the grace and magic of ballet. BILLY ELLIOT is about Billy's gritty and determined struggle, at first in secret, but then with the wholehearted backing of his family, to dance his way to the brightest of futures by winning a place at the Royal Ballet School.

Joe Caffrey will play Billy's brother, Tony. Having grown up in the North East into a mining family, in 1984-85 Joe Caffrey performed as a member of a capella band, The Workey Ticket helping to raise money for the striking miners and their families. After training at LAMDA he went on to perform on stage in Lee Hall's Cooking with Elvis at the Whitehall Theatre and on tour as well as Studs for Hull Truck, Trouble Under Foot for Northern Stage, and Births, Marriages and Deaths for the Nuffield, Southampton. His television credits include Catherine Cookson's Colour Blind, Soldier Soldier and The Last Musketeer. His film work includes Working Title's Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason.

Steve Elias will play Mr Braithwaite, the Ballet School Pianist. His theatre work includes The Pirates of Penzance and Peter Pan both at the Savoy Theatre, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, La Cava, The Pyjama Game, The Goodbye Girl and Scrooge all in the West End and Out of this World, Just So and The Master and Margarita for the Chichester Festival Theatre. As a choreographer his credits include Dr Faustus and Oliver! for the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Trevor Fox will play Boxing Coach, George. For Live Theatre in Newcastle his work has included Lee Hall's Cooking with Elvis, Close the Coalhouse Door, Oh What a Lovely War, Double Lives and Twelve Tales of Tyneside. His other theatre work includes All Credit to the Lads for Sheffield Theatres, Bones for Hampstead Theatre and The Cherry Orchard for the Oxford Stage Company. His television work includes Our Friends in the North, The Student Prince, Pie in the Sky, Crocodile Shoes and most recently, The Walk. His film credits include Billy Elliot, Gabriel and Me and The One and Only.

Haydn Gwynn plays Billy's Dance Teacher, Mrs Wilkinson. Her theatre work includes Peer Gynt, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Cabinet Minister and Bluebird of Unhappiness for the Manchester Royal Exchange, Hedda Gabler for Bolton Octagon and The Memory of Water for Hampstead Theatre. As well as playing Alex in Channel 4's Drop the Dead Donkey, her television work includes Absolute Power, After the War and Midsommer Murders. On film her work includes These Foolish Things and Remember Me.

Tim Healey plays Billy's Dad. His theatre work includes Peter Pan at the Theatre Royal Newcastle, Art at Wyndhams Theatre, Twelve Angry Young Men at the Comedy Theatre and Shooting the Legend and Going Home for Theatre Royal Newcastle. On television he is best known for playing Dennis Patterson in Auf Wiedersehen Pet as well as leading roles in Mit, Common as Muck, The Grand, Dead Man Weds and When the Boat Comes In. His film work includes Remains of the Day, The Lost World, The Egg, School for Seduction and Flea Bites.

Stephanie Putson plays Billy's late Mother. Her theatre work includes Sally Bowles in Cabaret for Derby Playhouse, Sonia in They're Playing Our Song for Northampton Theatre Royal, Katherine in Martin Guerre at London's Prince Edward Theatre and Me Myself I at The Orange Tree, Richmond. Her television work includes Our Friends in the North and Playing the Field. Her film credits include King Arthur.

Anne Rogers plays Billy's Grandma. Ann Rogers made her stage debut at the age of 15 as Snow White and was subsequently cast as Polly Browne in the original cast of The Boyfriend at Wyndhams Theatre. She then went on to play Eliza in My Fair Lady in Hollywood and Chicago. On returning to London she re-created the role of Eliza at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Her other stage work includes 42nd Street, I Do, I Do, No No Nanette, She Loves Me and A Street Car Named Desire. Most recently she played Jessie Matthews in Over My Shoulder which toured the UK before a West End run. Her television credits include Birds on the Wing and Song of Songs both for the BBC and Elizabeth The Queen in which she co-starred with Charlton Heston.