Get to know the famous Billy actors in 'Billy Elliot the Musical'

The hit show, which returns to the West End in 2027, has starred numerous incredible performers, including Layton Williams and Tom Holland.

Summary

• Billy Elliot the Musical is returning to the West End
• The 2027 production stars Noah Mannion, Rafferty Smale, Spencer Collins, and William Gurney as Billy
• Previous talented actors in the lead role include Liam Mower, Layton Williams and Tom Holland

The electrifying Billy Elliot the Musical is returning to the West End in 2027, and this great British show promises to be another wonderful showcase for actors. The cast of the new run features Annette McLaughlin, Deka Walmsley, Jack Bandeira, and Lesley Joseph, not to mention all the amazing young performers – including, as Billy, the rotating quartet of Noah Mannion, Rafferty Smale, Spencer Collins, and William Gurney.

This wonderful Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical, written by Lee Hall and Elton John, already has a storied history when it comes to casting – particularly for that crucial lead role of Billy, played by Jamie Bell in the movie, and numerous incredible performers on stage. Get to know some of them ahead of planning your Billy Elliot trip.

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Liam Mower, James Lomas, George Maguire

This talented trio were the original Billys in the West End, premiering the lead role at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 2005. Together they made history, winning the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Lomas went on to appear in shows like Dirty Dancing, Starlight Express, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, while Maguire did TV shows like Renaissance and Moving Wallpaper.

Mower became a regular collaborator of Matthew Bourne’s and has performed in multiple New Adventures productions, including The Midnight Bell, Edward Scissorhands, Sleeping Beauty, The Red Shoes, and Swan Lake. He is also bringing his Billy Elliot journey full circle: he will play Older Billy in this West End revival.

Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik

Three more amazing performers stepped (and turned, and leapt!) into that lead role for the Broadway premiere at the Imperial Theatre in 2008. Like their British predecessors, together they won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, becoming the youngest ever winners of the award.

Kulish is also a decorated ballroom dancer, winning titles in the Latin division, and went on to do stage shows like Baz – A Musical Tour de Force in Las Vegas, as well as TV show Dancing with the Stars. Kowalik was an Irish dancing champion, and became a music producer. Alvarez appeared in Broadway shows like On the Town, TV series Étoile, and won acclaim for playing Bernardo in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story movie.

Layton Williams

The West End saw numerous impressive replacement Billys over its run, many of whom have gone on to have interesting careers, including Leon Cooke (Mamma Mia!, Miss Saigon), Matthew Koon (First Soloist with Northern Ballet), and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones, 1917).

But arguably the most exciting one for musical theatre fans is a certain Layton Williams, who made his Billy Elliot debut in 2007. He has, of course, since enjoyed huge success on stage and screen, including in Bad Education, Strictly Come Dancing, Cabaret, RENT, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Titanique, and, lately reprised his role as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Tom Holland

Yes, that’s right: Spider-Man himself got his start in Billy Elliot! Holland was spotted performing with his hip-hop dance school and did two years of training in ballet, tap, and acrobatics to prepare for the role, making his West End debut as Billy in 2008.

Holland has since taken Hollywood by storm, starring in movies such as the Spider-Man and Avengers films, playing the teenage superhero webslinger, plus The Impossible, The Lost City of Z, The Current War, The Devil All the Time, Cherry, Unchartered, and The Odyssey. Coming up, he will play Fred Astaire in a major new biopic – once again putting his Billy dance skills to good use.

Inset photo credit: Liam Mower, Trent Kowalik, Layton Williams, Tom Holland in Billy Elliot the Musical (Photos by Alastair Muir)