Learn all about the history of 'Billy Elliot the Musical'

As the iconic British musical returns to the West End, find out about past productions and stars who have appeared in the show.

Summary

• Billy Elliot the Musical is returning to the West End
• The show features a book by Lee Hall and music by Elton John
• It's based on the 2000 movie about a young boy who dreams of ballet
• Billy Elliot the Musical has nurtured talent including Layton Williams and Tom Holland

Get ready to boogie: Billy Elliot the Musical is returning to the West End in 2027! The revival production at the Adelphi Theatre is part of a national tour, and is the first time we’ve seen the beloved show in London for over 10 years.

Based on the Bafta-winning movie, Billy Elliot became just as critically acclaimed on stage, winning five Olivier Awards and 10 Tony Awards. Featuring book and lyrics by Lee Hall and stirring songs by Elton John, including the unforgettable “Electricity”, it’s an enormous British success story, and its message of following your heart remains just as potent.

Ahead of the show’s West End return, get to know its impressive history, including the star names who have graced the cast.

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What is Billy Elliot the Musical about?

Just like the film, the story centres on the 11-year-old titular character, who is living in County Durham in 1984 with his widowed father Jackie, older brother Tony, and his paternal grandmother. Billy is meant to be learning boxing, but he stumbles into a ballet class run by Sandra Wilkinson and he falls in love with it.

Billy takes dance lessons, concealing it from his dad and brother – who are distracted by the onset of the miners’ strike. Mrs Wilkinson convinces Billy to audition for the Royal Ballet School, and Billy uses a letter from his late mother as inspiration for his audition dance. Billy also supports his best friend Michael in his queer journey. However, both the dangerous strike and Billy’s father’s opposition mean that it’s a tough battle to eventually realise his ballet dreams.

The original production of Billy Elliot

Creator Lee Hall had actually envisioned Billy Elliot as a stage show. His first piece, Dancer, had a rehearsed reading at Newcastle’s Live Theatre in 1998. He approached director Stephen Daldry, who was then working at the Royal Court, and the project eventually became a movie.

That meant Billy Elliot was essentially going back to its roots when it was adapted into a stage musical in 2005, again directed by Daldry. The show premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in the West End, and ran for an astonishing 4,600 performances, until 2016, when the venue closed for refurbishment.

Billy Elliot won four Olivier Awards in 2006: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to the three young performers who shared the role of Billy), and awards for Peter Darling’s choreography and Paul Arditti’s sound design.

Billy Elliot around the world

Billy Elliot had its Broadway premiere at the Imperial Theatre in 2008. It was ecstatically received, and was nominated for 16 Tony Awards in 2009, winning 10, including Best Musical, Best Actor, Best Direction, and Best Book.

The show has played in numerous countries around the world, including Australia, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and South Korea, proving that its inspiring story, songs and of course dancing are universal.

The musical also had an ambitious new UK production in 2022 at the Leicester Curve, directed by Nikolai Foster and featuring choreography by Lucy Hind. The cast was led by Leo Hollingsworth, Alfie Napolitano, Samuel Newby and Jaden Shentall-Lee, alternating as Billy, and West End leading lady Sally Ann Triplett as Mrs Wilkinson.

The stars of Billy Elliot

From the very beginning, Billy Elliot has been an incredible work through which to nurture talent. The 2000 film starred Julie Walters as teacher Mrs Wilkinson alongside newcomer Jamie Bell as Billy. The latter was found after extensive auditions, with thousands of boys vying for the role, and he won a Bafta for his wonderful portrayal. Bell has since gone on to have a stellar career, appearing in projects like Rocketman, All of Us Strangers, and, coming up, a new Peaky Blinders film.

The original West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical starred three young performers alternating as Billy: Liam Mower, James Lomas, and George Maguire. Mower has continued to exhibit his dancing and acting prowess in Matthew Bourne productions such as Swan Lake and The Car Man. The original cast also featured the wonderful actress Haydn Gwynne as Mrs Wilkinson.

Other young talent who came through Billy Elliot includes, as a replacement for Billy, Layton Williams, who has since starred in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Cabaret, won an Olivier Award for Titanique, and will soon be seen as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium. Another Billy replacement was Tom Holland, now a Hollywood A-lister as Spider-Man on the big screen.

There were several notable replacements for Mrs Wilkinson too, including Ruthie Henshall, Joanna Riding, Gillian Bevan, and Jackie Clune. Mia McKenna-Bruce, who appeared in the cast as one of the girls in the ballet class, has since become a screen star thanks to Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, The Lady, and the upcoming Beatles films.

Over on Broadway, brilliant talent who came through Billy Elliot includes David Alvarez (Steven Spielberg’s remake of movie West Side Story) and Holly Taylor (TV show The Americans).

What to expect from Billy Elliot the Musical

This exciting revival at the Adelphi Theatre reunites the creative team of this enduring masterpiece, including director Stephen Daldry, choreographer Peter Darling, set designer Ian MacNeil, costume designer Nicky Gillibrand, lighting designer Rick Fisher, sound designer Paul Arditti, and orchestrator Martin Koch.

Daldry and composer Elton John said that creating the show was “one of the most joyous and inspiring moments of our careers, so to bring the show back for a UK tour and a season in the West End for the first time in over a decade is both incredibly emotional and exciting. It’s bold, it’s British, it’s full of heart and the story feels more relevant than ever. We can’t wait for a whole new generation to experience it!”

It will also be thrilling to see a new generation of young talent in the cast, particularly in the star-making role of Billy, alongside brilliant established actors. Watch this space for casting news soon!

Book Billy Elliot the Musical tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Past production imagery of Billy Elliot the Musical, including Tom Holland as Billy (Photos by Alastair Muir)