Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot: The Musical is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984–85 UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North East England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.
| Billy Elliot | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
West End promotional poster | |
| Music | Elton John |
| Lyrics | Lee Hall |
| Book | Lee Hall |
| Basis | Film Billy Elliot by Lee Hall |
| Premiere | 31 March 2005: Victoria Palace Theatre, London |
| Productions | 2005 West End 2008 Broadway 2010 North America tour 2010 US tour 2011 North America tour 2016 UK tour |
| Awards | Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music |
The musical premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four, including Best New Musical. The production ran through April 2016. Its success led to productions in Australia, Broadway, and numerous other countries. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, Best Musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.
A live recording of the musical was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the UK.