The cast of Billy Elliot (2018-19). Photo by Trudie Lee.

Overview

This Tony Award-winning musical is an inspiring and moving tale about the importance of following your heart. Set in working-class England, young Billy dreams of trading in his boxing gloves for ballet slippers, but his widowed father cannot understand his passion. A celebration of Calgary’s local talent, this rendition of Billy Elliot The Musical will be choreographed by former Alberta Ballet principal dancer Yukichi Hattori, helmed by Artistic Director Stafford Arima, and will feature the best and brightest of Calgary’s professional theatre and dance community.

  • Orchestrations by
    Martin Koch
  • Executive Producers (Original Production)
    Angela Morrison, David Furnish
  • Producers (Original Production)
    Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Sally Greene
  • Originally presented in
    London by Universal Pictures Stage Productions,
Originally presented in London by Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Tiger Aspect Based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal Film.

Gallery

Billy Elliot
Rhett
The cast of Billy Elliot the Musical (2018-2019)

Photo by Trudie Lee

The cast of Billy Elliot the Musical (2018-1019)

Trudie Lee

The Context

Billy Elliot the Musical takes place during the real-life yearlong miner's strike that severely affected thousands of workers and shaped British history. The strike ran from March 6th, 1984 to March 3rd, 1985 and Stephen Daldry, the director of Billy Elliot the Movie, is stated as saying, "It's not possible to exaggerate how close Britain came to civil war." The strike had been building for years as coal became less profitable, unemployment rose dramatically, and the government was looking for ways to privatize most of British industry. The British mining industry was a strong and powerful force in the UK for the first half of the 20th century. It was established in 1888 and became The National Union of MIneworkers (NUM) in 1945, with a total labor force of 250,000 people. Since 1947, the coal industry was owned and operated by the government and the miners felt that they were an essential part of keeping the country running.

Billy Elliot The Musical is pure magic. This heartfelt and undeniably entertaining musical, by music legend Elton John, makes me laugh, cry, and beam with joy. Billy is a courageous young boy who takes a leap of faith and, against all odds, defies expectations. This tale is a compelling reminder to live one’s dream and be proud of who you are!
Stafford Arima, Director
Stafford Arima has cast this production entirely with Calgary performers and they do him proud.
Calgary Herald
A triumph of pure musical theatre magic.
Calgary Herald

Cast and Creative Team

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