- Liane Morris
Be Yourself & Chase Your Dreams | Billy Elliot
It’s inspirational, electrifying and uplifting. It’s about making your dreams come true, even in the face of the greatest obstacles. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry, and it’s one of the world’s most popular theatrical productions. Billy Elliot the Musical hits the Civic Theatre stage this October for the very first time. Featuring the iconic music of Elton John, more than 12 million people across five different continents have fallen in love with this masterpiece. Bring the whole family – ballet shoes and tutus are optional!
Billy Elliot The Musical was a West End and Broadway phenomenon, charming audiences and critics alike, with the New York Post declaring it “THE BEST SHOW YOU WILL EVER SEE!”. It’s a coming-of-age story of Billy, a motherless boy who begins taking ballet lessons only to discover an entirely new world awaiting him.
Set in a northern English town during the miners’ strike of 1984/5, the show follows Billy’s journey from boxing ring to ballet class, where he uncovers a passion for dance which unites his family, inspires his community and changes his life forever. Created by the award-winning team behind the smash hit film, it is an extraordinary theatrical experience.
Billy Elliot The Musical will make its Newcastle debut at the magnificent Civic Theatre on 7 October, brought to town by the producers of 2022’s musical theatre event of the year, Jersey Boys. The Very Popular Theatre Company is one of only four companies granted a licence to stage this show outside of an Australian capital city.
Executive and Artistic Director of The Very Popular Theatre Company, Daniel Stoddart, believes that Newcastle is the perfect location to stage the production.
“Newcastle, Australia, has a rich history rooted in its working-class heritage, making it a fitting backdrop for the themes portrayed in Billy Elliot the Musical,” said Daniel. “Like the fictional town of County Durham depicted in the production, Newcastle was a hub of industrial activity, particularly in coal mining and our BHP steelworks. The struggles, dreams, and aspirations of the working-class community depicted in the musical parallel those of us who grew up here in Newcastle.
“The fierce sense of community and resilience among the working-class residents of Newcastle more than mirrors the story of Billy Elliot. Both the musical and the city celebrate the values of hard work, determination, and the pursuit of dreams despite challenging circumstances. The characters' experiences resonate with Newcastle, which now, as a city, needs to adapt to a changing world.”
Billy Elliot the Musical is directed by Anna Kerrigan, Artistic Director of Aspire and children’s theatre specialist who has worked with Australian Theatre for Young People, Barking Gecko Youth Theatre Company, Tantrum Theatre Company, and many others.
“I was attracted to Billy Elliot the Musical because it’s a beautiful story,” said Anna.
“I’m not a big fan of musicals in general, but this one feels more like a play with songs, and every song develops the story. It’s also great to be working with adults again, as most of my work is with children, although I always say that kids are the best collaborators because they’re unpretentious, honest and direct.
“I’m in awe of The Very Popular Theatre Company. The standard is extremely high quality. It’s a testament to their great reputation that they managed to get the rights to produce the show. There are stringent guidelines around this production, particularly when it comes to the choreography.”
Anna’s directing style is one of collaboration between performers and other creatives.
“I don’t always tell actors what to do,” said Anna.
“I like to see what each actor brings. I set the stage and let them move, they inform how the scene looks, and then I shape it. You know, there are 12 ballet girls on the stage, and frankly, they are the subject matter experts in this story. Everything we do has to serve the story, lighting, sound, set, actors, dancers, everything.
“The story is still very relevant today. Boys are still called names if they do anything creative. And life is tough for people right now with a cost-of-living crisis, just as it is in this story. It’s a bleak backdrop, but it delivers a marvellous sense of community and support for each other. We want our young people to have a better life than us, and one of my favourite themes of the show is that of men setting aside their long-held beliefs to support a young person's dreams become a reality.
“People should also know that the show differs from the movie – there are songs for a start! There are also extra characters who bring some comic relief, but it is an emotional story, and I advise everyone to bring their tissues. It delivers a beautiful, uplifting message and is a great show to introduce to people who don’t usually go to theatre or musicals. Perfect for families with kids aged ten and over.”
A stellar cast has been assembled, including Australian Musical Theatre leading light, Chloe Dallimore, as the dance teacher, Mrs Wilkinson, starring alongside a host of Newcastle Theatre luminaries, including Danny Folpp as Dad (Shrek the Musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), Marty Worrall as George (Company, Airness, Tick, Tick…Boom!) and Felicity Biggins as Grandma (Endgame, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma!).
Up-and-coming triple threats Lewis Nicholson and Fergus Paterson have been double-cast in the titular role of Billy Elliot, with Conway Oakhill-Saarenpaa and Charlie Murphy playing Billy’s best friend, Michael. Charlie recently starred on the West End as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins.
Showcasing the very best of dance and drama on offer in Newcastle, The Very Popular Theatre Company is collaborating with the National College of Dance to train the four young leads.
The collaboration between The Very Popular Theatre Company and the National College of Dance is extremely rare in the industry and is exciting for everyone involved.
Vicki Morgan, CEO of National College of Dance, believes that the collaboration is a way to show support for boys in dance.
“It’s a lovely story with great connections to Newcastle,” said Vicki.
“It’s a massive show with different styles and levels of dance required. The Billys and Michaels have rehearsed and trained with us since February. Our Artistic Director, Brett Morgan and our Creative Director, Jake Burden, have both been working hard on it, and I suspect that’s because it parallels their own stories.”
“I can relate personally to the Billy Elliot story,” said Brett Morgan.
“As a young boy, I went to an all-boys school in Sydney’s west and out of 1500 students, I was the only boy doing ballet. I had to prove myself - similar to Billy Elliot. I auditioned for the Australian Ballet School, and fortunately, I got in and went on to have a professional career that spanned over 40 years.
“I love working on the show because it is such a feel-good story and because I love passing on knowledge to the young dancers, but possibly the most important thing is to help raise the profile of male dancers and to give confidence to a young man somewhere to help him realise it is possible to have a wonderful life and career being a male dancer.”
The leading role of Billy Elliot is shared between Lewis Nicholson, aged 13 and Fergus Paterson, aged 14. Both boys refer to rehearsals and training at the National College of Dance as “Billy School” and have committed as much as 25 hours per week to learn their craft.
Fergus dreams of becoming Australia’s next Hugh Jackman. “I always loved dancing and singing,” said Fergus.
“And when I saw Hugh Jackman live in 2019, I knew I wanted to be a performer. I go to as many live shows and musicals as I can. I started dancing and drama at about seven and did my first musical at eight years old. I have now done over ten musicals and primarily perform with Gosford Musical Society. I currently dance four days a week and have weekly singing lessons. For Billy Elliot, we started intensive dance training in February, and from July, we’ve begun full cast rehearsals.
Young Lewis is more ballet focused in his ambitions.
“My life ambition is to be a professional ballet dancer performing with dance companies around the world,” said Lewis.
“I started dance lessons four years ago, doing ballet, jazz and contemporary. In the last couple of years, I have been introduced to more theatre-based productions through my school. My week is pretty full-on with about 25 hours of rehearsal and dance training time.”
The boys have developed a close relationship during the course of their training and rehearsals.
“Lewis and I have become close during this process; we get along really well and love to share our ideas about developing the character. It’s a lot of work, so it’s great to have someone always there to talk to,” said Fergus.
Both boys talk about the importance of the show's message and agree that being yourself and chasing your dreams is a core takeaway. “The heartfelt story is the best bit about the show,” said Lewis.
“It is also fantastic seeing boys proudly perform and help break down society stereotypes.”
Every member of the cast and creative team has nothing but admiration for the two boys and the hard work that they’ve had to put in to prepare.
Chloe Dallimore, Helpmann Award-winning, well-known star of professional musical theatre productions such as The Producers - The New Mel Brooks Musical, The Addams Family, Gypsy and many others, including the original professional production of Billy Elliot the Musical, where she was the Deputy Associate Choreographer, feels privileged to be involved in this production, taking on the role of Mrs Wilkinson.
“The kids are working so hard; it’s really all about the kids,” said Chloe.
“It’s been inspiring and humbling to be involved. I’ve been so impressed by the extraordinary professional standards; it's next level.”
Chloe’s agent is based in Newcastle and alerted her to the opportunity of being involved in the production.
“I am thrilled to be working on this show. When I worked on the original production, I helped prepare the entire cast for their dancing. A large number of kids were involved with eight performances every week, travelling all over Australia. I also did the Korean production. I’m hoping that my experience in professional theatre inspires the young ones and that I can give back to the future generation of professional performers.”
Chloe’s career has also included a six-year stint as President of the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA), where she was at the forefront of the #metoo movement as it hit the entertainment industry. It made her aware of issues surrounding onstage intimacy, and she now works as an Intimacy Coordinator on television and film sets as well as theatre productions. Her experience in this field has already been put to good use during rehearsals and will no doubt educate the young performers about what is acceptable practice in the industry.
“It’s all about consent and communication,” said Chloe.
“It gives kids agency and stops any potential trauma-inducing activity. Teaching these practices to young performers now will change the face of the industry in years to come.
“Working on this production is a humble reminder of the incredible talent that works in our regional areas. Newcastle (and Adelaide is the other place) are melting pots of amazing performers and shows, and I’m excited to be part of it.”
Newcastle is lucky to have access to such talent and extraordinarily hard-working performers and creatives. Billy Elliot the Musical will play for a strictly limited three-week season at the Civic Theatre from 7 October 2023. Tickets are available from the Civic Theatre ticket office: www.civictheatrenewcastle.com. au or phone 02 4929 1977.
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