With less than one month to go until opening night, the cast and crew of the upcoming production “Billy Elliot” is hard at work preparing for what will be the start of a nation wide tour hitting Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. In preparation for this we were invited by the production company to sit in on on a rehearsal with the full cast, performing a selection of numbers from the show, featuring each of the four Billy’s.
“Shine” featuring Wade Neilsen and the marvellous Kelly Abbey as the tough-love ballet teacher Mrs Wilkinson and the talented ballet girls introduce the wary Billy to the joys of ballet, “Express” with Omar Abiad and Oscar Mulcahy as the hilariously charismatic best friend Michael presenting the wonderful comedic flair the show entails, “Angry” in which River Mardesic displayed his passion and energy (see short clip below), and “Solidarity” with Jamie Rogers and the adult cast in full force.
Needless to say these numbers were all astonishing and left most of the media in attendance standing. Each of the four lead boys gave a unique flair and personality to the role that it promises already to offer a unique experience no matter which one you are fortunate to see. Even as a taste of what is to come, we are all brimming with excitement to see the final product on the stage, with the company commencing a full theatre bump in over the next week.
After last seeing the young Billy Elliott perform initially at their casting announcement, it is a wonder to to see them develop in their ability and characters. They all set to be bubbling with excitement and anticipation for their debut on the Australian stage.
While attending the rehearsal I was given the chance to speak with a few of the principle cast and crew to gain an insight into the productions development and their own relation with the show.
Justin Smith, Billy’s Dad, and Drew Livingston, Billy’s older brother Tony, found much delight discussing the the growing connections they are finding with their role, especially considering Justin Smith portrayed Tony in the original Australian tour of Billy Elliot. “I’ve been a great help to Drew.” Justin joked as Drew answered with laughter. Acknowledging the change of the show over the years he compared it to wearing “… an old shoe”, to which Drew quipped back instantly, “That some body else is wearing.” Both actors were open to their personal connection with the shows story. “As a parent, like Drew and I are both parents… to that whole idea of individuality and embracing that and, you know it’s 2019 but it still feels like it’s a lesson that we need learn.” Drew also was able to look at the show as someone who, as he states, “I didn’t necessarily grow up a dancer or you know, I feel like it’s my story as much as anyone else’s.”
With the pleasure to speak with astonishingly talented Kelly Abbey, I had the opportunity to learn her own perceptions and relation to her new role as Mrs Wilkinson. “It’s a perfect fit for me, because I am playing a mentor and a dance teacher,” She began. “It’s exactly my life because I do mentor young dancers… And think one of the most thrilling things about being a choreographer and a creator, and a teacher working with dancers is to be a part of their transformation.” In discussing the development of the four main boys as the lead role, she was able express that the show is in some way “…actually art imitating life. It’s wonderful to watch the boys rehearsing and going through this process and becoming more than what they think that they can do.” As we finished our conversation she happily elaborated that to her the main theme of the musical is about “… being your authentic self.” and “being who you truly are.” Continuing to then enforce the continually relevant and popular sentiment that “… boys do dance too. And we should be able to do whatever we like, and we should be able to express ourselves, and i think the bravest thing that anyone can do in the world is truly be themselves.”
In order to learn about the complete development of the show I spoke with some of the key creative teams in this production. Tom Hodgson, Associate Choreographer, who I spoke to four months ago at the initial “Billy Elliot” cast announcement, spoke of the rehearsal process surrounding the four leads as relieving; “It’s when you finally start to see it come together, and all that hard work, and all that training begins to pay off, it’s very rewarding.”
The Australian Producer Louise Withers, who has worked on “Billy Elliot” five times in the different countries, took no time in stating that, “watching the progress of the cast coming together, in particular the boys, but also the adults, is actually the thing that moves me the most.” She further went on to explain that she does “.. find it very emotional actually, because you’re watching kids who have come from often no performance background, or mainly only ballet classes or tap classes, to becoming all round performers working in an adult environment in a very grown up show, and also learning about the context of that show.
I spoke finally to the Associate Director, Simon Pollard, who has worked continuously worked on “Billy Elliot” from its original UK tour, to taking the production across four four foreign countries before coming back to head up this new Australian tour. “You know it’s, it is familiar to me, I know the show inside out,” Mr Pollard told me as I asked him about his experience and expertise in this production in foreign countries, though he is aware that with every new show, there are changes. “But of course, every time you come to the show you’re bringing completely new people into it, and I think what’s brilliant about the process is, of course, my job is to uh, honour Stephen Daldry’s original production, the original direction, but within that there is certainly a frame work for freedom.” With the new set developments that have been made to allow the show to travel to other major cities in Australia for the first time, Mr Pollard was passionate about the creative process of taking what has been used in original performances and to what has been carried over into this new iteration. “We’ve discovered things in different productions along the way that we felt, oh yea we want to keep this. I’t almost like this is the greatest hits version of the show, we’re bringing the different bits of set that we liked from different versions, and no I definitely believe this is um, this is the best version of the show now.”
With the first performance fast approaching on October 10 at the Sydney Lyric theatre, the entire cast and crew of “Billy Elliot” continue to work to bring the greatest possible show to Australian audiences, delivering a fresh new on the story whilst still holding true to the original vision of Elton John and Stephen Daldry that began this shows long lasting legacy across the world. And while what has been seen in the rehearsal room is amazing in its own right, we must wait to see how the full performance will stand up to expectation and wether it promises to stun audiences nation wide.
Oliver Morassut, Theatre Now
Photography & Videography: Lindsay Kearney, Lightbox Photography
Web: www.lightboxphotography.com.au
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10 Oct – 9 Dec 2019
Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Ticket Prices:
Standard $79 – $224
plus booking fee
Wed 7pm
Thur – Sat 7:30pm
Sun 6:30pm
Matinees: Wed & Sat 1pm, Sun 2pm
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Sally Greene, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel & Linda Bewick
Executive Producers: Angela Morrison and David Furnish
Executive Producer Australia: Philippa Gowen
By 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
Featuring music by the legendary Elton John, Billy Elliot the Musical is an extraordinary theatrical experience that has captivated audiences around the world. Seen by over 12 million people worldwide and acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Billy Elliot is the recipient of over 85 awards internationally.
Following its spectacular first tour in Australia, the 10th Anniversary Tour of Billy Elliot arrives in Sydney this October for a strictly limited 10 week season. Billy is directed by the award-winning Stephen Daldry, with book and lyrics by Lee Hall and choreography by Peter Darling.
Set in a northern town during the miners’ strike of 1984/5, the show follows Billy’s journey from boxing ring to ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that unites his family, inspires his community and changes his life forever.
