BILLY ELLIOT DANCES OUT OF SYDNEY ON A HIGH
Universal Pictures Stage Entertainment, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions announce that the smash-hit Billy Elliot the Musical will conclude its spectacular Sydney season at The Capitol Theatre on November 9, 2008, where the production will have enjoyed a year-long run.
The Australian production will move to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, where performances will commence in December 2008.
Billy Elliot the Musical, which opened in London in May 2005 to extraordinary reviews, has
broken UK box office records at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The Australian production opened to
equal critical acclaim in December last year and the Broadway production will commence
performances on October 1st this year.
Based on the film of the same name, Billy Elliot the Musical is the gritty, funny and heartwarming
tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds. Set
against the historic British miners’ strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy’s journey as a boy in
a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing
lesson, realises that his future lies not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.
Producer, Eric Fellner said, “We’re incredibly proud of the Australian production and are delighted
with the way Sydney audiences have embraced Billy Elliot which has now been seen by almost
2.2m people worldwide”.
Directed by Stephen Daldry with book and lyrics by Lee Hall, Billy Elliot was developed for the
stage by the same multi-award winning creative team responsible for the film. The score was
composed by music legend Elton John, the most celebrated UK singer songwriter of the last 30
years. Choreography is by Peter Darling with set design by Ian MacNeil, costumes by Nicky
Gillibrand, lighting by Rick Fisher, sound by Paul Arditti and music supervision by Martin Koch.
Univeral Pictures Stage Productions
Universal Pictures Stage Productions is the theatrical production unit of the world famous motion
picture studio. Universal’s stage credits include the acclaimed worldwide productions of Wicked
and Billy Elliot the Musical, and licenced productions including the Tony Award Best Musical
nominees, Cry-Baby and Xanadu.
Working Title Films
Working Title has been co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner since 1992. Between them, the
pair has produced over 90 feature films which have amassed more than $4 billion at the box office
worldwide. To date, their films have won 6 Academy Awards, 24 BAFTAs and won prestigious
prizes at the Cannes and Berlin film festivals. The company's commercial and critical hits include
Atonement; Hot Fuzz; Pride & Prejudice; Mr. Bean’s Holiday; About a Boy; Notting Hill; Elizabeth;
Fargo; Dead Man Walking; High Fidelity; Johnny English; Billy Elliot; Four Weddings and a
Funeral; Bridget Jones’s Diary; Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; O Brother Where Art Thou?;
Love Actually; Shaun Of The Dead; Nanny McPhee; and United 93. Forthcoming releases include
Burn After Reading directed by the Coen brothers, starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances
McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton; Wild Child, starring Emma Roberts; Frost/Nixon
directed by Ron Howard, starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella; Hippie Hippie Shake
starring Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy; State of Play directed by Kevin Macdonald, starring
Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck; The Soloist directed by Joe Wright, starring Jamie
Fox and Robert Downey Jr.; Green Zone directed by Paul Greengrass, starring Matt Damon,
Greg Kinnear and Amy Ryan; The Boat That Rocked written and directed by Richard Curtis,
starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh.
Old Vic Productions
Old Vic Productions was launched in 1993 by Sally Greene. Under her leadership OVP has
produced, co-produced or invested in over 70 productions in the West End and on Broadway.
These include: Cyrano de Bergerac with Antony Sher, The Reduced Shakespeare Company (the
longest running comedy in the West End), The Vagina Monologues (New York, London & UK
Tour), The Weir, Dolly West's Kitchen, The Car Man, Medea, Life x 3, Benefactors, Elaine Stritch
at Liberty, Macbeth, Sexual Perversity in Chicago with Matthew Perry and Minnie Driver, and
Hamlet, starring Ben Whishaw, directed by Trevor Nunn (Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play
2004). Old Vic Productions is a major partner in Kevin Spacey’s theatre company that is resident
at the Old Vic Theatre. Recent highlights include Moon for the Misbegotten (which transferred to
Broadway) and Speed the Plow. Sally appointed Joseph Smith as Executive Producer of Old
Vic Productions in 2006 to work alongside her on current and future theatre projects.
BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL
Sydney season concludes November 9, 2008
Capitol Theatre
Campbell St, Haymarket
Tickets now on sale for performances through to September 7, 2008
The Billy Hotline: 1300 552 290
www.billyelliotthemusical.com.au
PRAISE FOR THE AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION
‘Billy Elliot will knock your socks off sideways’
- The Daily Telegraph
‘Billy Elliot sweeps its audience away. Resistance is useless’
- The Australian
‘Joyously entertaining, Billy Elliot bursts into starry-eyed showbiz magic … A rapturous
pinnacle of self-expression and fulfilment.’
-The Sydney Morning Herald
PRAISE FOR THE WEST END PRODUCTION
'Funny, touching and shamelessly enjoyable'
- The Independent
‘So exhilarating the audience didn’t want it to end.
A dazzling 40-carat gem of a show’
- Daily Mail
‘The greatest British musical I’ve ever seen’
- Daily Telegraph
'Billy's a whizz!
He'll lift your spirits, make you cry and send you home high with hope'
- Daily Mail
Billy Elliot the Musical is based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal Film and is produced by
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene.
Executive Producers are David Furnish, Angela Morrison and Louise Withers (Australia).
For interviews, images and general media enquiries: JPPR
JP Bolton
Tel: + 61 2 9264 7750