‘Billy Elliot’ Returns: Working Title and How Key Creators Blessed for New Version of Beloved Stage Musical

Special: Eric Fellner, Co-President of Working Title and creator of the hit Billy Elliot Sponsored by a non-replica play, the musical will continue at the UK Regional Theater The Curve in Leicester from 7 July.

Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster, who also directed the update with Lucy Hynd’s choreography, recently teamed up with Fellner, the original director of the stage show, and a 2000 remake of the popular movie starring Stephen Daldry and Jamie Bell. The metaphorical passage of the cane.

“It was all that Nicholas and Curve wanted to produce themselves,” Fellner told Deadline, adding that the original creators were Lee Hall (book and lyrics), Elton John (music) and Peter Darling (choreography). . They felt comfortable. “They are doing”.

Fellner continued, “According to the contract, there are certain things they can or cannot do, such as not changing the text and the book, but in terms of staging, choreography and production design, that’s entirely their job.

“We gave our blessing on the basis of Cart Blanche, we wish them success in whatever they do here,” said Fellner.

Set during the miners’ strike in the UK in the mid-1980s, the series tells the story of a working-class mother from North East England who wants to be a ballet dancer but still sounds like a ballet dancer.

The show won Best Music at the Tony and Olivier Awards. The film version (it wasn’t a traditional musical) was a box office sensation and earned three Oscar nominations.

Curve’s next production created great anticipation. Hundreds of teenage sisters, Bill Endy and Broadway signing Bill’s daughter, Sally Ann Triplet, starred in key roles as her friend Michael and ballet school teacher Miss Wilkinson. First sketches of the production on and behind the scenes.

Foster selected four young men to share the role of Billy: Leo Hollingsworth and Alfie Napolitano from Nottinghamshire; Samuel Newby from Hertfordshire and Jayden Schental-Lee from Leicester. “A lot of them are debuting,” Foster said.

It is noteworthy that the long list of actors who played Billy in London’s Victoria Palace is ten years old. Spider Man Star Tom Holland. David Álvarez, starring in Bernardo Steven Spielberg’s Wit’s a side storyThere was an original Billy Billy Elliot It opens at the Imperial Theater on Broadway.

Billy’s best friend Michael will play Bobby Donald, Lucas Haywood, Ethan Shimuel and Prem Massan. Pearl Ball, Caitlin Cole, Lola Johnstone, and Ellie Copping share sister roles.

Foster and his team assembled a 55-person team for rehearsals; 35 young players attended the camp for ballet, tap, gymnastics and boxing lessons. He emphasized that boys and girls attend boxing workshops.

The Curve executive said his actors and creative team will “use our stage and infrastructure” as miners and police officers break into the Curve lobby and take over the scene. “The chaos will be incredible,” said Foster.

Curve has licensed the resale rights through Music Theater International.

Interest in the show will be to see if he can go beyond Leicester and tour and possibly go to the West End. Who knows, maybe we’ll get back to Broadway.

Fellner and Foster declined to comment on this potential. I focused on installing it Billy Elliot “On the curve,” Foster said.

But Deadline asked Fellner about an idea that had been raised by Elton John, Fellner, and the executives of Universal Pictures about the possibility of making a movie version of the musical.

Fellner waited for a while and confirmed that the film’s musical “still is an idea we talk about sometimes. “Let’s see.” he said in surprise.