Billy Elliot Film and Musical and Musical live!!!

‘Best musical of the decade’ The Guardian.
This how one of the biggest UK newspaper describe Billy Elliot The Musical (BETM).
The story come from a movie of 2000, a British dance drama film, written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry.
The story is set in the county of Durham mining town during the miners’ strike of 1984-85. It talks about the story of a 11-year-old boy, Billy Elliot, who want to be a ballet dancer, but he has to deal with the negative stereotype of the male ballet dancer of that time. He has to face his widowed father Jackie and his older brother, Tony, both miners out on strike, to get to an audition for the Royal Ballet School, and it takes a while before his father and his brother discovered that Billy quit the boxing class to attend ballet class instead.
The ballet teacher is Mrs Wilkinson, an amazing woman who saw immediately the gift of Billy and she helped him to be prepared for the audition for the Royal Ballet School.
The film is really one of the best British film of all the time, in fact in 2004 the magazine Total Film named Billy Elliot the 39^th greatest British film of all time.
Billy Elliot is a must seen, you have to seen it, the cast is really amazing, and of course you will love it, musical and film.
In the film we can find amazing actors like:

• Jamie Bell as Billy Elliot
• Adam Cooper as older Billy
• Julie Walters as Sandra Wilkinson
• Gary Lewis as Jackie Elliot
• Jamie Draven as Tony Elliot
• Jean Heywood as Grandma
• Stuart Wells as Michael Caffrey
• Merryn Owen as older Michael
• Nicola Blackwell as Debbie Wilkinson

Some of these actors you can find out in more other huge film such as Harry Potter for Julie Walter where she played Molly Weasley, Ron’s mother.
But I am here to talk about the musical, that has some differences from the film, it can make you laugh and cry.
So here the trailer of the musical that you can find on youtube:

You can watch the musical in the amazing Victoria Palace Theatre just out Victoria Station in London.
The seats has different prices, you can find good prices on the official theatre website here (https://www.victoriapalacetheatre.co.uk/Online/) so check this out and find out your seats to see the musical. The price could change from £20 to £90, of course weekday is less expensive and restricted view are the cheaper one, but everytime I advise to spend a little bit more the first time and go and see it from a good position (premium stalls or Dress Circle central position), it will worth it.
The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, opening in previews on 31 March 2005 and officially on 11 May 2005; it is still running today, with the booking date extended to December 2016. This is one of the most exceptional of this musical, after 10 years they are still running this musical and the theatre is always full!!!
The musical received favourable reviews: the Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "the greatest British musical I have ever seen", and The Daily Mail thought it "a theatrical masterpiece".
Billy Elliot the Musical won four Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Sound design and Best Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award as well as the Critics Circle Award and the Theatregoers Choice Award, all for Best Musical. On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Elton John. The same happened at the 10^th anniversary last 12 of May where all the Billys appeared together for all people and Elton John.
In 2013, the show won an additional Olivier Award, the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award (voted for by theatre goers) after many years of being finalists for the award.
In June 2014, it was announced that the musical would be screened and broadcast live to cinemas around the UK and the world. On 28 September, the matinee of the musical was broadcast as it was being filmed at the Victoria Palace Theatre to cinemas around the UK and other countries with further encore screenings of that same performance on other dates. Liam Mower, one of the three actors who originated the title role, returned to play the role of Older Billy. In addition, 25 past and present actors to have played the title role on the West End performed a specially-choreographed dance number at the finale. This performance was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom. This cast includes Elliott Hanna in the title role of Billy Elliot with Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy’s dad, Chris Grahamson as Tony and Ann Emery as Grandma and Claudia Bradley as Dead Mam.
Musical Cast:
In this musical now you can find different boy who play Billy:

• Elliot Hanna (you can find him on instagram as eliotthanna2034 )
• Brodie Donougher
• Thomas Hazelby
• Ollie Jochim
• Bradley Perret

You can also find different Michael

• Todd Bell
• Tomi Fry
• Nathan Jones

And we have also 3 different Debbie:

• Kyria Copper
• Connie Fisher
• Demi Lee

Those are the kids, the adult main cast is made by:

• Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson
• Chris Grahamson as Tony, Billy’s older brother
• Gillian Elisa as Grandma
• Claudia Bradley as Dead Mum
• James Butcher as Older Billy

If you want to find out more about the musical read below, but pay attention it could spoil something that you do not want to read.
I have seen the musical 3 times at the theatre, and since the first time I was really impressed of the ability of every single actors, the kids are just amazing, awesome, really talented. I have never imagined something like that. When I went out the first time almost all the songs were written into my mind, some lines are hilarious, others are really sad, watching this msical you can laugh and cry, you will smile and the actors will fell the same feeling the feel on the stage, no words can describe this, you hae to watch it.
One of the most impressive and different part from the film is when the teacher and Billy meet to prepare the dance for the audition for the Royal Ballet School and he has to bring his special things,things that means something to him. He brings the letter that his mother wrote to him before dyeing for when he will be 18 but he open a few years early. In the film the teacher read the letter but in the musical the teacher start to read the letter and after Billy goes on singing it and then the teacher goes on with the mother, one of the most touching moment of the show, even now if I start listening the song a tear will go down from my cheek. Really a touching moment, when the mother turn around to go away and Billy says ‘Don’t go!’ is really one of the most touching moment of all musical. You can feel everyone crying, taking out their handkerchief to dry their tears.
The words of the song are: almost the same than the film, but the way the sing it is really really touching. We can say without doubt that Elton John has created the perfect music for that perfect words.
Other very good moment will come after, like Angry Dance, or when Billy after leaving the father, sees again the mother and he sings the letter reply to her mother….almost all the musical is an alternation of good and sad moment, in a very good combination and mixture.
If I have to give a value to all the musical, of course will be a 5 stars, for me this is a must seen if you come in London for a trip or if you live in London.

I really advise to see this musical, it is one of the most particular musical I have ever seen, and of course, every time I see it (even when I watch the musical live) I start crying, this musical brings me up all the feeling that I have, when I left my family to come to live here, the feeling about how much my mum is missing in my life now more than ever I can really understand than my family is missing, I need to hear them, I need to speak with them, and that's why I always start to cry. A lot of people in the audience cannot understand what does it feel like when you are leaving your parents for a really long period, I know what does it feel when your family is missing, I know it. You feel empty, and full of emotion at the same time.
And moreover the song Electricity when the teachers ask: 'Can I just ask you Billy...what doest it feel like when you are dancing?'
And he reply singing this words:

I can't really explain it

I haven't got the words

It's a feeling that you can't control

I suppose it's like forgetting

Losing who you are

And at the same time something makes you whole

It's like that there's a music playing in your ear 

And I'm listening

And I'm listening and then I disappear 

 And then I feel a change 

Like a fire deep inside 

Something bursting me wide open impossible to hide 

And suddenly I'm flying, flying like a bird 

Like electricity, electricity 

Sparks inside of me 

And I'm free 

I'm free

It's a bit like being angry

It's a bit like being scared 

Confused and all mixed up

And mad as hell 

It's like when you've been crying 

And you're empty and you're full 

I don't know what it is, it's hard to tell 

It's like that there's a music playing in your ear

But the music is impossible, impossible to hear 

But then I feel it move me 

Like a burning deep inside 

Something bursting me wide open impossible to hide 

And suddenly I'm flying

Flying like a bird 

Like electricity

Electricity 

Sparks inside of me 

And I'm free I'm free

I danced since I was 6...and those words can leteraly explain what I feel when I dance...I can really feel that feeling, the way he (Billy) sing the song is amazing, he feels the same, I am sure...and of course I's like to ask to all of them the same...
What does it feel like when you are dancing
I am sure they will reply the same.

Here some picture that you can find online about this musical, not too much, or I will spoil to many scenes from the musical...