Billy Elliott The Musical

This smash hit musical – based upon the 2000 movie of the same name – is set against the 1984 miners strike and tells the story of Billy Elliott, a boy who trades boxing gloves for his love of dancing and ballet.

The tone is set when the chilling voice of then prime-minister Margaret Thatcher can be heard via loudspeakers as she threatens to close down twenty coal pits. Eleven-year old Billy Elliott (Lewis Smallman) runs onto the stage where a huge banner can be seen in the background, informing us about the importance of County Durham (where the story is set) as the heart of the coal mining industry. Billy attends boxing class but already his ballet-orientated steps and movements give a clue that becoming a professional boxer is not his aspiration… Plenty of humour here as well, what with his graceful moves amidst the rough boxing. Back home, Billy lives with Dad (Martin Walsh), brother Tony (Scott Garnham) and his dotty Grandma (Andrea Miller). Mum (Nikki Gerrard) has died some years ago and appears in certain sequences in which she communicates with Billy from the beyond. Both Dad and Tony are miners and together with other colleagues and neighbours clash with police over the ensuing coal miners strike. This strike and the increasingly violent clashes provide the more serious and sombre element to the story. When boxing class is finished, Billy needs to stay behind to hand a set of keys to local ballet teacher Mrs. Wilkinson (Annette McLaughlin) and Billy keeps mingling with the young ballet girls – at first to the annoyance of the teacher, however, she quickly changes her mind when she observes Billy’s dance steps. At home, only Grandma, with her fondness for pasties and sausage rolls, knows of Billy’s secret ballet lessons. He confides in her his passion for dance and she confides in him that she had a very abusive marriage with her now dead husband - but somehow got through it as she also felt and still feels a great enthusiasm for dance. She also reveals that these days, she would stick up her finger to the thought of marriage, prompting laughter from the audience.

Realizing Billy’s huge potential, Mrs. Wilkinson suggests that Billy should think in earnest about auditioning for the Royal Ballet School. Billy is uncertain as he has a pretty good idea as to what his father might say… so he visits best pal Michael (Elliott Stiff) for advice. Michael has a penchant for wearing dresses and it is hinted that in later years he may steer towards same sex relationships. It’s all very sensibly done and above all very funnily. Michael persuades Billy to don some dresses and to temporarily forget about his inhibiting macho working class roots. The pair break into a song and dance routine, ‘Expressing Yourself’, which turns out one of the first visual highlights of the show, all glittering tinsel background and gigantic dresses on cloth hangers dancing in the background. Totally riveting stuff!
Encouraged through the visit to Michael, Billy makes plans for a special dance routine he will learn for his Royal Ballet audition while in turn, Mrs. Wilkinson encourages him in any way she can by teaching him step after step. Only her young daughter Debbie (Evie Martin) tries to discourage Billy from traveling to the audition… because she has a serious crush on him!

On the day of the audition, Billy fails to turn up at the arranged meeting point and so Mrs. Wilkinson fetches the boy at his home. However, a violent battle between the miners and the police has just taken place and Dad and an injured Tony soon turn up. The revelation about Billy’s audition is met with disbelief and anger both by his Dad and by Tony, who forces Billy to dance on the table in order to demonstrate his talent. Despite the teacher’s best efforts to persuade him otherwise, Dad makes it clear that his son won’t be continuing with ballet. Humiliated, Billy retreats and breaks into a manic ‘Angry Dance’ routine.

The second part is set nearly one year after the first events. Billy hasn’t done any dancing at all during this time. It’s the miners annual Christmas show and there’s much mockery going on as the kids sing ‘Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher’ whilst a gigantic Spitting Image-style puppet of Thatcher appears in the background. The kids also wear these masks on their faces. During a quiet moment in the Community Hall, Michael reveals that he has feelings for Billy, to which he replies that liking ballet doesn’t make him gay… Michael then tries to coax Billy into dancing again by showing him some steps, but the events from six months ago seemingly still sit deep and Billy declines. Giving up on the idea, Michael leaves… but the tape recorder keeps running. Alone, Billy suddenly begins to dance, this time to ‘Swan Lake’ during which he dances next to an imaginary grown-up version of himself (Luke Cinque-White). Some real stage magic happens during the sequence and it’s simply fantastic to watch! Speaking of: Billy’s dad happens to watch his son dancing and impressed by his obvious talent, changes his mind about the Royal Ballet School audition. The actual audition and the anticipated wait for the letter informing Billy of acceptance or refusal provide plenty of opportunities for gags and humour, most notably when Billy reads “To Billy Elliott is queer” on the letter waiting for him, after which his amused Dad corrects him by pointing out it’s ‘Billy Elliott Esquire’. It brought the house down!
We all know how the story ends and while it may not end that happy for the miners it does for Billy, who walks off into a new future at the Royal Ballet School.

The performances are cracking, in particular Lewis Smallman’s ‘Billy’ and Elliot Stiff’s ‘Michael’ are an absolute delight to watch! With an engaging score by Elton John and Stephen Daldry’s direction, the show is truly heart-warming and it’s easy to see why this musical has become such a smash! Peter Darling’s choreography and Ian MacNeil’s inspired set designs are of course part of this success story.

Billy Elliott – The Musical runs at the Edinburgh Playhouse until 22nd of October.