Broadway in Chicago presented an extra special guest to announce that Billy Elliot—The Musical would launch its U.S. tour in March 2010 at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre. Pictured: Kiril Kulish as Billy Elliot, with ballet girls. Photo by David Scheinmann
None other than Sir Elton John was on hand for the Wrigley Field press conference on Tuesday, July 21 ( just hours before his second duo summer concert there with Billy Joel ) . John is not only Billy Elliot's composer, but it was he who became the driving force into transforming the film into a stage musical. John isn't ashamed to say that he wept openly at the film's 2000 screening at the Cannes Film Festival, since he saw so much of Billy's story in his own upbringing.
This Billy Elliot announcement should fill Chicagoans with a certain amount of civic pride, since the musical's producers picked the Windy City over other likely candidate cities like Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Of course, Billy Elliot's designation as a "tour" is questionable, since many prognosticators are already predicting that the musical will become a long-running sit down engagement in Chicago just like Wicked's three-and-a-half-year stint and Jersey Boys' current long-running gig at the Bank of America Theatre.
Plus, there is already news that Billy Elliot's upcoming arrival at the Oriental has pushed out other shows that were originally booked there. Shrek The Musical, which is originating its North American tour in June 2010 in Chicago, is switching from the Oriental to the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The two-week February stint of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama, August: Osage County, has also been bumped to the Cadillac Palace ( probably to allow for extra load-in time for Billy Elliot's complex set ) .
Many of the creative talents who worked on the award-winning 2000 film were taken on board to adapt their work for the stage. The distinguished list includes Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Daldry, screenplay author Lee Hall and choreographer Peter Darling ( each one recently won a Tony Award for their efforts ) .
Having seen Billy Elliot not long after it opened in 2005 in London ( where it is still playing ) and just after it opened on Broadway in 2008 ( before it would go on to win 10 Tony Awards ) , I can attest that the show is quite an emotional wallop.
The musical expands the film's main focus on the North English lad who discovers a passion for dancing to also encompass more of the whole village in the midst of a bitter coal miners' strike in the 1980s.
Now many pundits worried that American audiences wouldn't get Billy Elliot because it was so very British. The North English accents are thick, the kids swear up a storm and the show deals with recent British history under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that most Americans aren't familiar with.
But in transferring the show to Broadway, the creators did include more background information in the prologue and even have a glossary in the program for certain words ( for example, a Cornish pasty is a meat and potato-filled pastry ) . Besides, most Americans don't take the same offense at ( or even know about ) expressions the kids use like "bugger off" or "wanker."
Now Billy Elliot might not offer audiences the instant familiarity with The Wizard of Oz back story like in Wicked, or the hit parade of jukebox tunes in Jersey Boys. But Billy Elliot's tale of a boy who sticks to his guns to pursue his dream against very unlikely odds is one that should resonate with most Americans.
Billy Elliot should also resonate with gay audiences, in particular. In the film and the musical, Billy has a cross-dressing childhood friend named Michael who does his small part to encourage Billy to follow his dancing dreams. ( The musical uses this one moment to go with tacky Las-Vegas-glitz for the production number Express Yourself. )
But the whole plot point of Billy concealing his desire to dance ( not to mention the dance classes he's substituting for the boxing classes his dad thinks he's paying for ) is not unlike many gay youths concealing their same-sex feelings. Billy knows he'll catch hell if anyone ( friends, family or a disapproving society ) discovers his dancing secret. But dancing ultimately makes Billy happy ( as he sings in the song Electricity ) , so he's willing to brave the consequences to "be true to thine own self."
So far, there is no word about Billy Elliot's Chicago casting, but expect at least three boys to be cast in the title role. The role is so demanding ( and child-labor laws are so stringent ) that it would be virtually impossible for one kid to do the show eight times a week.
So pat yourself on your backs Chicago for getting Billy Elliot over other cities. Here's hoping for another long Chicago run ( with plenty of work for Chicago actors, too ) .
