Billy Elliot (film)

Billy Elliot‎ is the story of 11-year-old boy and his introduction to the world of dance and it has become a gay and BL cult classic. Set in northern England during the 1984-5 coal miners' strike, Billy lives with his father and brother who work in the coal mines and he helps to take care of his grandmother. His mother is deceased.

Billy and his friend Michael take boxing lessons at local gym. Billy is apathetic about boxing but wishes to please his father. At the same time, a ballet class is using the back of the gym for classes because their usual basement studio is temporarily being used as a soup kitchen for the striking miners. After his boxing lessons, Billy stays to watch the dancers. Seeing that Billy has been staying to watch the class, the ballet teacher Mrs. Wilkinson encourages Billy to join in. Secretly, Billy quits boxing and uses the money his father gives him to take ballet lessons. Mrs. Wilkinson believes that Billy has what it takes to become a professional dancer.

When Billy’s’ father and brother find out that he is taking ballet lessons, they are furious with Billy and his father forbids him from continuing believing that others will think him a “poof”.(i.e. the British equivalent of a fag). Mrs. Wilkinson confronts Billy’s father but he is unyielding. She continues to give Billy dancing lessons in private despite his father’s objections.

During this time, Billy’s friend Michael has been questioning him about his motivations for taking ballet. He is building toward his own coming out to Billy and perhaps wishing that Billy too is gay. Billy is not gay but accepts and is supportive of Michael when he finally discovers Michael’s truth.

Billy’s father catches Billy dancing in the gym and realizes his son is truly gifted and finally accepts that dance is Billy’s passion. Mrs. Wilkinson sets up an interview/audition at the Royal Ballet School in London and offers to pay for the trip but Billy’s father insists that Billy is his son and it is his responsibility to pay. Billy’s father decides to cross the picket line to pay for the trip to London, but Tony (Billy’s brother) stops him. The entire community pulls together to help raise money for the trip and Bill’s father pawns Billy's mother's jewelry to help cover the cost of the trip. Billy and his father go to London but trip and the audition weighs heavily on Billy. In his frustration, he punches another boy at the audition and his final interview with the admissions board does not go well. He is asked what it feels like when he is dancing, he describes it as like electricity.Believing he has been rejected, Billy returns home. However sometime later, he receives a letter accepting him to the Royal Ballet School. He says goodbye to his family and friends and give Michael a little kiss on the cheek and boards the train for London.

The film's final scene is set years later, the now grown Billy takes the stage to perform the lead in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, as Billy’s father, brother and Michael watch in the audience.

Billy Elliot (the Film)

Movie Facts

Year Released:	2000
MPAA Rating (USA):	PG-13
Director:	Stephen Daldry
Starring:	Jamie Bell Stuart Wells

The 2000 British drama was written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. When the film was released in the United States, the Motion Picture Association of America gave it an R rating due to language. When released on video, it was re-cut to a PG-13 rating for "some thematic elements"; this version edited out many uses of profanity.

Billy Elliot (the Musical)

Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay.

Character	Original London Cast	Original Broadway Cast	Original Australian Cast
Billy Elliot	Liam Mower James Lomas George Maguire	Kiril Kulish David Álvarez Trent Kowalik	Rhys Kosakowski Lochlan Denholm Rarmian Newton Nick Twiney
Sandra Wilkinson	Haydn Gwynne		Genevieve Lemon
Jackie Elliot	Tim Healy	Gregory Jbara	Richard Piper
Tony Elliot	Joe Caffrey	Santino Fontana	Justin Smith
Grandma	Ann Emery	Carole Shelley	Lola Nixon
Mr. Braithwaite	Steve Elias	Thommie Retter	John Xintavelonis
George	Trevor Fox	Joel Hatch	Linal Haft
Jenny Elliot	Stephanie Putson	Leah Hocking	Samantha Morley
Billy Elliot (age 25)	Issac James	Stephen Hanna	Joshua Horner
Michael Caffrey	Ryan Longbottom Ashley Luke Lloyd Brad Kavanagh	David Bologna Frank Dolce	Thomas Doherty Landen Hale-Brown Scott Eveleigh Joel Slater
Debbie Wilkinson	Lucy Stephenson Emma Hudson Brooke Havana Bailey	Erin Whyland	Shannon Joliff Fiona Booker Kelsi Boyden Taylor-Rose Campanella

Musical numbers

Act I

• "The Stars Look Down" – Company
• "Shine" – Ballet Girls, Mrs. Wilkinson & Mr Braithwaite
• "Grandma's Song" – Grandma
• "Solidarity" – Ballet Girls, Billy, Mrs. Wilkinson, Miners & Police
• "Expressing Yourself" – Billy, Michael, and Ensemble
• "The Letter (Mum's Letter)" – Mrs. Wilkinson, Mum and Billy
• "Born to Boogie" – Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy, and Mr. Braithwaite
• "Angry Dance" – Billy & Male Ensemble

Act II

• "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" – Tony and Partiers
• "Deep Into the Ground" – Jackie
• "Swan Lake" – Billy and Billy Older Self
• "He Could Be a Star" – Jackie and Tony (called "He Could Go and He Could Shine" in US productions)
• "Electricity" – Billy
• "Once We Were Kings" – Company
• "The Letter (Billy's Reply)" – Mum and Billy
• Finale – Company

Billy Elliot the Musical Live (2014)

Billy Elliot the Musical Live is a 2014 British filmed version of Elton John's Billy Elliot the Musical (2005), which in turn was based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. Stephen Daldry directed both the original film and the 2014 musical adaptation.

Filmed on 28 September 2014 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End theatre, Billy Elliot Live was broadcast live to cinemas in several European countries, followed by further worldwide screenings. North American screenings took place on 12, 15, and 18 November.

The filmed production stars Elliott Hanna as Billy, Zach Atkinson as Michael, with Liam Mower as Older Billy. Liam Mower was one of the three boys who shared the lead role in the original London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical.

Cast

• Elliott Hanna as Billy Elliot
• Ruthie Henshall as Sandra Wilkinson
• Deka Walmsley as Jackie Elliot
• Ann Emery as Grandma
• Chris Grahamson as Tony Elliot
• Zach Atkinson as Michael Caffrey
• Liam Mower as Older Billy
• David Muscat as Mr. Braithwaite
• Claudia Bradley as Mrs. Elliot
• Howard Crossley as George
• Demi Lee as Debbie Wilkinson

External links

• Billy Elliot 2000 IMDb
• Billy Elliot Musical (YouTube Video)