Billy Elliot first captivated audiences in film back in 2000. The film begged to be made into a musical, and Lee Hall and Sir Elton John teamed to do just that, debuting the musical on the West End in 2005. Since then, Billy Elliot has become a fan favorite on Broadway and continues to be a top draw. In fact, Billy Elliot tickets are among the top sellers on the Great White Way.The story of Billy Elliot revolves around a young man living in the U.K. during the 1980s. Billy's father and brother are coal miners, and decide to send a young Billy to boxing lessons. Billy inadvertently happens upon a ballet class and is smitten with the beauty and athleticism of the dancing. He begins attending dance classes in secret, afraid of what his family and community would say. When the truth comes out, it is just as Billy has feared, and he must reconcile his love for dance with his love for his family.
The stage productions of Billy Elliot present a unique challenge to those putting on the show. Because the star of the show is a young boy, it hardly makes sense to only have one actor playing the role. The Broadway production has solved the problem by casting four young actors to play the role of Billy. The production is undergoing a change to the "Billys" recently, with Tade Biesinger coming on board as one of the Billys on April 20. Billy actor Alex Ko will leave the cast on May 15.
The rest of the cast of Billy Elliot, other than the Billys, features Emily Skinner as Mrs. Wilkenson, Gregory Jbara as Dad, Carole Shelley as Grandma, Will Chase as Tony, Neil McCaffrey as Michael, Cameron Clifford as Michael, Stephen Hanna as Billy's Older Self, Joel Hatch as George, Laura Marie Duncan as Mum, Thommie Retter as Mr. Braithwate and Lilla Crawford as Debbie. Below is a little about the actors playing Billy.
Tade Biesinger: Tade Beisinger is 11-years-old, and his performance in Billy Elliot marks his Broadway debut. He is a talented dancer who has trained at Dance Impressions and Ballet West Academy, performing in ballets like Nutcracker and Madame Butterfly.
Jacob Clemente: Jacob Clemente has an uncanny connection to the role of Billy Elliot, because his great-grandfather was a coal miner in Pennsylvania. Clemente is the namesake of that same great-grandfather, and his other great-grandfather was a Welsh coal miner. He started dancing at the tender age of seven and was soon winning dance competitions. He got his first taste of Broadway in the show Gypsy.
Joseph Harrington: Joseph Harrington hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and has been dancing since he was three-years-old. He has trained with many top studios in Ohio, like the Just Off Broadway Dance Studio. He made his Broadway debut in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and has also appeared in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Nashville.
Peter Mazurowki: New Hampshire native Peter Mazurowski started dancing at six and was trained at the New Hampshire School of Ballet. He soon started winning awards for his dancing, helping him to earn the role of Billy.
