Billy Elliot to play at Theatre Royal Plymouth

The producers of the multi award-winning smash hit Billy Elliot the Musical are delighted to announce that the first ever UK and Ireland tour will open at the Theatre Royal Plymouth where it will play from Wednesday 24 February to Saturday 2 April 2016. Tickets go on sale next week, 24 June 2015. Following Plymouth, the tour will continue to play until May 2017 with details of further venues to be announced.

Producer Eric Fellner said today: “All of us at Billy Elliot the Musical are delighted to be bringing the show on tour across the UK and Ireland for the first time. It has taken us 10 years to put this truly British show on the road in the UK and to be opening the tour at the Theatre Royal Plymouth is a real privilege for us. We look forward to our time in Plymouth and hope that audiences in the South West will take this inspiring production to their hearts”.

Set in a northern mining town, against the background of the 1984/’85 miners’ strike, Billy’s journey takes him out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever.

Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Billy Elliot the Musical has now been seen by over 10 million people across five continents and is the recipient of over 80 awards internationally, including ten Tony Awards and five Olivier Awards. In 2006, Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire, the first three boys to play the title role, became the youngest performers ever to have won the Olivier Award for Best Actor with the show also picking up the Best Musical prize.

In total, worldwide, eighty two boys have now played the iconic role on stage. September 2014 saw a record breaking twenty-five former and current Billy Elliots come together on stage in a specially choreographed mash-up finale for Billy Elliot the Musical Live, a unique performance that was broadcast live around the world becoming the widest ever cinema release of a live event and hitting number one at the UK box office. Billy Elliot the Musical recently celebrated its 10th birthday at the West End’s Victoria Palace Theatre where it is currently booking until 17 December 2016.

Billy Elliot the Musical is brought to life by the multiple award-winning creative team behind the film including writer Lee Hall (book and lyrics), director Stephen Daldry, and choreographer, Peter Darling, joined by Elton John who composed the show’s score. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, the associate director is Julian Webber, costume design is by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

The first Dutch production of Billy Elliot the Musical continues at the AFAS Circustheater in The Hague. Productions have previously been staged on Broadway, in Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago, Toronto and Seoul, South Korea.  The North American touring production, which began in 2010, finished its spectacular run in August 2013 with an engagement in São Paulo, Brazil, the first time Billy Elliot played in South America. Further international productions are currently planned.

Billy Elliot the Musical is presented by Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions and is based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal film. The show is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are executive producers.

Booking for the general public starts on Wednesday 24 June and tickets can be booked online at www.theatreroyal.com or by calling the Theatre Royal Plymouth Box Office on 01752 267222.