'Billy Elliot' on the move
Sydney production takes show to Melbourne
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The Oz producers of "Billy Elliot" will close the Sydney season a year and one week after previews began at the 1,880-seat Capitol Theater, where the show officially opened Dec. 13.
Production will segue directly to Her Majesty's Theater in Melbourne, beginning previews Dec. 30 for a Jan. 15 opening.
Transfer will be a first for any "Billy" production, which has a cast of 75, including at least 50 kids, and a massive set requiring considerable basement space.
Executive producer Louise Withers told Daily Variety that a touring production has not yet been devised for "Billy Elliot," so Melbourne could be its final stop in Australia; most shows in Oz also tour to other capital cities including Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
While legit grosses are not published Down Under, Withers said 400,000 tickets have been sold for the first nine months of the Sydney season, running eight perfs per week, which indicates the show has played to 81% capacity.
Directed by Stephen Daldry and based on his 2000 film about an 11-year-old boy in a Northern English mining town in the 1980s who finds release through dance, "Billy Elliot" has been running successfully at the Victoria Palace in London's West End since May 2005.
The show's Broadway engagement begins previews Oct. 1 at the Imperial Theater for an Nov. 13 opening.
