‘Billy Elliot’ Returns: How Working Title & Key Creatives Gave Their Blessing For New Version Of Beloved Stage Musical

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Eric Fellner, Working Title co-chairman, and the creators of the hit Billy Elliot musical, have given their support to a non-replica production that will run at UK regional theatre, The Curve, Leicester, from July 7.The Curve’s artistic chief Nikolai Foster, who’s also directing the update with Lucy Hind choreographing, met in recent days with Fellner and Stephen Daldry, the original director of the stage show and the popular 2000 film version that starred Jamie Bell in the titular role, for a metaphorical passing of the baton.“The whole point is that Nikolai and the Curve wanted to do their own production,” Fellner told Deadline, adding that original creatives Lee Hall (book and lyrics), Elton John (music) and Peter Darling (choreography) “were all comfortable with them doing that.”Fellner continued: “Within the contract there are certain things they can or can’t do like not changing the lyrics and the book, but in terms of staging, choreography and production design it’s entirely their call.“We’ve given our blessing on a carte blanche basis where whatever they’re doing we wish them well,” Fellner added.The show, set during the UK miner’s strike in the mid 1980s, is about a motherless boy from a working class background in the northeast of England who wants to be a ballet dancer, still resonates.The show won best musical prizes at the Tony awards and the Olivier awards.

The movie version (which wasn’t a traditional musical) was a box office sensation and scored three Oscar nominations.The forthcoming Curve production has created much excitement.

Hundreds of youngsters auditioned for the key roles of Billy, his friend Michael, and Debbie, daughter of ballet school teacher Mrs Wilkinson – West End and Broadway