Before the pandemic threw the performing arts industry into pandemonium, there was a national 10th-anniversary production of Billy Elliot the Musical underway. However, as with many other theatrical productions at the time, the tour was cut short, resulting in the Queensland season no longer going ahead. Unfortunately, this national tour was not resurrected when we got the green light to go “back to normal” to a degree. Now, in 2023, an hour away from Brisbane on the Gold Coast, The Star Gold Coast is home to a 6-week professional season of the show. Produced by Matt Ward Entertainment, whose previous productions have included Beautiful: The Carole King Story (2023), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (2022) and Mamma Mia! The Musical (2021), the company has moved from ‘Shows you saw in Brisbane and loved’ to ‘A Queensland Exclusive’. While there were so many shows they could have chosen to meet this criteria, I am so glad they chose this one – as with excellent casting, a good choice of show, and an excellent musical backing – this was easily their best production to date.
Billy Elliot the Musical and the feature film it is based on, in my opinion, is most well known for its A-Plot, involving the titular young boy discovering his love for ballet. However, I don’t think that by itself would be as rewarding a watch if it did not have such deep B-Plots that turn it from a simple story to one that is much more complex and fulfilling for the viewer to follow. Viewers are immediately drawn into an inspiring work of theatre that marries the grittiness of a northern English mining town (with the harsh tones and heavy language to go with it) with the grace of ballet, challenging societal norms of the time.
Billy Elliot the Musical chronicles the powerful journey of its young titular protagonist, Billy Elliot, who is a young lad living in a working-class mining town in Northeast England during the 1984-1985 miners’ strike, which was a real event. Amidst the industrial struggles, common fighting between striking workers and the police, and the defined gender norms held by the community’s adults, a chance encounter sees Billy discover a love for ballet. More than that though, he has a natural talent for it. As Billy secretly cultivates his passion, nurtured by his eccentric and oft harsh-tongued ballet teacher Mrs Wilkinson, he displays talents that could see him worthy of a place at the Royal Ballet School. Juxtaposing the fluid elegance of ballet against the grim reality of a community suffering due to doing what is right – the musical highlights the courage it takes to break free from traditional gender roles and the personal sacrifices required to follow one’s dreams.
Coming in just shy of three hours in length, Billy Elliot the Musical takes advantage of its long runtime to fully deep-dive into the world it is presenting to viewers. We see Billy’s life, his familial relationships, and his personal struggles as he navigates his passion for ballet in a world where such aspirations are not only seen as out of place but also unimportant amid its backdrop of fighting for civil rights and the ensuing poverty. We see the children and adults alike working through their issues, discovering themselves, and tearing down the walls that separate them. More importantly, though, they manage to balance the emotional depth of the production with some colourful, creative moments and some genuinely exciting, upbeat and hilarious scenes. On the other hand, though, it did feel that at points, the book spread itself a bit too thin, and felt like it needed an extra half hour to an hour to truly get all its narrative in. This doesn’t detract that the bones this production had to work with were both enjoyable and solid.
Given that the music is by Elton John and the lyrics by Lee Hall, it’s a safe bet that the soundtrack of Billy Elliot the Musical is top-notch. And don’t fret, if you are turned off the idea that the production is full of classical numbers you might see at a classical ballet recital, this is most certainly not the case. From the iconic song ‘Solidarity’ where the training of the ballet dancers is intertwined with the fights between the miners and police, to the emotional song ‘Electricity’ where we learn what it feels like to Billy when he dances, you have the heavily toned, narrative-driven mixes combined with songs of beauty. While not the song I would have expected to be the earworm in my brain since opening night, Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher, the opening of Act 2, truly is a standout number and a peak example of how they balance the heavier content with comedy where it fits. ‘Shine’ is another song well deserving of a standing ovation, serving as the introduction to the colourful character of Mrs Wilkinson.
When putting on any production of Billy Elliot the Musical, what producers are given is a fulfilling and rewarding book complemented by great characters, musical numbers, and a solid foundation to work on. But what about the areas the producers could work on? Well, while there are still a few areas of improvement Matt Ward Entertainment could still work on to make it flawless, for the most part, they have checked all boxes.
During the opening night performance I attended, the role of Billy Elliot was filled by Harrison Smith, who has been dancing since he was five years old. He is no stranger to the stage, and it tells as for someone so young he not only performed his role flawlessly but also commanded a strong presence on stage – with incredible vocals, enunciation and dance on-stage. He shares the role with two other young Queensland boys, Diesel Batson and Ethan Dahl, and while I haven’t seen either perform the full production, I don’t doubt they are equally amazing. Lachlan King as Michael was also downright incredible, capturing the eccentric and colourful nature of his character perfectly.
Not to be outshined, the adult cast is also a strong bunch of performers, especially Debora Krizak as Mrs Wilkinson. When I was attending the media call for Billy Elliot the Musical it felt like she was committed to and never broke character in-between scenes, and this impression carried across well to the full production. With her tone, actions and chemistry with others, I can imagine her being the “definitive” Mrs Wilkinson to me for many years to come. While mostly hidden in the background, Ben Trigger as Mr Braithwaite is a perfect choice for the character – with his dance moves and personality on and off the stage shining where it counts the most. James Shaw has been a feature of several Matt Ward Entertainment productions in the past including Rent, Wicked and Mamma Mia!, and it is clear why they keep bringing him back for their productions – he is a versatile male lead who can commit to multiple vastly different roles, and does a great job at it, being distinct enough that audiences may not even notice it is him unless they read the program. But the entire Gold Coast cast was incredible, and for the most part, it felt like they had been performing for years.
From what I can tell, the set design for Billy Elliot the Musical is not meant to be overly lavish, suiting the times of which the production is set, which is in stark contrast to the lavish recording studio vibes Matt Ward Entertainment presented earlier this year in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. But the set design, crafted by Madeleine Barlow, which has a base design like a gymnasium/dance studio is versatile and is effective in immersing viewers in different locations with only a few pull-away set pieces. Costuming was also top-notch, combining the elegance of balletwear (including oh so many tutus) with the grittiness of the times.
One issue that I have continued to find in other productions by Matt Ward Entertainment is the audio levels. While we thankfully haven’t had a repeat of the piercing doof-doof of Mamma Mia! The Musical, frequently I found the audio levels still overpowering the vocals, to the point that a few songs were half incomprehensible. The music is amazing, and they have a great band working with them this time (I love how they set up the band cam on the back wall of the theatre so you can see them perform if you so choose), but just a few tweaks to the audio levels would enrich the experience so much more.
As their first venture into staging musicals that haven’t been part of recent national tours to Queensland, Matt Ward Entertainment made an exemplary choice with Billy Elliot the Musical. It proved to be a rewarding and radiant theatrical experience brought to life by a heartfelt and immensely talented cast and great production quality. In the titular role on opening night, Harrison Smith shone brightly, with the pairing of the other child cast members, adult cast and ensemble all contributing incredible choreographic maneuvers and personality to the production. With some major musicals such as The Rocky Horror Show and Come From Away choosing to hold productions on the Gold Coast, it is nice to see that not only is the city home to lovers of theatre but also has some stellar local talent.
I think this production is also very timely, and with the world not always looking bright and rosy, I think these lyrics from the show’s finale ring true, and serve as a reminder we should all take to heart:
Everyone is different. It’s the natural state
It’s a fact, it’s plain to see
The world’s grey enough without making it worse
We need individuality.
Even days after the curtain fell on the opening night performance, this message continues to resonate with me. Billy Elliot the Musical is a deeply touching, inspiring and entertaining experience, complemented by great casting and production values. A show I can encourage checking out during the five weeks remaining in its Gold Coast exclusive season.
Acknowledgments
Tickets to the opening night of Billy Elliot the Musical were provided by Matt Ward Entertainment and their publicity team to facilitate this review
Booking Information
To book tickets to attend a performance of Billy Elliot the Musical, visit the show’s official website and click Book Now in the top-right hand corner.
