By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on March 10, 2010 2:19 PM
Broadway's Billy Elliot, Set During A Coal Miners' Strike In Northern England, Tells The Story Of A Boy's Desire To Become A Dancer Instead Of Pursuing Boxing, Directed By Stephen Daldry
A Closer Look at the Broadway Show
Show Summary: Set against the backdrop of a lengthy coal miners' strike that took place in 1980s Northern England, Billy Elliot is about a motherless boy who wants to give up his boxing lessons and learn to be a dancer.
Broadway Review: A musical adaptation of the popular British independent movie of the same name, Billy Elliot has been an enormous hit in London's West End and is now amazing Broadway audiences as well. Lee Hall has written a solid and sometimes pleasantly surprising stage version of his own original screenplay, and together he and legendary singer/songwriter Elton John have created a functional score that is good, though seldom soars. Billy Elliot's greatest strengths are its stars (a few extraordinarily talented young performers who alternate in the title role), director Stephen Daldry's inspired staging, and Peter Darling's electric choreography.
