Billy Elliot Billy Elliot Billy Elliot by Lee Hall, music is by Elton John Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners’ strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in Northern England. Hall’s screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin’s novel, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical’s opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London’s West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.

Original London Production The musical premiered in March 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in the West End, where it is still running. It reportedly cost £5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million).[2] The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson and Tim Healy as Billy’s father. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, and the costumes were by Nicky Gillibrand. Lighting was by Rick Fisher, with sound by Paul Arditti. The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006.

The musical received favourable reviews: the Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer called it “the greatest British musical I have ever seen”, and The Daily Mail thought it “a theatrical masterpiece”.[3] Billy Elliott the Musical won four Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Sound design and Best Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award as well as the Critics Circle Award and the Theatregoers Choice Award, all for Best Musical.[4] On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Sir Elton John. Original Australian Production The musical opened at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007, directed by Daldry in association with Julian Webber, and choreographed by Darling.[5] Rhys Kosakowski, Lochlan Denholm, Rarmian Newton, and Nick Twiney alternated in the title role.

The production earned good notices, and in January 2008 it won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards.[6] The show also won seven Helpmann Awards, including the awards for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Actress (Genevieve Lemon as Mrs. Wilkinson) and Best Actor, awarded jointly to the four boys who played Billy Elliot.[7] The production concluded in Sydney on 9 November 2008 with all eight Sydney Billys in the finale.

The Sydney production transferred to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, opening on 13 December 2008.[8] The Melbourne production closed on 14 June 2009 after a successful run.[9] Original Broadway Production The Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on 13 November 2008.[10] The London production’s creative team directed and designed the Broadway production.[4] The title role was rotated among three young actors, David Álvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik, the last of whom had played the role in London.[11] The supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne, reprising her role of Mrs. Wilkinson from the London production, and Gregory Jbara as Billy’s father.

The production received rave reviews:[12] Time called it a “triumph”; critic Liz Smith termed it “breathtakingly brilliant” and “absolutely, unequivocally awesome”; the Daily News said it was “so exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping”;[13] the New York Post said it was “almost like being in love” and termed it “amusing, perfect and passionate” and “the best show you will ever see”; and the Los Angeles Times called it a “global theatrical phenomenon”.[14] It has also been very financially successful, with $20 million taken in advance ticket sales.[12] The production received fifteen Tony Award nominations, tying with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a Broadway show,[15] and winning ten. The original three boys in the lead role jointly won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

The production recouped its original investment of $18 million in 14 months and, as of 2010, continues to sell strongly.[16] National Tours Although considered to be the First National Tour, the show does not tour as a normal touring production would, with longer engagements in Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco. A second tour is scheduled to open at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina on October 30, 2010.[17] Faith Prince will play dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in this tour. The title role will be shared by Giuseppe Bausilio, Michael Dameski, Kylend Hetherington, Lex Ishimoto and Daniel Russell. The cast will also include Rich Hebert (Dad), Patti Perkins (Grandma), Jeff Kready (Tony), Joel Blum (George), Griffin Birney and Jacob Zelonky (Michael), and Rachel Mracna (Debbie).[18] Other Productions The musical opened in Chicago on March 18, 2010 in previews, officially on April 11, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre for an extended run.

This is the start of the North American multi-city tour.[19] According to producer Eric Fellner, however, the musical “will be here until such time as Chicago says ‘go away’. … We can only do one production at once,” and other North American cities will have to wait until the Chicago production runs its course.[20] Emily Skinner plays Mrs. Wilkinson, and the cast features Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio, Cesar Corrales and John Peter (J.P.) Viernes alternating as Billy.[21]The production is set to close on January 15, 2011 and transfer to Toronto.

The Canadian premiere of the show will begin performances on January 28, 2011 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, Canada [22][23][24] The production will then transfer to the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, with performances beginning September 13, 2011.[25] The musical opened in Seoul on August 10, 2010 in previews, officially on August 14, at the LG Arts Center, becoming the first not english speaking Billy Elliot’s production, starring Billys Jin-Ho Jung, Ji-Myeong Lee, Sunu Lim and Se-Yong Kim.[26][27] • The Stars Look Down – Company • Shine – Ballet Girls, Mrs. Wilkinson & Mr Braithwaite • Grandma’s song – Grandma • Solidarity – Ballet Girls, Billy, Mrs. Wilkinson, Miners & Police • Expressing Yourself – Billy, Michael, and Ensemble • The Letter (Mum’s Letter) – Mrs. Wilkinson, Mum and Billy • Born to Boogie – Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy, and Mr.

Braithwaite • Angry Dance -Billy & Male Ensemble Act II • Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher – Tony and Partiers (USA productions-George, Billy/Michael/Tall Boy/Small Boy, Ballet Girls & Adult Cast) • Deep Into the Ground – Jackie • Swan Lake – Billy and Billy Older Self • He Could be a Star (He Could Go and He Could Shine – USA) – Jackie and Tony • Electricity – Billy • Once We Were Kings – Company • The Letter – Reprise(Billy’s Reply) – Mum and Billy • Finale – Company Billy Elliot – Alex Ko, Michael Dameski [41] Tony – Will Chase Mrs Wilkinson – Emily Skinner (as of October 2, 2010)[42] Original casts lists for the other productions, and additional cast information for London and New York can be found at Billy Elliot the Musical casts. Awards and Nominations The West End production was nominated for nine 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards and won four, including Best New Musical. At age thirteen, Liam Mower was the youngest actor to win the award, and the actors playing Billy were the first to win the award in a shared capacity.

Lomas, Maguire, and Mower also jointly received the Theatre Goers’ Choice Award 2005 for The Most Promising Newcomer. The production also won The Evening Standard Award 2005, among others.[43] The Sydney production was nominated for eleven 2008 Helpmann Awards and won seven, including Best Musical. The Melbourne production was nominated for eleven 2008 Green Room Awards and won six, including Best Production Music Theatre. The Broadway production received 15 Tony Award nominations in 2009, tied with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a single show.[15] It won ten Tony Awards, including best musical.

The lead actor award was shared by the three boys who opened in the title role, marking the first time in Tony history the award has been shared by three actors.[44] The production was also nominated for ten Drama Desk Awards, winning all ten, including Outstanding Musical, and for nine 2008-09 Outer Critics Circle Awards, wining seven, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and also received a Special Achievement Award for its three Billys.[45] 2006 Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Musical – James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower (Winner) Best Actress in a Musical – Haydn Gwynne (Nomination) Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – Tim Healy (Nomination) Best Director – Stephen Daldry (Nomination) Best Theatre Choreography – Peter Darling (Nomination) Best Set Design – Ian McNeil (Nomination) Best Lighting Design – Rick Fisher (Winner) Best Sound Design – Paul Arditti (Nomination) 2008 Helpmann Awards Best Musical (Winner) Best Male Actor in a Musical – Rhys Kosakowski, Rarmian Newton, Lochlan Denholm, and Nick Twiney (Winner) Best Female Actor in a Musical

 – Genevieve Lemon (Winner) Best Supporting Male Actor in a Musical – Linal Haft (Nomination) Best Supporting Female Actor in a Musical – Lola Nixon (Nomination) Best Direction of a Musical – Stephen Daldry (Winner) Best Choreography – Peter Darling (Winner) Best Scenic Design – Ian McNeil (Nomination) Best Lighting Design – Rick Fisher (Winner) Best Music Direction – Stephen Amos (Winner) Best Sound Design – Paul Arditti (Nomination) 2008 Green Room Awards Best Production Music Theatre (Winner) Best Male Artist in a Leading Role – Rhys Kosakowski, Michael Dameski, Joshua Denyer, Dayton Tavares and Joshua Waiss Gates (Winner) Best Male Artist in a Leading Role – Richard Piper (Nomination) Best Female Artist in a Leading Role – Genevieve Lemon (Winner) Best Featured Male Artist – Liam Dodds, Thomas Doherty, Landen Hale-Brown and Joel Slater (Winner) Best Featured Male Artist – Mike Smith (Nomination) Best Direction Music Theatre – Stephen Daldry (Winner) Best Choreography in a Musical – Peter Darling (Winner) Best Lighting Design and Sound – Rick Fisher (Nomination) Best Musical Direction

 – Stephen Amos (Nomination) Best Costume and/or Set Design – Nicky Gillibrand (Nomination) 2009 Tony Awards Best Book of a Musical (Winner) Best Original Score (Nomination) Best Leading Actor in a Musical – David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish (Winner) Best Featured Actor in a Musical – David Bologna (Nomination) Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Gregory Jbara (Winner) Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Haydn Gwynne (Nomination) Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Carole Shelley (Nomination) Best Direction of a Musical – Stephen Daldry (Winner) Best Choreography – Peter Darling (Winner) Best Orchestrations – Martin Koch (Winner), tied with Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt for Next to Normal Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Ian McNeil (Winner) Best Costume Design of a Musical – Nicky Gillibrand (Nomination) Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Rick Fisher (Winner) Best Sound Design of a Musical – Paul Arditti (Winner) 2009 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical – Lee Hall (Winner) Outstanding Music – Elton John (Winner) Outstanding

 Featured Actor in a Musical – Gregory Jbara (Winner) Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical – Haydn Gwynne (Winner) Outstanding Director of a Musical – Stephen Daldry (Winner) Outstanding Choreography – Peter Darling (Winner) Outstanding Orchestrations – Martin Koch (Winner) Outstanding Lighting Design – Rick Fisher (Winner) Outstanding Sound Design – Paul Arditti (Winner) Act 1 In County Durham, during the 1984-85 coal miners’ strike (“The Stars Look Down”), motherless eleven-year-old Billy inadvertently finds his way out of his boxing practice and as the only boy in a ballet class run by Mrs.

Wilkinson and becomes attracted to the grace of the dance (“Shine”). While his brother, father and neighbours are on strike and clash with riot police, he continues to take dance lessons, keeping it a secret from his family. The secret is at first easily kept, as the only person home at the time is his grandmother (“We’d Go Dancing”). Billy forms a friendship with Mrs. Wilkinson’s daughter Debbie. The boxing coach informs Billy’s dad that the boy hasn’t been to practice in months, and Mr. Elliot erupts, realising Billy has spent the money he gave his son for boxing on something else (“Solidarity”). When he discovers where his son has been, he storms into the ballet class and forbids Billy from attending and Mrs. Wilkinson, who is supportive of the boy, from teaching him. Mrs. Wilkinson, recognising Billy’s talent, privately suggests he come to the studio for free solo lessons, and he improves to a level beyond that of the rest of the class. Eventually, she encourages him to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. Billy’s best friend Michael is beginning to grasp he is homosexual.

He persuades Billy to have fun with him by dressing up in women’s clothing and disdaining the restrictive inhibitions of their working class community (“Expressing Yourself”). Billy continues to take private ballet lessons, bonding with Mrs. Wilkinson and developing an impressive routine for his audition (“Dear Billy (Mum’s Letter)/Born to Boogie”). Meanwhile, Billy’s father and brother Tony are engaged in daily battles with riot police that often turn bloody. They struggle to support the family with very little in strike and union pay, a difficult task that goes on for nearly a year. When the day of the Royal Ballet School audition comes, Mrs. Wilkinson arrives to pick up Billy. However, his family and some members of the community have gathered at the Elliot home, and she is forced to reveal that she has been teaching Billy ballet in preparation for this very day. This news upsets Billy’s father and Tony, who pushes the boy around, calls him names and embarrasses him in front of everyone. This setback sends Billy into a rage, and for nearly a year he stays away from everything related to ballet (“Angry Dance”).

Act 2 At Christmas time in the community centre, the children put on a show disparaging Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is seen as the antagonist by the coal miners (“Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher”). Billy’s father gets drunk and sings an old folk song that elicits memories of his deceased wife and the usually stoic man leaves in tears (“Deep Into the Ground”). Left alone with Billy in the Community Centre, Michael reveals he has feelings for him, but Billy explains that although he likes ballet, he is not gay. Nonetheless, he lets Michael give him a kiss on the cheek. Michael leaves, and Billy feels like dancing for the first time since the day of the aborted audition (“Swan Lake”). From the door, his father watches Billy’s dance routine and, overcome with emotion, he goes to Mrs. Wilkinson’s house to discuss Billy’s prospects as a dancer. She confirms Billy’s talent, but is not sure whether or not he would get into the Royal Ballet School. They discuss the cost of tuition, an amount well beyond Mr. Elliot’s means. He leaves questioning his working-class pride and the future mining has for his boys. Mr. Elliot decides the only way to help Billy is to return to work.

When Tony sees his father cross the picket line, he becomes infuriated and the two argue over what is more important: unity of the miners or helping Billy achieve his dream (“He Could Go and He Could Shine”). The argument eventually comes to blows and Billy is hit accidentally. One by one, the miners side with Billy’s quest and offer the boy their strike pay, but Billy still can’t afford the bus fare to London. A strike-breaker offers him hundreds of pounds from his wage, and an enraged Tony attempts to shun his efforts, but Billy accepts nonetheless. Now drained of hope, Tony dismally ponders whether there’s a point for anything anymore, and runs off. Billy and his father arrive at the Royal Ballet School for the audition. While Mr. Elliot waits outside, an upper-crust Londoner highlights the contrast between the Elliots and the families of the other applicants. Mr. Elliot meets a dancer with a thick Northern accent. The dancer confesses that his father does not support his ballet career. He sharply advises Mr. Elliot to “get behind” his boy. Billy nervously finishes the audition with a sinking feeling that he did not do well.

As he packs his gear, he lets that emotion overwhelm him, and he punches another auditioner in the face. The audition committee reminds Billy of the strict standards of the school. They have received an enthusiastic letter from Mrs. Wilkinson explaining Billy’s background and situation, and they ask him to describe what he feels when he dances. Billy responds with a heartfelt declaration of his passion (“Electricity”). Back in Durham, the Elliots resume life as usual. Billy receives a letter from the school and, as a joke, informs everyone he wasn’t accepted. Tony retrieves the letter from the waste bin and discovers that his brother was accepted. At the same time, the miners have decided to return to work resigned to the fact they are a part of a dying industry and a withering community, but take comfort that Billy at least will rise from the ashes to greatness. Billy says goodbye to the miners (“Once We Were Kings”), Mrs. Wilkinson (thanking her for everything she did to help him) and Debbie, who will miss him (“Dear Billy (Billy’s Reply)”). Michael arrives to say goodbye, and Billy gives him a friendly kiss on the cheek (“Finale”), leaving the past behind him and his bright future ahead of him. 2.

Interview with Haydn Gwynne 3. Official Website – West End press reviews 4. “ Billy Elliot – The Musical to open at the Imperial Theatre on 16 Oct”. New York Theatre Guide, 15 March 2008 5. playbill article, Dec. 13, 2007, “Elton John and Lee Hall Take a Bow at Billy Elliot’s Australian Opening Dec. 13” 6. Variety review of the Sydney production 7. News 8. Billy Elliot to dance into Melbourne, Australia performingartskids.com 9. Griffin, Michelle, “It’s goodbye Billy, hello Her Majesty’s rebuild”, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), June 15, 2009, NEWS, p. 1 10. Information about the Broadway production and possible changes to the show 11. “‘ Billy Elliot ‘ announces its New York cast”. Associated Press. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 12. “How Billy Elliot Conquered Broadway”, The Telegraph. 13. Billy Elliot Broadway website 14.

Billy Elliot official website – Press Reviews/ 15. Gans, Andrew (2009-05-05). “Nominations for 2009 Tony Awards Announced; Billy Elliot Earns 15 Nominations”. Playbill.com. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 16. Healy, Patrick (2010-01-31). “On New, Spare Broadway, Less Scenery to Chew”. The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-04-26. 17. “2009 Tony Award-Winning Best Musical to Launch Second National Tour”, dpacnc.com , March 2010 18. Gans, Andrew.”Tony Winner Faith Prince to Star in Billy Elliot’s Second National Tour; Casting Complete” playbill.com , August 25, 2010 19. BWW News Desk . BILLY ELLIOT To Launch National Tour In Chicago At The Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre In March 2010″, broadwayworld.com, July 21, 2009 20.

Jones, Chris. “Billy Elliot to land in Chicago for a long dance,” Chicago Tribune , July 21, 2009 21. Gans, Andrew. “‘Billy Elliot’ Dances Into Chicago March 18”. Playbill.com , March 18, 2010 22. “ Billy Elliot the Musical”. Accessed 5 August 2010 Download (2005) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) [FLAC] {100.XY} Torrent | 1337x Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) Wikipedia: Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in North Eastern England.

Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. Review: The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong. Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands.

A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks. Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School.

As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written. But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's.

Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album. But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death.

This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] Track List: 01. The Stars Look Down [0:07:31.21] 02.

Shine [0:06:08.49] Billy Elliot Booklet 10-11.jpg (5.4 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 16-17.jpg (4.6 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 2-3.jpg (4.3 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 12-13.jpg (4.3 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 18-19.jpg (4.0 MB) Billy Elliot Back 2.jpg (3.9 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 6-7.jpg (3.8 MB) Billy Elliot Back.jpg (3.7 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 4-5.jpg (3.6 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 1-20.jpg (3.6 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 14-15.jpg (3.5 MB) Billy Elliot Booklet 8-9.jpg (3.3 MB) Billy Elliot CD 1.jpg (738.3 KB) Billy Elliot CD 2.jpg (685.5 KB) Billy Elliot Front.jpg (46.5 KB) Billy Elliot The Musical - Original Cast - CD 1.log (3.4 KB) Billy Elliot

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Feel free to leave one :) Code: (2005) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD (download torrent) - TPB Get this torrent (Problems with magnets links are fixed by upgrading your torrent client !) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) Wikipedia: Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in North Eastern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical.

The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. Review: The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong. Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands. A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in.

The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks. Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School. As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music.

The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written. But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's. Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher.

Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album. But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death. This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] Track List: CD1: 01. The Stars Look Down [0:07:31.21] 02.

Shine [0:06:08.49] 03. Grandma's Song [0:04:42.08] 04. Solidarity [0:08:56.68] 05. Expressing Yourself [0:05:15.29] 06. The Letter [0:03:49.06] 07. Born To Boogie [0:04:26.57] 08. Angry Dance [0:03:51.04] 09. Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher [0:03:27.40] 10. Deep Into The Ground [0:03:36.97] 11. He Could Be A Star [0:04:51.14] 12. Electricity [0:05:54.70] 13. Once We Were Kings [0:04:14.77] 14. The Letter - Reprise [0:02:53.56] 15.

Finale [0:05:34.89] CD2: 01. Bonus / The Letter [0:02:33.12] 02. Bonus / Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher [0:03:38.03] 03. Bonus / Electricity [0:03:30.52] Summary: Country: UK Genre: Musical Media Report: Source : CD Format : FLAC Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode : Variable Bit rate : ~900 Kbps Channel(s) : 2 channels Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz Bit depth : 16 bits Download (2005) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD torrent - BTScene Torrents Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) Wikipedia: Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes.

The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984ΓÇô1985) in County Durham, in North Eastern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. Review: The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong.

Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands. A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks.

Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School. As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written.

But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's. Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album.

But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death. This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] Track List: 01. The Stars Look Down [0:07:31.21] 02. Shine [0:06:08.49] Download (2005) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) [FLAC] {100.XY} Torrent - Kickass Torrents Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) Wikipedia: Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes.

The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in North Eastern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. Review: The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong.

Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands. A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks.

Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School. As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written.

But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's. Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album.

But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death. This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] Track List: 01. The Stars Look Down [0:07:31.21] 02. Shine [0:06:08.49] NYC Manhattan: Billy Elliot — Broadway Billy Elliot — Broadway Billy Elliot — Expressing Yourself — Broadway musical show YouTube video preview. What: Billy Elliot Show SATURDAY 2:00PM 8:00PM SUNDAY DARK Billy Elliot the Broadway musical show is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes.

The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham, in Northern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's novel, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage. The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The Broadway Billy Elliot musical show production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. The Broadway Billy Elliot musical show production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 1 October 2008 in previews and officially on 13 November 2008. The London production's creative team directed and designed the Broadway production.

The Broadway Billy Elliot musical show title role was rotated among three young actors, David Álvarez, Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik, the last of whom had played the role in London. The supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne, reprising her role of Mrs. Wilkinson from the London production, and Gregory Jbara as Billy's father. The production received rave reviews: Time called it a "triumph"; critic Liz Smith termed it "breathtakingly brilliant" and "absolutely, unequivocally awesome"; the Daily News said it was "so exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping"; the New York Post said it was "almost like being in love" and termed it "amusing, perfect and passionate" and "the best show you will ever see"; and the Los Angeles Times called it a "global theatrical phenomenon". It has also been very financially successful, with $20 million taken in advance ticket sales. The production received fifteen Tony Award nominations, tying with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a Broadway show, and winning ten. The original three boys in the lead role jointly won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

The production recouped its original investment of $18 million in 14 months and, as of 2010, continues to sell strongly. Broadway Billy Elliot musical show Act 1: In County Durham, during the 1984-85 coal miners' strike ("The Stars Look Down"), motherless eleven-year-old Billy inadvertently finds his way out of his boxing practice and as the only boy in a ballet class run by Mrs. Wilkinson and becomes attracted to the grace of the dance ("Shine"). While his brother, father and neighbours are on strike and clash with riot police, he continues to take dance lessons, keeping it a secret from his family. The secret is at first easily kept, as the only person home at the time is his grandmother ("Grandma's Song"). Billy forms a friendship with Mrs. Wilkinson’s daughter Debbie. The boxing coach informs Billy's dad that the boy hasn't been to practice in months, and Mr. Elliot erupts, realising Billy has spent the money he gave his son for boxing on something else ("Solidarity"). When he discovers where his son has been, he storms into the ballet class and forbids Billy from attending and Mrs.

Wilkinson, who is supportive of the boy, from teaching him. Mrs. Wilkinson, recognising Billy's talent, privately suggests he come to the studio for free solo lessons, and he improves to a level beyond that of the rest of the class. Eventually, she encourages him to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. Billy's best friend Michael is beginning to grasp he is homosexual. He persuades Billy to have fun with him by dressing up in women's clothing and disdaining the restrictive inhibitions of their working class community ("Expressing Yourself"). Billy continues to take private ballet lessons, bonding with Mrs. Wilkinson and developing an impressive routine for his audition ("Dear Billy (Mum's Letter)/Born to Boogie"). Meanwhile, Billy's father and brother Tony are engaged in daily battles with riot police that often turn bloody. They struggle to support the family with very little in strike and union pay, a difficult task that goes on for nearly a year. When the day of the Royal Ballet School audition comes, Mrs. Wilkinson arrives to pick up Billy. However, his family and some members of the community have gathered at the Elliot home, and she is forced to reveal that she has been teaching Billy ballet in preparation for this very day.

This news upsets Billy’s father and Tony, who pushes the boy around, calls him names and embarrasses him in front of everyone. This setback sends Billy into a rage, and for nearly a year he stays away from everything related to ballet ("Angry Dance"). Act II At Christmas time in the community centre, the children put on a show disparaging Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is seen as the antagonist by the coal miners ("Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher"). Billy's father gets drunk and sings an old folk song that elicits memories of his deceased wife and the usually stoic man leaves in tears ("Deep Into the Ground"). Left alone with Billy in the Community Centre, Michael reveals he has feelings for him, but Billy explains that although he likes ballet, he is not gay. Nonetheless, he lets Michael give him a kiss on the cheek. Michael leaves, and Billy feels like dancing for the first time since the day of the aborted audition ("Swan Lake"). From the door, his father watches Billy's dance routine and, overcome with emotion, he goes to Mrs. Wilkinson’s house to discuss Billy’s prospects as a dancer. She confirms Billy's talent, but is not sure whether or not he would get into the Royal Ballet School.

They discuss the cost of tuition, an amount well beyond Mr. Elliot's means. He leaves questioning his working-class pride and the future mining has for his boys. Mr. Elliot decides the only way to help Billy is to return to work. When Tony sees his father cross the picket line, he becomes infuriated and the two argue over what is more important: unity of the miners or helping Billy achieve his dream ("He Could Go and He Could Shine"). The argument eventually comes to blows and Billy is hit accidentally. One by one, the miners side with Billy's quest and offer the boy their strike pay, but Billy still can’t afford the bus fare to London. A strike-breaker offers him hundreds of pounds from his wage, and an enraged Tony attempts to shun his efforts, but Billy accepts nonetheless. Now drained of hope, Tony dismally ponders whether there's a point for anything anymore, and runs off. Billy and his father arrive at the Royal Ballet School for the audition. While Mr. Elliot waits outside, an upper-crust Londoner highlights the contrast between the Elliots and the families of the other applicants. Mr. Elliot meets a dancer with a thick Northern accent.

The dancer confesses that his father does not support his ballet career. He sharply advises Mr. Elliot to "get behind" his boy. Billy nervously finishes the audition with a sinking feeling that he did not do well. As he packs his gear, he lets that emotion overwhelm him, and he punches another auditioner in the face. The audition committee reminds Billy of the strict standards of the school. They have received an enthusiastic letter from Mrs. Wilkinson explaining Billy's background and situation, and they ask him to describe what he feels when he dances. Billy responds with a heartfelt declaration of his passion ("Electricity"). Back in Durham, the Elliots resume life as usual. Billy receives a letter from the school and, as a joke, informs everyone he wasn't accepted. Tony retrieves the letter from the waste bin and discovers that his brother was accepted. At the same time, the miners have decided to return to work resigned to the fact they are a part of a dying industry and a withering community, but take comfort that Billy at least will rise from the ashes to greatness. Billy says goodbye to the miners ("Once We Were Kings"), Mrs.

Wilkinson (thanking her for everything she did to help him) and Debbie, who will miss him ("Dear Billy (Billy's Reply)"). Michael arrives to say goodbye, and Billy gives him a friendly kiss on the cheek ("Finale"), leaving the past behind him and his bright future ahead of him. Broadway Billy Elliot musical show Musical numbers Act 2: The Stars Look Down - Company Shine - Ballet Girls, Mrs. Wilkinson & Mr Braithwaite Grandma's song - Grandma Solidarity - Ballet Girls, Billy, Mrs. Wilkinson, Miners & Police Expressing Yourself - Billy, Michael, and Ensemble The Letter (Mum's Letter) - Mrs. Wilkinson, Mum and Billy Born to Boogie - Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy, and Mr.

Braithwaite Angry Dance -Billy & Male Ensemble Act II Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher - Tony and Partiers (USA productions-George, Billy/Michael/Tall Boy/Small Boy, Ballet Girls & Adult Cast) Deep Into the Ground - Jackie Swan Lake - Billy and Billy Older Self He Could be a Star (He Could Go and He Could Shine - USA) - Jackie and Tony Electricity - Billy Once We Were Kings - Company The Letter - Reprise(Billy's Reply) - Mum and Billy Finale - Company Download (2005) Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD torrent - BTScene Torrents Elton John - Billy Elliot (Original London Cast, Bonus CD) Wikipedia: Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984ΓÇô1985) in County Durham, in North Eastern England.

Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1] The musical premiered in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four including Best New Musical. The production is still running strongly, and its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, best musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards. Review: The triumph that is the stage adaptation of the film Billy Elliot is all the more remarkable when one considers the many ways it could have gone wrong. Director Stephen Daldry's 2000 movie about a pre-adolescent boy in an English mining town discovering his love of dancing against a background of struggle among striking mine workers was set in 1984, but made excellent use of a score full of '70s songs by T. Rex and several new wave bands.

A stage producer might have tried to turn it into a T. Rex jukebox musical, but that didn't happen. When The Full Monty, a British film with a similar setting and themes, was made into a musical, the story was moved to the U.S., and an American composer, David Yazbek, brought in. The results weren't embarrassing, by any means, but the British flavor of the piece was lost. That didn't happen to Billy Elliot, either. The hiring of Elton John as composer may have been the most dangerous choice in adapting the work, however. John has enjoyed success with the film-to-stage transfer of The Lion King, of course, and his Aida even won a Tony Award against a weak field in 2000, but he hasn't really been accepted in the musical theater ranks. Billy Elliot, which opened in London on May 11, 2005, should change that. John, who came out of a working-class background and overcame his father's resistance and other social pressures to attend the Royal Academy of Music, must have felt a special affinity for the story of a boy who does exactly the same thing, even though he winds up at the Royal Ballet School.

As a result, he hasn't just dashed off a few pop songs that he could have sung himself and called it a score. His two main influences seem to have been the quintessentially English soccer anthem and swing music. The former serves him well in writing the many choral numbers in which the miners declare "solidarity forever" and the police respond derisively. The swing element serves the many dance numbers, and there's plenty of dancing. But if John is gifted in his ability to compose pastiche numbers nearly as good as the originals, he also knows his way around a ballad, and his music for such songs as "The Letter" (sung in the words of the boy's dead mother) and "Electricity" (in which the boy tries to explain how dancing makes him feel) is as appealing as anything he's ever written. But John's music is only one element in the production. An even stronger one is Lee Hall's libretto and lyrics, which bring out the twin aspects of the story, contrasting the miners' troubles with the boy's.

Hall captures not only the idealism of socialism as it encountered the harsh policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's conservative regime, but also Billy Elliot's emergence as a dancer against the odds. And the score is well realized by a cast including Liam Mower in the title role and Haydn Gwynne as the dance teacher. Running 75 minutes, the original London cast recording is an excellent rendition of an excellent musical work. Elton John has done too much good work to call Billy Elliot his greatest achievement, but it is certainly the most outstanding theatrical project with which he has been involved so far, and it finally establishes his claim as a legitimate theater composer. [This edition includes a bonus CD containing three Elton John recordings of songs from the show. His performances of "The Letter" and "Electricity" have the unintended effect of demonstrating how impressive Martin Koch's orchestrations for the show are, since in John's hands they just sound like typical tracks that could be on any Elton John album. But the real corker is John's decision to record his own rendition of "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher," the miners' sarcastic holiday song, in which they celebrate Christmas only because it brings the hated prime minister one day closer to her death.

This must be the most politically charged song John has ever recorded, and it is especially provocative taken out of the context of the show and dressed up in a catchy pop/rock arrangement.] Track List: 01. The Stars Look Down [0:07:31.21] 02. Shine [0:06:08.49]

Question: Which musical by Elton John and Lee Hall, which revolves around a motherless boy who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes and is based on a 2000 film, opened in London's West End in 2005?
Answer: Billy Elliot the Musical