Billy Elliot will give his final London pirouette on the stage of London’s Victoria Palace Theatre in 2016 as the curtain comes down on the hit musical on 9 April.
The Olivier Award-winning West End show is closing after 4,600 performances in the capital as part of the venue’s previously announced refurbishment programme.
Speaking about the announcement, the Billy Elliot The Musical‘s composer, Elton John, said: “The Victoria Palace has been Billy Elliot’s home for 11 years and, after the film, was an incredible place to start our theatrical journey. Our show has become so much bigger than anything I could have imagined and what has been particularly gratifying is to hear how many people have been genuinely inspired by Billy’s story. I can’t wait to take the show on tour, especially to the North East – it’s going to be an extraordinary thing to take Billy’s story back to where it started.”
The musical, which tells the story of a young boy from a northern mining town who finds his own special talent is not for boxing but for dance, will begin its first UK tour in February 2016.
Set in the 1980s, amid the miners’ strike, the production first opened in the West End in 2005 and has since won five Oliviers including the Best Actor in a Musical Award for original Billys Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire.
A total of 90 boys have now played Billy across the world, including Euan Garrett, the latest star to join fellow Billys Brodie Donougher, Thomas Hazelby, Nat Sweeney and adult cast members Ruthie Henshall, Deka Walmsley, Matthew Seadon-Young and Gillian Elisa in the London cast.
Of the history of the hit show, director Stephen Daldry added: “After 11 years and 42 London Billy Elliots, there are a huge number of people to whom we are enormously grateful, who have offered encouragement and support behind the scenes to our incredible child performers. From the mums and dads to the dance teachers and teachers of every kind who have helped them along the way, we want to say a massive thank you. I am really looking forward to our next chapter when we introduce the show to new audiences around the country and beyond.”
You can book Billy Elliot The Musical tickets through us here.
The much-loved London show is also taking part in our annual discount ticket promotion Get Into London Theatre. Book cut price tickets for performances from 1 January to 12 February here.