Last night saw Billy Elliot The Musical welcome the show’s four millionth audience member to the Victoria Palace theatre, a celebration that comes following news of the hit production’s forthcoming intake of new cast members next month.
The lucky theatregoer Sharon Hick, who watched the Olivier Award nominated show with her friend Jane Horsewood and daughters Amy and Meagan Horsewood, was welcomed on to the stage by cast members Killian Donnelly and Deka Walmsley and presented with a weekend stay in London and goody bags for the children before being taken backstage to meet the cast.
Talking about the night, Hick said: “My friend Jane and I had been discussing taking Amy and Meagan on their first trip to London to see their first West End show. We thought Billy Elliot The Musical would be perfect. We could not believe we were there on such a special night.
Being the four millionth patron and to see this production was incredible. It is a real testimony to how magical this show is that so many people have been through the doors at Victoria Palace theatre to see it.”
Based on the Oscar nominated film of the same name, Billy Elliot The Musical charts one boy’s journey to realise his dream of becoming a ballet dancer against the backdrop of the miners’ strikes in 1980s North East England and is currently booking to 21 December.
The musical’s milestone comes following the significant landmark of fellow West End long-runner Wicked earlier this month, when the hit Oz-set musical celebrated its five millionth audience member. Both shows are nominated for this year’s BBC Radio 2 Audience Award alongside Matilda The Musical and The Phantom Of The Opera and will perform at the free public event at the Covent Garden Piazza as part of the Olivier Awards with MasterCard on 28 April.