Billy Elliot The Musical closes at Victoria Palace Theatre

As the multi award-winning production celebrates its eleventh birthday – Billy Elliot The Musical pirouettes out of the West End in April 2016 due to the Victoria Palace Theatre refurbishment programme. UK and Ireland Tour opens in Plymouth February 2016.

Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions today (10th December 2015) announce that after 4,600 performances, due to the theatre’s previously announced refurbishment programme, the multi award-winning West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical will play its final performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre on 9th April 2016 as the production celebrates its eleventh birthday. The show has been seen to date by over 5.25 million people in London and nearly 11 million people worldwide, has grossed over $800 million worldwide and is the winner of over 80 theatre awards internationally.

In June this year tickets went on sale for the first UK and Ireland tour of Billy Elliot the Musical, opening at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in February 2016 when the touring and West End productions will be playing concurrently. Further dates – Sunderland, Bradford, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Southampton and Birmingham – have subsequently been announced, with the tour currently booking to May 2017. The first Japanese language production will open at the Akasaka ACT Theater in Tokyo in 2017.

Brought to life by the award-winning creative team behind the film including writer Lee Hall (book and lyrics), director Stephen Daldry and choreographer Peter Darling, joined by Elton John who composed the show’s score, Billy Elliot the Musical features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, the associate director is Julian Webber, costume design is by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

Based on the Oscar nominated film released in 2000 and set in a northern mining town against the background of the 1984/’85 miners’ strike, Billy’s journey takes him out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever.

Eric Fellner, Producer and Co-Chairman, Working Title Films, said: “After eleven incredible years at the Victoria Palace Theatre, I join my fellow producers in expressing our gratitude to absolutely everyone involved in making the show the enormous success it has become. It has been a privilege to witness Billy Elliot’s journey so far from producing the film in 1999 to the musical opening in London, Sydney, Melbourne, Broadway, Chicago, Seoul and Toronto amongst many other cities. I am delighted that Billy will continue his extraordinary journey when we begin our first UK and Ireland tour next year and look forward to the first Japanese production opening in Tokyo in 2017. Billy Elliot the Musical is Working Title’s first theatre production and we could not be more delighted with how audiences in London and worldwide have embraced this young boy’s inspirational story.”