Local talent treading the boards in ‘Billy Elliot’ at the Players Theatre

THE musical “Billy Elliot” had a packed house for its opening weekend at the Players Theatre in Port Macquarie on 22 November.

Twenty clients of Linked Community Services joined the matinee audience.

Their animated chatter on the bus home reflected how much they enjoyed the performance, with their reviews including “it was such a fun show”, “very exciting and full of energy” and “a lot of hard work”.

The performances of the two young boys (Sam Moore and Finn Russell-Cargill) were described as terrific as were Mrs Wilkinson (Aneeka Brownsberger) and Grandma (Tracy Stedman).”

“Billy Elliot: the Musical,” with music by Sir Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, tells the story of the miners’ strike in the north of England in the mid 1980s, and a miner’s son who starts attending ballet classes.

“This show has held such an emotional grip on me since I stepped into the Capitol Theatre in Sydney at the ripe age of eight, seeing my first musical ever,” said Wil Ferguson, who is making his directorial debut.

He has pulled together a local cast of 30, a production crew of almost 50, and 20 band members.

The show relies heavily on chorus work to convey both the drama of the miners’ strike and the humour and emotion of Billy’s story.

From the opening number “The Stars Look Down,” the audience is in for a treat.

Linked client Valerie Wilson felt a personal connection to the story.

“My son was a professional dancer with the Queensland Ballet after winning a scholarship while performing at a Dance Eisteddfod,” she said.

“He was with them for two years and then became a ballroom dance teacher.”

Judy Kirby added, “We all enjoyed our social outing with Linked and we definitely recommend Billy Elliot”.

The season continues this weekend and next – with the final show on Sunday 14 December.

By Pauline CAIN