Musical preview: Billy Elliot in Kendal (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Musical preview: Billy Elliot in Kendal

11:10am Saturday 6th March 2010 in

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Excitement is building for the Brewery Youth Theatre's production of Billy Elliot the Musical, being staged from March 17 to 19.

The buzz around the Brewery Arts Centre is quite remarkable at the moment and, due to the exceptional demand for tickets, an extra date has been added to next week’s March 17/18 8pm Billy shows, with a performance on the Friday (March 19) at 8.30pm.

Director and the Brewery Arts Centre’s drama development officer Trish Gordon told me that Billy Elliot’s creator Lee Hall was keen to put the show out to youth groups and schools around the country and has narrowed down his original script into an hour and a half show, especially for the new initiative, which has been set-up to celebrate the show’s fifth year in the West End.

As soon as Trish heard the musical was available she was hooked on the idea and went off to London to a development weekend with the creative team behind the production.

Trish explained that 115 other separate productions of the musical will be staged around the UK in a similar format to the National Theatre New Connections, entitled Billy Youth Theatre with a festival of ‘Billy Elliots’ held in May at The Lowry, at Salford Quays.

Doyenne of dance Helen Moffitt, the Brewery’s dance officer, is also involved in the Kendal arts centre’s production.

When I first heard that the Brewery was staging Billy I immediately thought of Josh Hawkins, one of the finest young dancers in the area.

It was definitely a part with Josh’s name on it.

Although he’s only been dancing for four years, the Kirkbie Kendal sixth former has developed into a terrific performer and has landed a place at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance at Leeds.

“I’m very excited at playing Billy, but incredibly nervous,” Josh told me in between rehearsals for the show.

He also explained that his first time on stage was in Peter Pan at the Brewery, when he was 13.

“I’d never danced or acted before and I’d just gone along with a friend to the auditions for a laugh.”

He was offered the part of Michael Darling, which fired his enthusiasm for the stage and he started dance classes at Jayne Mills Rigney Bank school at Milnthorpe.

As well as being part of the Brewery’s youth drama and dance groups and taking A level dance at school, Josh works with Lancaster’s Ludus Youth Dance.

Watching the Brewery cast rehearse the Solidarity scene from Billy, gave me a real sense of the power and emotion that the young performers have created.

Rock frontman and actor Steven Atkinson plays Tony, Billy’s brother, and another fine young actor, Joe Jamieson, takes the role of the Dad.

Another youngster with an oustanding voice is Hannah Plant, who plays Billy’s Gran.

The dream-team of Trish and Helen, helped by Sarah Kidd and Sarah Lockwood, has put together probably the most challenging and potentially most successful Brewery youth production yet.

Trish thought she’d reached new peaks with the cracking Abi Morgan plays that the Brewery players have performed during the past fews years.

With Billy she’s up the ante once again.

Box office 01539-725133.