On 28-Sep-2014, a special presentation of Billy Elliot The Musical was held on a Sunday at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London and beamed live to movie theaters across the UK and other parts of the world. Subsequently, replays of that “live” presentation were shown in other theaters around the world and this month will be shown in still other global markets, including the United States. A complete listing of past and future showings of the presentation can be found on the BETM official website and for showings in the United States, at the Fathom Events website.
This special presentation features a pre-show introduction by BETM director Stephen Daldry, and is performed by BETMUK’s current cast, led by Elliott Hanna in the title role, with a special one-time appearance by original Billy Liam Mower, in the role of Older Billy. A special mash-up Finale includes 25 past and current Billys dancing to the spectacular choreography of original BETM choreographer Peter Darling.
Special DVD/Blu Ray Release on November 24th
In addition to the in-theater showings, it was announced that Billy Elliot the Musical Live will be available, beginning Nov. 24 in the U.K., on Blu-ray and DVD. Here’s the trailer taken from the Live footage of the show:
Credit: Video by WhatsOnStage
Prior to the November 24th release, the DVD and Blu-ray discs can be pre-ordered through such outlets as Amazon.com. It should be noted that for this initial release, the DVD will only be playable by those living in Region 2, unless they possess a “region free” DVD player. For a description of the international region codes, go here. It is expected that the release will be expanded to other regions at a later date.
On the September 28th weekend, when the show was beamed live into theaters across the UK, the popularly of the show, which has been seen by over 9.5 million people worldwide, was again on display as it topped the UK and Ireland box office, a first for an event cinema release. The special screening took in a record £1.9m.
