Leaps and Bounds

BILLY ELLIOT'S BROADWAY DEBUT

When Billy Elliot: The Musical opens on Broadway this month, three young actors, David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish, will make their debuts (in rotation) in the title role. In order to be a Billy, you've got to sing, dance, and do gymnastics—these three were chosen after a year-long national talent search. With music by Sir Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot is already a modern classic: the story of a boy in an English mining town whose father dreams he'll become a champion boxer but who instead is compelled to dance.

Haydn Gwynne, of the original London cast, makes her New York debut in the role of the dance teacher. "Broadway is mythical. If you're coming from England with a British play or Shakespeare that's one thing, but Broadway is where the musical as an art form was invented, its birthplace. So it's rather special bringing over this very, very British show and saying, 'O.K., guys, what do you think of this?' " says Gwynne during a break in rehearsal. "The political side of the story is much stronger onstage than it was in the film. You get Billy's story as well as the story of the miners. It's also very funny and brilliantly choreographed—you're getting a lot of bang for your buck."

Composer John was drawn to the project after having seen an early screening of the movie at Cannes. "I was sobbing so much I had to be helped out," he says. "It really touched a chord with me, especially the scene at the end when Billy comes onstage at Covent Garden and his father is sitting there and he gets the seal of approval. It reminded me of my childhood, trying to please my father. I spent all my early years with my mother's and stepfather's support, but even when I really made it, my father never came to see me. The personal journey that Billy took was very similar to mine. The thing about Billy Elliot is that it's based on a

true story, on fact. It's not a fantasy thing; it's not escapism. It's based on human feelings, and it's got the biggest heart of any musical I've ever seen."

A. M. HOMES