Billy Elliot: The Musical Live

A recording of a performance of the Billy Elliot musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London, filmed on 28 September 2014 and shown in cinemas worldwide the same day. Brett Sullivan directs the recording. The stage production is Stephen Daldry's, with music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, who also wrote the film. Elliott Hanna plays Billy. The method separates it from a screen adaptation. Nothing is cut around, no scene is retaken, and the audience's reaction stays in the recording. The cameras move within the theatre while the performance runs on its own terms. The musical also differs from the film. The 2000 picture kept the strike in the background; the stage version puts the miners' strike and the Thatcher years far more openly at the centre. The production is the more political of the two. The most remembered moment comes at the end, when close to twenty five former Billys come on stage and dance together. Who it is for: viewers who like musical theatre and the filmed performance format. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a film. This is a theatre recording, the camera language is limited accordingly, and it runs close to three hours.