4 rotating Billy Elliots
Four kids shared the Billy Elliot role simultaneously, rotating performances and standing by in case of injury.
Where this was said
Billy Elliot on the West End: Rotating Billys, Emergency Standbys, and Growing Up Fast
At 30:10 · chapter starts 29:30
Amy digs into what it was actually like to be a teenager doing eight shows a week on the West End. Tom's answer is surprisingly nuanced: there were four Billys sharing the role, rotating nights and acting as standbys for each other. He recalls one evening when he was playing golf with his dad, got an emergency call, arrived at the theater to cover, and wound up having to go on when the replacement Billy also injured himself. An audience member famously wrote in to suggest the theater just use one kid to avoid confusion. But Tom doesn't call Billy Elliot the hardest job he's ever done — that title goes to The Odyssey. Amy and Tom also discuss the oddity of always preparing for the hardest part of your day to come at the end of it.
Actors Have the Best Vantage Point on Set
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