News

After years of rumoured arrivals, Billy Elliot looks set to finally dance into Toronto in 2011.

The Elton John-composed musical, based on the 2000 film about a British working-class boy who dreams of being a ballet dancer, has already been a hit in London, Australia and New York, while a fourth production is set to open in Chicago in March.

Now, an unnamed source says there’s a plan in place to move the Chicago production to Toronto in early 2011. Mirvish Productions, which at one time was in the running to produce the North American premiere of Billy Elliot, would present the show for an undetermined amount of time in Toronto; the show would then embark on a North American tour.

This plan depends on a number of factors, including how well the show sells in Chicago. But we should expect a confirmation of the exact details when Mirvish unveils its 2010-2011 season later this winter.

If the Chicago production does come to Toronto intact, there will be at least one Canadian in the cast: Montreal's Cesar Corrales, 13, who was been performing professionally in Canada since the age of four, is one of three rotating Billys in the production. In 2008, Corrales placed first at the Coupe Quebec gymnastics competition and joined Canada's National Ballet School.

Last year, fellow Montreal teenager David Alvarez won a Tony for his role as one of the three Billys in the original Broadway production.