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The Muny
Michael Harp
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Photography by Onegentlemanofverona, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
St. Louis humidity can slow life in the summer to a sloth-like crawl, but the 96th season of The Muny (1 Theatre, 314-534-1111, muny.org) has sprung into a grand jeté with Billy Elliot the Musical during its opening week. The stage adaption of the 2000 film Billy Elliot began Monday at the outdoor theater in Forest Park.
While the production features an original score by pop icon Elton John, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the dance numbers—originally choreographed by Peter Darling and re-created for The Muny by Allison Levenberg—shine brightest.
The story is set in 1984 Northern England. Billy, the son of a motherless coal-mining family, ditches boxing lessons to discover his love and talent for ballet, potentially his golden ticket out of a blue-collar town being stymied by a mining union’s strike. But first, he must win support from his father and brother, who are appalled by the idea of Billy becoming a professional dancer. This is the first production of Billy Elliot in St. Louis since its 2011 run at the Fox Theatre.
Fourteen-year-old Tade Biesinger stars as Billy, as he had in the show’s productions in London and on Broadway. A review from the Belleville News-Democrat lauds Biesinger’s work, saying he “just might be the Best Kid Performer Ever in a Muny production.”
The show runs nightly at 8:15 p.m. through June 22. Tickets are $14 to $85, though early birds can queue for the free seats in the last nine rows of the theater.
Below is the remainder of The Muny’s season:
• Tarzan: June 25–July 7
• Porgy and Bess: July 7–13
• The Addams Family: July 14–20
• Seussical: July 22–28
• Grease: July 31–Aug. 8
• Hello, Dolly!: Aug. 11–17
