Billy Elliot the Forum

Can anyone shed light on this venue that has been issued a license, to perform BETM, from MTI?:

NOOR TEATER MTU
TALLIN, .. EE (Estonia)

From 03/01/2015
Until 05/30/2015

http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000437

(I have tried Googling it with little success, except to find links to a children's theater project under the auspices of the EU.)

On that MTI Website they obviously have problems with spelling:

Noor??? -->>>Nokia??

The Map says:


Billy Elliot at Nokia Cocnert Hall
Estonia Pst, 9 
Tallin ..

What's a cocnert hall

There's a photo on Google Maps of 'Nokia Kontserdimaja' which now is 'Nordea Kontserdimaja' . (NORDEA is a danish bank.)
http://tallinnconcerthall.com/
But they don't advertise BETM.

I found this website, I think it's the official website for the Estonian production
http://noorteater.ee

Found some pictures and translated the text http://noorteater.ee/uncategorized/cast ... stu-hasti/

As a musical key person is the young protagonist Billy, who dance and sizzle stirs inside of the theater hall of even the most distant rows. September 12 happened in the Tallinn Ballet School of lead actor Billy casting, which received a total of Kaie Kõrb best students. Directorby
Teet Kask made his choice. Who? It will soon ...

Thanks for finding that, Billy123.

If they are choosing Billy from that group, I think they are going to have to revise his age a bit. The boys in the group look a bit older than 11.

ERinVA wrote:Thanks for finding that, Billy123.

If they are choosing Billy from that group, I think they are going to have to revise his age a bit. The boys in the group look a bit older than 11.

I was thinking the same thing. But the billy will be very good dancer. Because all of them are students at the Tallinn ballet school

Again, this may be an example of how this musical can be adapted to local needs and expectations. My guess - and recent observation - is that finding and training triple threats, who are 15-16-17, is a lot easier and more expeditious than finding 11-12-13's, for a regional production.

Could the story not be adapted, where Billy and Michael are of high school age? Such a concept might shock die hard fans, but I wonder if a newcomer to the musical would find it inconceivable? The goal of finding a place at the RBS, by a later-age teen, has been illustrated by more than a few regional UK newspaper articles - some linked in this Forum - about a local lad of that age gaining a place at an esteemed ballet school , and being referred to as 'our local Billy Elliot'. Certainly some aspects of the story will have to be tweaked, and made 'older', but I cannot see why it would be impossible, or deleterious.

Let us not forget that the last Tour saw experienced Billys, who were distinctly 'older' than their London counterparts, perform brilliantly, and that Ogunquit's two Billys were 15 and 16.

kport wrote: Could the story not be adapted, where Billy and Michael are of high school age? Such a concept might shock die hard fans, but I wonder if a newcomer to the musical would find it inconceivable? .

I guess if they continue to think that audiences will accept a 35-year-old woman playing the part of Peter Pan, then a 17-year-old Billy doesn't sound quite so outrageous !

The catch with the older kids playing Billy in the regional shows so far is that they still appeared younger than they actually are. If you have a 17 year-old Billy who looks 17, then the toilet scenes with Debbie and Mrs. Wilkinson become rather strange.

ERinVA wrote: ...If you have a 17 year-old Billy who looks 17, then the toilet scenes with Debbie and Mrs. Wilkinson become rather strange.

A little girl making bold advances to an older boy, she hopelessly admires, could add a comical aspect that gets the audience to roll in the ailes.
Or Debbie could be older as well and her line could be altered to: "If you want, you can come over to my place tonight!"

I see this is going to be a professional production in a big theatre shurely worth a trip - but also in march next year??!! I definitely won't go, since I shure won't have anymore free days left.

With all these European productions going on, we could almost charter a coach tour to go see them all!

I wonder if any of them will release a cast recording.