Billy Elliot the Forum

The boys playing Billy seem to get younger and younger all the time. For example, James Lomas was 15 years old on his debut, but Elliott Hanna was only 10.
Now I like them at any age approximately over 9 and under 16 years old, but I feel like they portray different characters. In my opinion slightly older Billy seems to struggle with puberty as well while a younger Billy seems more like a lonely boy, mourning his mother's death.
I'm wondering what you guys think. What do you think is an ideal age for Billy to play the part (or debut)? Leave the fact that Tony mentions Billys age (12) out of account.

Tony doesn't always say Billy is 12. Sometimes ( more often, I think), he says 11. I think this means that even if a Billy isn't 11 or 12, he should look approximately that age. Of course, as we all know, there is a huge range of physical differences among boys at 11/12. Some are entering puberty or already well into the process, and others are not quite there, but when I think of an 11 or 12 year-old, I generally think of a young boy with an unbroken voice (and no mustache ).

As long as a boy can convince me he's 10-13 years old, I don't really care what his actual age is. But when he is as tall as Dad , and singing in lower adult registers, then it's time to go.

By the way, I believe Colin Bates was 16 when he debuted as Billy.

ERinVA wrote: By the way, I believe Colin Bates was 16 when he debuted as Billy.

He was 15 as well.

I won't single any out, but I will say I've generally preferred the performances by the older Billy's. I find the extra year or two of ballet training really makes for an impressive performance. There's really no reason Billy can't be anywhere from 10 to about 16 without it really affecting the story much.

Jillis is 15 and no moustache yet But anyway you wouldn't estimate him younger than he is when you see him close. And yes his skills and body control are outstanding even in comparision to "older" longer serving Billys I've seen.

SolidarityForever wrote:

ERinVA wrote: By the way, I believe Colin Bates was 16 when he debuted as Billy.

He was 15 as well.

Yes, I double-checked. But by the time he left, he was 16 and a half, in contrast to James, who left the show in September, just 3.5 months after it opened. James did return as a substitute Billy for a bit, though, but he was still 15 during that time.