Elton John charms crowd at Billy Elliot’s Toronto premiere
Posted March 1, 2011 8:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Sir Elton John was in town on Tuesday for the Toronto premiere of Billy Elliot, a musical he had a hand in creating.
John attended the star-studded opening night gala at the Canon Theatre with his partner, Canadian-born David Furnish, and received a standing ovation as he took his bows with the performers.
He spoke to CityNews, expressing his awe with the lead performer who plays Billy.
“It’s an exhausting role,” he said. “Not only does he have to act and be funny, he has to dance and he’s got to sing. That always takes my breath away when I see it.”
Billy Elliot follows the story of a coal miner’s son torn by his unexpected love of dance and his duty to his family during the 1984-1985 miner’s strike in England. John wrote the music.
The musical debuted in London’s West End in 2005 and moved to Broadway in 2008. Billy Elliot won 10 Tony awards, including a best actor trophy for Montreal teen David Alvarez.
The show is slated to run until the middle of July.
