Billy Elliot

A lot will be happening at the Red Tree Theatre at Tuggerah next year.  At the opening night of Billy Elliot on Friday 17th October, the entire season for 2026 was announced which drew a lot of excited noises from the full house.  The option of season tickets was also introduced, which will make this already very affordable theatre space even more available to cash-strapped enthusiasts on the Central Coast. Exciting times ahead.

But back to the main event.  Billy Elliot opens with the multi-purpose community hall which is impressively large and appropriately decorated.  Clever use of multiple entrances and exits means that the action is fast paced and the tension doesn't drop as the police clash with the coalminers, Billy's family begins to implode and everyone in the community is stressed to their limits.  The show flowed smoothly on opening night with the exception of a few audio hiccoughs which were presumably resolved shortly afterwards.

Lachlan King gave a powerful performance as Billy; his singing, dancing and acting were all top notch.  In fact, all members of the Elliott family were brought to life masterfully which gave the show all of the heart that it needs to succeed.  Jason King was simultaneously vulnerable and strong as Dad, Sam Powell was hilarious as Grandma and Sam Zovic as big brother Tony has enough onstage charisma and acting chops for the entire cast.  Jodin Meyer takes the small but poignant role of Mum and makes the most of her limited stage time.

Outside of the family, Sian Hayes shines as Mrs Wilkinson, Jackson Pollard was an appropriately effervescent Michael and Jaxon Graham-Wilson brings surprising triple-threat energy to the role of Mr Braithwaite.  Stand outs elsewhere include Xander Rush in the ensemble and Michael Russell as the grown-up-version-of-Billy Dancer.

Co-directors Daniel Craig and Sancia West have done a sterling job of assembling an energetic cast who give their all.  Choreographer Karina Graham-Wilson has also excelled at breathing new life into Peter Darling's original choreography.  The set design of ChrisJohn Handcock is very clever and makes the most of the space.  It was no surprise to hear that the show was selling like hotcakes and subsequently sold out.

Musical Director Marianne Powles has faithfully taught the harmonies to the cast and hopefully all vocals came across loud and clear as the season progressed.  It was clear that all cast members were singing their hearts out on opening night even if the balance between vocal projection and musical accompaniment had not quite been achieved yet.

Congratulations to the Red Tree Theatre and all involved with this heartfelt production. Keep an eye out for all announcements from the Red Tree in the near future because their schedule for 2026 is jampacked and sure to entertain.

Fiona Kelly