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    Meet Billy Elliot: Lima, Peru

    The 1025 seat Teatro Peruano Japonés

    A production of Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) was presented by Los Productores at the Teatro Peruano Japonés in Lima, Peru from May 26 to August 26, 2018.  Prior to the public opening there was an official opening night show on May 25, 2018 for invited guests only.

    The director of the Peruvian production, Juan Carlos Fisher, says that BETM is without doubt the most difficult piece that he has ever directed, in particular due to the large cast involving many children and also the complex choreography in the show.  Fisher saw the original film when it was released back in 2000 and felt personally connected to it, so when the film was made into a musical he was immediately interested in staging it.  

    About three years ago the possibility of a Peruvian production started to become a reality.  Fisher was cautious at first though, saying that he wouldn’t even consider trying to stage the show unless he could find suitable kids to take on the demanding role of Billy.  Luckily for Peru the search to find their Billys was a success and so the project was able to move forward.

    The three young actors who went on to star as Billy Elliot in Lima were Ray Del Castillo, Brando Gallesi and Thiago Vernal.  

    The Billy Elliots of Peru (l-r: Thiago Vernal, Brando Gallesi and Ray Del Castillo)

    They started preparing for the show in August 2017, taking ballet, tap and singing lessons.  In January 2018 they were joined by the rest of the cast to begin rehearsals and have been working hard ever since to prepare for opening night.

    The following video shows the three Peruvian Billys in ballet rehearsals:

    Credit: Video by Los Productores.  Note: Production clips in this video are from the Madrid production.

    Director Fisher said that he hoped that the Peruvian production of BETM would inspire young boys.  He said that if there is a boy in the audience who is passionate about ballet or even something else, and by watching the show he believes that he can achieve anything he wants, then that would be great. 

    To learn more about the Peruvian Billys, click on the Billy Profiles button (below) to be taken to their detailed profiles. 
    billy profiles

    To see a complete listing of the rest of the Peruvian cast, just click on the Cast Information button.

    cast info

     

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