Note: Peanut’s last show as Billy in the Cincinnati Music Theatre production of Billy Elliot The Musical (BETM) was on November 12, 2016.
Debut: November 4, 2016 (Cincinnati Music Theatre, OH)
Total Performances as Billy: 7 (No partial shows)
Peanut Edmonson was 14 years old (d.o.b. 12-May-2002) upon his debut as Billy in the Cincinnati Music Theatre’s production of Billy Elliot The Musical. Peanut hails from the small village of Batavia, Ohio, east of Cincinnati, where he is in the 9th Grade.
Peanut enjoys singing, dancing and performing on stage. He is a 2010-2011 Orchid Award Winner for Excellence in a Musical Theater Performance for his portrayal of “Little Kangaroo” in a production of Seussical: The Musical.
And, yes, Peanut is his real name. According to the story, he was born two months premature, weighing just four pounds. He was so small his parents decided to name him “Peanut”.
Since 2011, Peanut has been a much in demand actor, both on stage and in front of the camera.
His prior theatrical work has included:
- 2011 – The Wizard of Oz (The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati)
- 2011 – Holiday Follies (The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati)
- 2012 – The Legend of Pocahontas (The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati)
- Apr 2014 – Willy Wonka Jr (The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati)
- Oct/Nov 2014 – Mame (The Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton, OH)
- Mar 2015 – BIG The Musical (Rotary Club of Hamilton)
- Sep 2015 – The Full Monty: The Musical (The Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton, OH)
- Mar/Apr 2016 – To Kill A Mockingbird (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)
As busy as he’s been on stage, Peanut also enjoys work in movies and TV. His resume in that media includes:
- 2012 – Zombie Olympics (Short)
- 2013 – Wise Guys? (TV Series – 2 episodes)
- 2013 – The Christmas Spirit (TV Movie)
- 2014 – Good News for Modern Man (Short)
- 2015 – A Christmas Melody (TV Movie)
- 2016 – Kampout
- 2016 – Holler (Short)
- 2016 – Over-The-Rhine (In post production)
In this video clip, apparently made as an audition demo, Peanut displays his acting skills:
When asked how he relates to the character of Billy, Peanut replied “I’m a lot like Billy Elliot because I love to dance and perform. That’s not something a lot of guys my age do, so we have that in common.”
Upon his debut as Billy, Peanut was the 171st young actor to bring the role of Billy Elliot to life on stage in a professional, regional or community theatre production of the musical.
For more information about Peanut visit:
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