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    Meet Billy Elliot: Reykjavik, Iceland

    Reykjavik City Theatre

    Reykjavik City Theatre in Iceland was the site of a production of Billy Elliot The Musical (BETM), opening there in previews on 4-Mar-2015.

    In the Spring of 2014, 900 boys auditioned for the title role.

    Some of the over 900 boys who auditioned for the roles of Billy and Michael
    Some of the over 900 boys who auditioned for the roles of Billy and Michael

    Eventually, six were selected to attend a Billy School to hone the skills a Billy needs to carry the almost three hour show. After a period of intense training that lasted through the summer and winter months of 2014, the three boys who would play Billy were chosen. They were: Sölvi Viggósson Dýrfjörð, Baldvin Alan Thorarensen and Hjörtur Viðar Sigurðarson.

    Taking a Break From Training (l-r
    Taking a Break From Training – Original Billys  (l-r Baldvin Alan Thorarensen, Sölvi Viggósson Dýrfjörð and Hjörtur Viðar Sigurðarson)

    In June of 2015, the cast of BETM Reykjavik performed at the Gríman Icelandic Performing Arts Awards show on TV:

    Credit: Video by Bergur Ingolfsson 

    In November of 2015, to plan for the departure of Baldvin Thorarensen from the show, Bjarni Kristbjörnsson — an original cast member playing the role of Michael and who had been trained from the beginning to be an understudy for the role of Billy — prepared for his debut in the title role.  He debuted as Billy on 28-Nov-2015.  Baldvin’s last show was the following week, on 4-Dec-2015.

    After several extensions, the show in Iceland eventually came to an with a closing night of 13-Feb-2016 — almost a year from its Opening Night.

    To learn more about the Iceland 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 Iceland cast, just click on the Cast Information button.

    cast info

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