Beginning previews on October 1, 2008, the Broadway production of Billy Elliot has been hugely successful being watched by approximately 1,659,967 theatregoers to date. Opening at a cost of $18 million, this was recouped 14 months later. The musical was the hit of the 2008-09 Broadway season earning 15 Tony Award nominations and winning ten including Best Musical and in a Tony first, the three young actors who originally played Billy, shared the Best Actor Tony Award. Worldwide the incredibly successful show has received 81 theatrical accolades.
Producer Eric Fellner had the following to say in his statement “After three unforgettable years, we are announcing the final performance of Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway, to see this story of a small boy from a small town in the North East of England achieve such enormous success and receive such an incredible response from the musical theatre capital of the world has been hugely rewarding. I join my fellow producers in expressing our gratitude to every member of the creative team and the Broadway company for their hard work and dedication to this show. Sadly, all great things come to an end and we look forward to working on Broadway again soon.”
Globally, Billy Elliot has played to 7.5 million people with a total gross of $600 million. Fortunately for Billy Elliot fans, the show is still showing at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.