A star was born at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle on Saturday night. His name is Lewis Nicholson.
The Hunter School of the Performing Arts student played the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical, presented by The Very Popular Theatre Company, and knocked it out of the park. He was on stage for the entire performance, a remarkable feat for someone so young.
But he isn't alone when it comes to handing out praise. Every school-aged cast member who shared the stage with him shone just as brightly - as will, no doubt, the "other" Billy sharing the role, Fergus Paterson, who makes his debut this week.
The award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical has been seen by more than 12 million people worldwide, and counting. This coming-of-age story (featuring music by Elton John, with book and lyrics by Lee Hall) is timeless: a young lad whose mother has died starts taking ballet lessons and breaks free from tradition, expectation and the grim reality of living in a small industrial town where unemployment is an ever-present threat.
The musical is laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking, challenging but ultimately uplifting. And the cast assembled by The Very Popular Theatre Company - both young and old - nailed it. Their north-eastern English accents, their comedic timing, their obvious passion for their craft ... it all contributed to the raw energy and authenticity of the performance and the story it is based on.
Speaking of "nailing it", Debora Krizak deserves a special mention. The Helpmann Award nominee was called in a week out from the premiere to replace Chloe Dallimore as Mrs Wilkinson, Billy's ballet teacher, due to illness.
I have not seen Billy Elliot the movie, but the musical has set such a high bar I'm not sure I want to, or need to.
Read more: Lewis Nicholson and Fergus Paterson share lead role in Newcastle version of Billy Elliot the Musical
The Very Popular Theatre Company's producer and artistic director Daniel Stoddart said he was "so proud" of the cast, especially given that there were a few technical glitches on opening night.
Not that anyone noticed. I know I didn't.
"Some backstage motors broke which resulted in some people in the audience being able to see into the wings - it threw the stage crew a little bit and a few set changes were a bit higgledy-piggledy," he said.
"The cast didn't let it faze them, they just got on with it."
I mention how impressed I was - and surprised - by the maturity and professionalism of the younger cast members.
"Kids rise to the occasion in a professional environment. A lot of people undersell kids in theatre," Stoddart replied.
"If you cast them correctly, they never disappoint. A mentor of mine once told me that 50 per cent of the success of a show is casting it properly."
As for tickets, about 8000 have been sold already but Stoddart is hopeful that number will increase in the days to come.
"We're going OK but we need to sell about a thousand more to break even. It's just the way it is in this town. Jersey Boys last year sold 11,000 all up," he said.
"Everybody always tells us we spend too much money on these productions and we do, we absolutely do, but we can't stand seeing things done, well, half-arsed, if I can use that term.
"The flying scene in Billy Elliot, for example, was a last minute addition and it cost us an additional $27,000 but you can't imagine act one without it, and all the meaning that comes along with it - the metaphor of Billy leaving the ground and taking flight with his career and his imagination and his character's journey.
"We really need to be selling, here in Newcastle, more like 15,000 tickets to each performance but it's such a hard slog, particularly post-Covid when interest rates are high and everything is expensive and people are hanging on to their money.
"It's very difficult to convince them that coming to see these kinds of shows is a meaningful way of spending their hard-earned ... so it's tricky, but we're hoping that investing in quality for a good couple of years will get us a reputation for quality, and that it pays off in the end."
