The most current profiles of those young men who have played the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical, but who have left the show since September 1, 2009, are kept in this section of the blog. The purpose of this section is to provide the reader with information about these past Billys who have contributed so much to the success of the show.   Profiles currently contained in this section, listed in the order of when they performed their last show as Billy, include: Tanner Pflueger, Kiril Kulish, Brad Wilson, David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Fox Jackson Keen,  Tom Holland and Liam Redhead.

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Note:  Profiles of those young actors currently in the role of Billy are listed by location elsewhere in the Billy Elliot the Musical section of this blog.

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Tanner Pflueger

Note:  Tanner’s Final Performance as Billy in London was September 26, 2009

Original blog post of this profile was on October 2, 2009

Tanner hails from Norfolk, Nebraska and has had the distinction of playing the role both in London and on Broadway (one of just two boys to do so).

Tanner began dancing at seven years old, studying a variety of dance styles ranging from tap to lyrical. Very soon, his dancing talent began to flourish. In the 2006/07 dance season, he was the West Coast Dance Elite Junior Champion and, at 12 years old, placed first in the Modern dance category at the Youth America Grand Prix competition (to see a video of that performance go to Tanner’s fan website -- link at the end of this profile).

One of 15 boys (out of over 1500 auditioned) brought to NYC for the semi-finals in the audition process to determine who would play Billy on Broadway, Tanner was ultimately asked to star as Billy in London. His first performance on the West End was September 29, 2008.

Just before he made his debut, Tanner was interviewed with another new Billy, Tom Holland, who had done just four performances himself.  Here’s a video of that interview, including a demo of the tough Geordi accent that all the cast has to master for the show:

In the Spring of 2009, Tanner was asked to fill in for one of the Broadway Billys who had to have minor surgery and thus would not be able to perform for a while. Tanner’s first performance on Broadway was May 16, 2009 and his last was June 6, 2009. After a short break at home in Nebraska, he rejoined the West End cast, ultimately performing the role for the last time in London on September 26, 2009.

There is a surprisingly significant number of Billy Elliot the Musical stalwarts who have seen the show many times (in some cases in all three locations where it has played – London, Australia and New York), and who rank Tanner as one of their top three Billys of all time. That’s high praise indeed when one considers the many extraordinary boys who have played the role.

In June, Tanner did an interview for the Sioux City Journal newspaper in Nebraska. When asked what his plans were when his run at Billy Elliot was over, he replied “I’ll go home and be a regular kid again. I don’t know what I want to do in the future, but I’d like to at least try to keep dancing in my life.”  To see more pictures of Tanner’s final performance, go to his fan site — link below.

For more information on Tanner Pflueger visit these websites:

Tanner Pflueger Fansite , Billy Elliot the Forum and  Friends of Billy Elliot Forum

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Kiril Kulish

Note: Kiril’s Final Performance as Billy on Broadway was October 3, 2009

Original blog post of this profile was on October 2, 2009

Kiril Kulish is one of the over 1500 boys who auditioned for the role of Billy on Broadway. That he was ultimately chosen to be one of the three boys to originate the role was not surprising to his fans.

By the age of 13, Kiril had already accomplished much in his young life. Born on February 16, 1994 and raised in San Diego (his family originally hailed from the Ukraine), his sister introduced him to dance at the tender age of three years old. He loved it from the start and soon was wowing audiences both in ballet (the youngest member ever admitted to the Junior Company of the San Diego Academy of Ballet winning the Youth America Grand Prix competition) and ballroom dance (US National Champion in the junior division). He is also an extremely gifted concert pianist.

Kiril had the distinction of being the Broadway Billy to perform the role in the first preview of the show on October 1, 2008. At the start of his run as Billy, Kiril was captured on a video highlighting scenes from the role:

and also was interviewed in a video taped just before the show began:

Along with his fellow original Broadway Billys, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik, Kiril made history when he won the Tony in June for Best Actor in a Musical, the first time the statuette had been awarded to three individuals jointly playing the same role.

Having grown tall and seeing his voice drop over his year as Billy, Kiril’s last performance was on October 3, 2009, just over a year from when he first performed as Billy before a live audience.

He performed in several performances of the the Nutcracker in San Diego, New Jersey and Aruba during the holidays.  While leaving his options open, at present he’s back at his home base -- the San Diego Academy of Ballet – training for a career in ballet.    Having turned 16 in February, there’s no doubt we’ll be hearing lots more from this young man in the near future!

For more information about Kiril Kulish visit the following websites:

Kiril  Kulish , Billy Elliot the Forum and  Friends of Billy Elliot

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Brad Wilson

Note:  Brad’s final performance as Billy in London was October 31, 2009

 Original blog post of this profile was on October 4, 2009

From Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, Bradley is currently 13 years old. He began dancing at the age of nine at a couple of local dance schools, where he studied a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, modern and contemporary.

He had been dancing for just a year when he was talent-spotted by the Billy Elliot youth casting people at a dancing show. Several auditions in London followed before he began training four nights a week in Leeds, where he was in the intense “Billy school” training program for two years preparing for the role.

Brad debuted on the West End on December 1, 2008. He was 12 years old. At the time, much was made of the fact that Brad was the 19th boy to play the role on the West End and the 30th to do so world-wide. Now, one would think that sort of loses him among the masses, so to speak. But as have all the boys who have played Billy, Brad has managed to put his unique mark on the role. He has earned much praise from the thousands who have seen him perform at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre over the past nine months for his graceful dancing and sensitive interpretation of the character.

In a video that is part of the “We Are Billy Elliot” series produced by of Billy Elliot the Musical – London,  Brad talks about the role and what it takes to be a Billy on the West End:

Brad recently announced his last show will be October 31, 2009 after 10 months playing Billy Elliot.

Because of the intense theater/dance training program and the experience of headlining a hugely successful West End musical, like all Billys when they leave the show, one can expect a bright future in entertainment for Brad Wilson, should he chose to pursue such a path. In the meantime, god-speed to Brad as he returns to being a regular teen after his almost three year trek of preparation for and then portrayal of Billy Elliot.

Note:  Despite having an official “last show” on October 31st, Brad appeared in several additional shows as Billy on the VPT stage, during the holiday season of 2009.

For more information on Brad Wilson visit these websites:

Billy Elliot the Forum,  Friends of Billy Elliot Forum

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 David Alvarez

Note:  David’s final performance as Billy on Broadway was January 3, 2010

 Original blog post of this profile was on October 4, 2009

David Alvarez was born in Montreal, Canada. His parents come from Cuba. So David grew up speaking both French and Spanish. It wasn’t until the family moved to San Diego, California, when David was nine, that he began speaking English on a regular basis.

Born on May 11, 1994, like many of his fellow Billys, he started dance at a young age – eight years old. David has said he really began to take dance seriously when he made the move to San Diego, where he studied ballet at the San Diego Academy of Ballet (with fellow original Broadway Billy, Kiril Kulish) and the California Ballet Company.

At age 10, David was offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theater (ABT) in New York City. David’s family pulled up stakes and moved with him to NYC so he could pursue his dream. At ABT, he was a featured performer in several productions and continues his ballet training there right up to the present time. In 2008, he was listed as one of the top 10 young ballet dancers to watch by Dance Spirit Magazine. David is also an accomplished classical pianist.

Alvarez was among the more than 1500 boys who auditioned for the role of Billy Elliot on Broadway after a dance teacher suggested he try out and was ultimately chosen to be one of the three original Billys. David was interviewed just before his debut on Broadway:

Credit: Video by frankhp11

His first appearance as Billy came on the second night of previews, October 2, 2008 and his “official” debut was on November 14, 2008, the night after the show opened on Broadway.

Some video highlight scenes of David as Billy Ellio can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuWDV73qrLI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fid_O2zQiS4&NR=1

On June 7, 2009, along with his two fellow originating Billys -- Kiril Kulish and Trent Kowalik -- David won a joint Tony award for Best Actor in a Musical.

On November 13th, David helped the rest of the cast celebrate the 1st Birthday of Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway at an after show cast and crew party where cake was had by all.

Into his second year on Broadway, David continued to wow audiences with his portrayal of Billy. He also continued to refine his ballet skills at ABT.

After 15 months in the role, his official last show as Billy was the matinee on Sunday, January 3, 2010 at the Imperial Theater. From the many reports of those who were there, it was a very emotional afternoon, beginning with a short speech by director Stephen Daldry before the show began, continuing into the performance itself as cast members did scenes for the last time with David, and ending with a very emotional finale, as his fellow cast members said goodbye to one of their original Billys.  After David’s last bow, Gregory Jbara, who plays Billy’s dad in the show, symbolically handed his stage son back to his real father.

Credit: Video by snowluv4

David has said in the past that he will continue preparing for a career in ballet, but holds open all his options. One thing is for sure, the future is bright for this boy who loves to dance!

For more information on David Alvarez visit these websites:

David Alvarez, Billy Elliot the Forum, and the Friends of Billy Elliot Forum

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Note:  Trent’s final performance as Billy on Broadway was March 7, 2010

 Original blog post of this profile was on October 11, 2009

Trent Kowalik

Fifteen year old Trent Kowalik is one of three boys who originated the role of Billy on Broadway (along with Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez).  Trent was the first of two boys who have played the role both in the West End and on Broadway (the other being Tanner Pflueger). Born on February 22, 1995, Trent is a native of Wantagh, Long Island, New York.

Trent’s path to playing Billy was in some ways similar to, but also very different from, that of the other boys who have played the role. Like most of the others, Trent started dance at an early age – three years old. He learned tap and ballet and, later, jazz and hip-hop.  But at age four, he began instruction in Irish step dancing at the Inishfree School of Irish Dance.  By age six he was competing at the highest level and by age 13 he was a five-time undefeated North American Champion and a World Champion – the youngest American to ever win the World Championship.

Casting agents for BETM had their eye on Kowalik since 2005, when they first inquired with Inishfree about boys who might one day fill Billy’s agile shoes. He had auditions in New York in November, 2005 and November, 2006. Then in June of 2007,  when the nationwide search for boys to play Billy on Broadway narrowed down to 15 boys, Trent was among that group:

But on the way to becoming a Broadway Billy, a funny thing happened. Though asked, in July of 2007, to play the Broadway part, Trent was asked to play Billy in the West End of London until the NY rehearsals began in June of 2008.  He debuted in London December 17, 2007, at 12 years old, and played the role at the Victoria Palace Theatre until a final performance on June 7, 2008, after he had been announced (on April 22, 2008) as one of three boys who would originate the role of Billy on Broadway.

After spending the summer and early Fall of 2008 rehearsing with the Broadway cast, Trent portrayed Billy on the Imperial Theatre stage for the first time during previews of the show on October 8, 2008 and had the honor of being Billy on the official Opening Night of the show on November 13, 2008.  This video shows highlights of Trent as Billy Elliot:

Credit: Video by BillyElliotStuff

The three originating Broadway Billys (Trent, Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez) went on to win an historic joint Tony for Best Actor in a Musical on June 7, 2009. On that night , Trent performed “Angry Dance” from the musical, before a Radio City Music Hall crowd filled with luminaries from the entertainment business and a national TV audience.

Credit: Video by buttertartlover

Then, over two years since he first performed as Billy at the Victoria Palace Theater, with his time spent in the role in London and on Broadway, Trent again made history. He eclipsed both the record for an actor with the most performances as Billy (200) --  a record that was  held by former London Billy, Leon Cooke — and the record for longest chronological time in the role of Billy Elliot,  which had been held by Layton Williams.  Layton was Trent’s roommate when they both starred as Billy in the West End and lived in the “Billy House” together and currently co-stars in the British TV series — Beautiful People.

Trent played Billy for the 227th and final time on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the 7:30pm performance.  It was over four years since he began his quest to be Billy Elliot and, with that performance, the last of the Tony Award winning actors who originated the role of Billy on Broadway closed out an era in Billy Elliot the Musical history. 

As his time as Billy drew to a close, there were several tributes made to all the hard work Trent put in to attain his dream of being Billy Elliot.  Here are a couple of the best ones:

Credit: Video by DDEB12

Credit: Video by ttoolman80

He said in interviews given near the end of his time as Billy that he misses the traditional school environment. Expectations are he’ll return to Wantagh for school and will continue his dance training, perhaps again taking up the Irish Step dancing he so loves and has excelled at for so long.  But one thing is for sure, with his dancing acumen, along with his acting and singing abilities, it will not be surprising to see Trent back on Broadway someday soon.

Credit: Photo by fiyero3305

For more information about Trent Kowalik visit these websites:

Trent Kowalik, the Billy Elliot the Musical- Broadway, Billy Elliot the Forum, and Friends of Billy Elliot

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Note:  Fox’s final performance as Billy in the West End  was March 27, 2010

 Original blog post of this profile was on October 11, 2009

Fox Jackson Keen

At 14 years old, Fox Jackson-Keen was the senior Billy on the London stage when he performed the role for the last time. He had been in the role for 20 months and had performed as Billy 201 times, since making his debut on June 23, 2008. He was the 16th actor to play the role at the Victoria Palace Theatre but the first actually from London (his West End predecessors all coming from other parts of the British Isles or the United States). Fox is from Hornsey, in the north of London.

His unusal first name stems from the fact that his parents were huge X-Files fans when he was born on May 14, 1995. Gymastics was an early love and he has competed at the national level in several championship competitions in that sport. Fox has also appeared as an actor on TV and in both TV and print advertisements. Fox’s acting credits include a role in the 2006 British TV adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s novel “Hogfather”. Here’s a short video clip of his performance in that show:

But like all the boys who play Billy, it’s his love of dancing that is closest to his heart. At the age of nine, he started break-dancing and soon after expanded to tap and ballet. When he first tried out for Billy Elliot the Musical, while his dance and gymnastic skills were appreciated by the casting people, they told him he was too small and to reapply in a few years. Two years later, he did just that. And this time, he was accepted into the “Billy school” where he spent a year in training and rehearsals before making his debut. In an interview from the “We Are Billy Elliot” series of videos on the London show’s official website, Fox gives some insights into how he got the role and what it’s like for him to play Billy:

What is probably unknown to the average theater-goer is that, when you see a performance of Billy Elliot the Musical, it can be a very different experience from what the group of people sitting in those same seats saw in the performance offered the day before. That’s because while the core of show is the same for every performance, the show is somewhat customized for each boy who plays Billy, based on his vocal range and strengths as a dancer.

That Fox’s strengths are street dancing and gymnastics is apparent in his version of the musical’s signature song, “Electricity”, shown in this video:

Fox’s last performance as Billy was on March 27, 2010 at the 7:30pm show. It’s a pretty safe bet that when he left  the Victoria Palace Theatre stage for the last time on that night, it surely won’t be the last we hear of this talented young performer.

For more information on Fox Jackson-Keen visit these websites:

Wikipedia, Billy Elliot the Musical -- London, Billy Elliot the Forum, Friends of Billy Elliot Forum

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Note:  Tom’s  final performance as Billy in the West End  was May 29, 2010

 Original blog post of this profile was on October 18, 2009

Tom Holland

Tom Holland’s last performance as Billy, in the London production of Billy Elliot the Musical, took place on Saturday, May 29, 2010, just a couple of days shy of his 14th birthday and after 21 months in the role.

Tom, who retired as the senior Billy on the London stage, was born on June 1, 1996 and is from Kingston, England. He started dancing at a hip hop class on Saturday afternoons at a studio called Nifty Feet in Wimbledon, England. He was spotted at age 10, at a dance show in Richmond, by Billy Elliot talent scouts who constantly scour the countryside looking for potential Billys. They invited him to audition for the musical.

Up to that point, Tom’s emphasis had been on street dance and acrobatics. While those conducting the auditions loved how accomplished he was in those skills and for his outgoing personality and stage presence, they suggested that he take ballet lessons in order to be a viable candidate for the role of Billy.
Eight auditions and two years later he was finally offered a role in the show. But he took an unusual path to finally attain his goal of being Billy Elliot. On June 28, 2008, Tom made his West End debut – not as Billy, but as Billy’s best friend Michael. It wasn’t until September 8, 2008 that Tom finally debuted as Billy Eliott.

In a series of videos on the official Billy Elliot the Musical London website, various cast and crew members are introduced to the public. In one, Tom talks about what’s it’s like to play Billy:

Credit: Video by WestEndTheatre

He was considered a “street/acro” Billy because most of his choreography in the show demonstrated that style of dance. Tom was known for his agility and his gravity defying acrobatic flips, including a “no hands” forward flip and his signature backward flip while walking up a wall which ended the show’s signature dance number called “Electricity”. That maneuver never failed to elicit gasps from appreciative audiences at the show.

Early on in his stint as Billy, with all of four shows as Billy under his belt, Tom did his first interview on a local British TV news program, along with another soon-to-be Billy, Tanner Pflueger. A highlight of that interview was when Tom and Tanner, asked by the reporter what their Geordi accents sound like, demonstrated by singing in turn, acapella, the opening words of the musical’s signature song “Electricity”.

Credit: Video by sleepylins

Tom did many interviews and TV appearances in the almost two years he was in the show, including with Tanner and Layton Williams on The Feel Good Factor and this appearance on March 11, 2010 with Fox Jackson Keen and Dean Charles Chapman on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show:

Credit: Video by MrWestendboy

To know Tom is to know his bubbly personality and his great sense of humor. One newspaper reporter found that out first hand when, during an interview, she asked Tom where his talent comes from. His reply: “My mum and dad joke about who I take after. I’ve seen them both dance and I have to say, there must have been a mix up at the hospital.” All agree there was no mix up when the creative team of Billy Elliot the Musical decided that Tom Holland should be one of their Billys.

There’s no doubt that, with his talent, Tom will have a stellar career in the performing arts, should he decide to pursue such a life’s work.

For more information on Tom Holland visit these websites:

Tom Holland in Wikipedia, Billy Elliot the Musical — West End, Billy Elliot the Forum and Friends of Billy Elliot

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Note:  Liam’s final performance as Billy on Broadway was August 29, 2010

 Original blog post of this profile was on December 23, 2009

Liam Redhead

Born on June 8, 1995, Liam Redhead made his Broadway debut as Billy Elliot on December 23, 2009.  Liam, who is from North Bay, Ontario, Canada, turned 15 a couple of months before he left the show and, at the time of his leaving was the senior Billy in age in all productions of the musical world-wide.

Like others playing the role,  Liam got involved with dance because his sister was.  At the age of seven, he began going to hip hop classes with her at the Barbara Treleaven School of Dance in his hometown. He liked it so much that he started studying jazz and tap and then, at age nine, he joined the school’s competitive group and was introduced to ballet.

Over the next three years, Liam competed in Canada as well as in New York, Atlantic City and Las Vegas — where he won the national title of Mr. Pre Teen with Dance Educators of America as well as the President’s Cup for the highest mark at the competition.

In the summer of 2007, Liam received a scholarship to attend the Young Dancer Summer Workshop at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theater in New York City. Then, in the Fall of that year, he moved to Toronto to attend the prestigious National Ballet School (NBS). He says it was while he was at NBS that he developed a passion for classical dance.  As a result of his work at NBS, Liam starred in the role of Misha in the James Kudelka version of  The Nutcracker with The National Ballet of Canada in December 2007 and 2008.

Unlike some who have played the role of Billy Elliot, world-wide, the time between Liam’s being “discovered” by the BETM team and actually being told he had the role was very short.  He auditioned in Toronto in June of 2009, while he was still attending NBS. After a couple of callbacks there, he went to New York for the final auditions and to meet the creative team. At the end of that week of auditioning in New York, Liam was told he got the part. He then went home for the month of August, before heading back to the Big Apple to began rehearsals and training for the role in early September.

There are many stories about how the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical represents a second family to the actors who portray the roles in the show.  This is especially true of the younger cast members, of which there are currently 26 on Broadway and many times that number in London (as the West End show employs multiple casts in most of the younger cast member roles -- including three separate casts of ballet girls).  Upon his arrival in New York, Liam was immediately included in all the activity surrounding the show and was embraced by his fellow Billys, both offstage and in official show milestones and publicity. This picture (above) of Liam watching Trent work a Rubik’s cube was taken by the Kowalik family at  fellow cast member Trevor Braun’s birthday party and was published originally on Trent’s popular blog*.  To catch a glimpse of more behind the scenes life with the Billys, go to Trent Kowalik’s blog and browse the many pictures there, including several more of Liam.

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas

As he prepared for his debut, Liam appeared on Good Morning America (GMA) with fellow Billys Alex Ko and Dayton Tavares, donating warm coats for the needy. It was during this appearance that GMA new anchor, Juju Chang, announced the date of Liam’s debut:

Credit: Video by qsaco1

Right after the calendar turned to 2010, Liam was interviewed by his hometown newspaper, the North Bay Nugget.   In the article, he talked about his debut and said, while nervous, how thrilled he was to finally be on the Imperial Theater stage after all the months of hard work preparing for it.  He said, “I had to portray mean and angry when I just really wanted to smile.  Things worked out better than I expected,” he said in describing his first show, “Everyone’s so nice and the crew is so supportive.”

In his first month as Billy, Liam’s main emphasis was on building the  stamina the arduous role requires.  He soon mastered everything though and,  like all the Billys, over time he grew into the role and received great reviews for his portrayal and his graceful dance style.  He also became known for his trademark smile that  he had talked about in that interview as being so hard to suppress during moments in the show when he was supposed to be angry and frustrated. While his initial contract ran through June,  his stay on Broadway was extended through the summer months.  On August 29, 2010, Liam portrayed Billy for the last time after which he returned home to Canada and to the National Ballet School where classes were to begin the first week of September.

This video footage features highlights of Liam as Billy Elliot from the show:

Credit: Video by BillyElliotStuff

While preparing for her own Broadway debut, Billy Elliot star Kate Hennig, who is also Canadian and who played Billy’s ballet teacher in the show, did some preparatory work with The National Ballet School.  In the popular backstage blog she wrote on the official site of the Broadway show, just before Liam’s debut, Kate wrote about meeting and observing Liam at NBS before he was even chosen for the role of Billy.  In part, what she said regarding Liam’s preparations for his debut …”bit by bit he learns to move these enormous dances from solo sessions in the rehearsal hall, to the raked stage, the company, and all lighting, sound, set and costume elements. Undaunted. With his gorgeous hair, and winning smile, and this great unconscious habit of standing on pointe in his tap shoes.

Eight months later, Kate devoted a portion of another blog entry to Liam’s departure from the show. Describing his last show, among other things she said, “I watched Liam do his onstage warm-up and saw the young man that has emerged from the boy I watched over a year ago in a class at the National Ballet School of Canada. The growth in his confidence, his desire, his professionalism… all these adult terms that can now be applied as he climbs elegantly into his mid-teens. (How many teenagers do you know that can actually be called elegant?!)”.  And, “And the play works itself out perfectly: we are both crying, and smiling, and loving each other… and my young friend Liam is sent off into his future. “

For more information on Liam Redhead visit these websites:

Billy Elliot the Musical -Broadway, Billy Elliot the Forum, Friends of Billy Elliot

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