We were delighted when we heard that Billy Elliot the Musical would be coming to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. Based on the highly successful film, the show is set in a northern mining town against the background of the 1984/’85 miners’ strike and follows Billy’s journey from boxing to ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever. Before the current, first ever UK and Ireland Tour, Billy Elliot the Musical spent 11 years on the west end and just recently closed earlier this year, after 4,600 performances. Speaking about the show going on tour Producer Eric Fellner said:

“Having recently celebrated eleven extraordinary years of Billy Elliot the Musical in London, we are delighted to have the opportunity to bring a new touring production of this inspiring show to fans across the UK and Ireland and the chance to delight new audiences along the way.”

It runs from Tuesday 26th July to Saturday 3rd September 2016 at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre and tickets, which start at €25, are on sale now. Just ahead of it's opening in Dublin, the cast and crew have put together ten interesting facts you might not know about the show. They include the fact that the writer of Billy Elliot, Lee Hall, came up with the idea for the show while sitting in the bath tub and that in each show Billy has to wear seven different pairs of shoes. That's a lot of shoes!