By Sarah Lloyd

One of our Ambassadors was lucky enough to go along on the press trip to see Billy Elliot at the Manchester Palace before it arrives at the Hippodrome in March. Find out what Sarah thought here:

I saw Billy Elliot a few years ago in London and really enjoyed it so I was excited to get a sneak peek of the tour version in Manchester ahead of it coming to Birmingham in the Spring.

I have never been on a press trip before and was pretty nervous about getting in the way but everyone was really friendly and I got the chance to sit in on four different interviews (and even worked up the courage to ask a couple of questions of my own by the end). It was fascinating to hear how the cast relate to their characters and get some background on how the show is put together, which along with a quick backstage tour really helped me to appreciate the effort that goes into each and every performance.

Then we got to see the show itself and the tour version definitely equals the quality of the West End production. Billy Elliot is a show with a great cast of characters, amazing dance routines and a story that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey. The cast got a standing ovation from the whole theatre at the end of the performance so I definitely wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

Although I wasn’t born during the era the show is set in it really doesn’t make a difference. At its heart, Billy Elliot is a story about a family getting to know each other and a community trying to stand up for what it believes in. This makes it a timeless story that people of any age will relate to. I can’t wait to see it all over again when it reaches Birmingham!