Billy Elliot preparations on course

EVERYTHING is coming together for another spectacular Leongatha Lyric Theatre production, the cast and crew ‘bumping in’ on the weekend, turning Leongatha Memorial Hall into a theatre for audiences to enjoy Billy Elliot from Friday July 3.

Stage construction began on Thursday, doubling the hall’s normal stage space, with the set already being assembled when Sentinel-Times paid a Saturday visit.

The Lyric team was hard at work carrying in an array of items, including parts of the set, everything having been trucked from the company’s storage shed in the Leongatha Industrial Estate.

While a lot of work is required to extend the stage for every Lyric Theatre musical, there is a positive aspect to that.

“The good thing about building our own stage is that we can do some creative things with it that we might not be able to do in other theatre spaces,” Director Joel Stevenson said, not giving away what extra elements audiences will be treated to.

His versatility was on show as he helped assemble the set.

He stressed how fortunate Lyric Theatre is to have carpenter Mark Harrison and painter and decorator Davin Nicholas to bring the set to life.

“Having people with those trade backgrounds really takes it to the next level,” Mr Stevenson said, pointing to the stunning look-alike brickwork created with paint.

With less than three weeks until opening night, the Director is positive everything is on track.

“We’re in a really good spot; we’ve got such an incredible cast, such an incredible team working on it, so many people helping to make it something I think is going to be pretty special,” Mr Stevenson said.

“It’s been such a wonderful experience putting it all together and seeing it come to life.”

Tickets are selling fast as anticipation builds for a show that combines high-level singing and dancing.

“One of the elements of the show that’s been most challenging is the choreography because we’ve had the contractual obligation to replicate the original West End  choreography or get it as close as possible,” Mr Stevenson said.

He’s proud of how the amateur group has risen to the occasion.

The mix of dancing includes tap, musical theatre choreography and ballet, Drouin based dairy farmer Nathan Ingram continuing to juggle milking cows with working ballet sequences, having a strong dance background.

Billy Elliot opens Friday July 3 and runs until Saturday July 18, with a link for ticket bookings on the Leongatha Lyric Theatre Facebook page.