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NEW YORK, Sep 6, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The London stage musical based on the film "Billy Elliott" is being fine-tuned to make sure its "Britishess" doesn't turn off Broadway audiences.
London theater critics have called the show adapted for the stage by original screenwriter Lee Hall and enhanced musically by Elton John "the best British musical ever," the New York Post said.
"(Director Stephen Daldry) decided that if we're going to take the show to Broadway and other places, we really want it to be as strong as possible," producer Eric Fellner said.
Production sources said there was some concern U.S. audiences would not comprehend the mine workers' struggles and the show's British political thrust. There was also worry the actors' thick, working-class accents won't be understood.
"It is quite daunting, taking this quintessentially British show to Broadway," Fellner said. "We are not altering the location or the character of the piece. We just want to make sure the Britishness travels."
The show will open at Broadway's Imperial Theater in 2008, The Post said.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
