Anna-Jane Casey and Howard Crossley to Join the West End Cast of Billy Elliot

International sensation Billy Elliot the Musical is set to welcome a slew new faces to its West End cast. Starting May 13, Anna Jane-Casey will star as Billy's dance teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, while Howard Crossley will take over the role of George. Additional cast newcomers include Kevin Wathen as Tony and Alexander Loxton as Older Billy, as well as ensemble members Claudia Bradley, Lee Hoy, Dean Maynard, Alan Mehdizadeh, Ryan O’Gorman, Charlotte Riby and Edmund Shaw.

Casey was most recently seen on stage in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. The award-winning actress boasts an impressive resumé of theater credits, including the West End productions of Cats, Children of Eden, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcaot, Out of the Blue, Starlight Express and West Side Story.

Crossley is primarily known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Comany, where he performed in Camino Real, The Virtuoso, A Woman Killed with Kindness, Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Coriolanus and Hamlet. Additionally, he appeared on Broadway in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Billy Elliot the Musical tells the inspirational story of one boy's passion for dance. Based on the Oscar-nominated film and set in the North East of England during the miner's strike of 1984, the show centers on Billy, who must pursue his dancing dreams in secret as he faces overwhelming odds and the disapproval of his struggling family.

The musical has been running at the Victoria Palace Theatre since 2005, having been seen by over 4 million people in the West End. The West End production was nominated for nine Olivier Awards, winning four (including Best New Musical). The Broadway production, which opened in 2008 at the Imperial Theatre, went on to win 10 Tony Awards.