Dayton Tavares and Liam Redhead Are Broadway's Newest Billy Elliots

Broadway's Tony Award winning Billy Elliot is gaining two new title stars: Dayton Tavares and Liam Redhead. The pair join original Tony Award-winning Billys Trent Kowalik and David Alvarez, as well as newcomer Alex Ko. Current star Tommy Batchelor exits the production on December 11 in preparation for the show's 2010 national tour. First performance dates for both new performers will be announced shortly.

Tavares, 13, is a veteran of the hit musical, having previously played the role in both the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Billy Elliot. He becomes the sixth boy to assume the role on Broadway. Tavares is an accomplished dancer, having won the 2007 Australian Dancer of the Year title before representing his country at the World Dance Championships in Las Vegas. Another fun fact? The triple-threat is also a black belt in the martial art of Taekwondo.

Redhead, 14, makes his Broadway debut. He is a student at Toronto's prestigious National Ballet School, having begun his training at age 7 before going on to win competitive titles including the President's Cup for the highest mark at the Dance Educators of America showdown. His stage credits include Misha in The Nutcracker at The National Ballet of Canada.

In addition to Alvarez, Batchelor, Ko and Kowalik, the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot  currently stars Kate Hennig as Mrs. Wilkinson, Tony Award winner Gregory Jbara as Dad, Tony Award winner Carole Shelley as Grandma, Will Chase as Tony and Trevor Braun and Keean Johnson as Michael.

Billy Elliot is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds. Set against the historic British miners’ strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy’s journey as a boy in a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer. Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on November 13, 2009.