Durham Performing Arts Center presents Billy Elliot

A trained singer and ballet dancer, the most dynamic character in Billy Elliot the Musical is just under five feet tall—and that’s with the tap shoes.

Part of the Durham Performing Arts Center’s SunTrust Broadway Series, the multiple Tony Award-winning show features a mixed cast of adults and children in a heartwarming tale of a boy who seeks his dream against the norm, set in the coal fields of 1984 Northern England. With music by Elton John and lyrics by Lee Hall, the story follows Billy, played by Giuseppe Bausilio, Michael Dameski, Kylend Hetherington, Lex Ishimoto and Daniel Russell, who gives up boxing for ballet amid the strife in his community. His father and older brother (played by Rich Hebert and Jeff Kready, respectively) are enveloped in their own struggle as they go on strike to save their jobs and protect their livelihood in the coal industry.

For the most part, the cast meshes seamlessly. The young actors in Billy Elliot are especially impressive. Song and dance numbers such as “Shine” and “Solidarity” feature girls younger than 10 years old leaping alongside their adult counterparts, and Billy is featured in nearly every number.

Occasionally throughout the show, however, the kids reveal their age. They sometimes pause too long or short for comedic effect or falter slightly during dance sequences. Though not always as polished as the more seasoned actors, Bausilio especially expresses a sincerity and rawness in his performance. For example, in the song “Angry Dance” he wordlessly illustrates his grief over his father’s rejection of his dancing and his mother’s death. In addition to “Angry Dance,” other non-verbal dances prove to be the most powerful and moving. Billy explains dancing as an electric experience, akin to the sense of watching these fluid numbers.

Categorizing Billy Elliot into one set genre would do the show injustice. In fact, the best way to describe the musical is over the top. With elaborate set changes, complex dance numbers, smoke and confetti, the musical speeds along at a hair-raising pace.The show is a delightful mix of drama and humor, sometimes bordering on the edge of ridiculousness. In “Expressing Yourself,” a chorus of giant dresses tap dance across the stage. On the other hand, haunting aspects include sequences with Billy’s deceased mother, his futuristic dancer self and his grandmother’s abusive dead husband. Contrary to the age of the young characters, though, this isn’t a kids’ show—themes include loss, class struggle, acceptance and hints of homosexuality.

Although Billy’s brother snaps at the end of the play, “We can’t all be f***ing dancers,” Billy Elliot gives us hope in reaching for our dreams and just maybe trying on those tap shoes.

Billy Elliot runs through Nov. 14 at the Durham Performing Arts Center. For tickets, showtimes and other information, visit dpacnc.com.