Ballerino Lim Sun-u, who played child Billy in 2010, returns in 2026 as adult Billy
"Billy Elliot" returns to Seoul in 2026 with more than nostalgia -- it comes with a built-in sense of time passing. Lim Sun-u, who played Billy as a child in the 2010 Korean production, now appears as adult Billy.
"Sixteen years ago, when I was in 'Billy Elliot,' I remember thinking that if I ever truly became a ballerino one day, I’d want to try playing adult Billy," Lim, now principal dancer at the Universal Ballet, told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday at the Chungmu Arts Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.
The 25-year-old ballerino, who was a finalist and prize winner at the prestigious 2017 Prix de Lausanne, said his experience in "Billy Elliot" became a major asset not only technically but also mentally.
“The acting and singing I learned while doing Billy have been a great help technically in my work as a dancer,” he said. “After joining the ballet company, I once suffered a leg injury that kept me from dancing ballet for three years. During that time, I got through the difficult period by thinking back to Billy.”
In addition, Shin Hyun-ji, who played adult Billy in 2010, has joined the new production as a domestic associate choreographer overseeing ballet coaching — a role he has taken on each time the musical has returned.
Tom Hodgson, the production’s international associate choreographer, said the revival carries an unusual sense of continuity built over 16 years. “To develop that relationship over 16 years has been absolutely extraordinary,” he said. “This generation of Billys is receiving all that wisdom, skill and knowledge about this production.”
Casting child Billy is notoriously difficult, as the role comes with strict requirements: The lead must be a boy aged 8 to 12, under 150 centimeters tall, pre-voice change, and capable across multiple dance styles, including tap, ballet and acrobatics. With three rounds of auditions to select the young cast and the intensive “Billy School” training program, it takes nearly two years of preparation before the production can be staged. The first round of the audition for the latest production took place in September 2024.
The four boys selected as the latest Billys are Kim Seung-ju, 13, Park Ji-hoo, 12, Kim Woo-jin, 11, and Cho Yoon-woo, 10. Coming from diverse backgrounds in acting, singing, hip-hop dance, ballet and acrobatics, they underwent an intensive training program of six hours a day, six days a week.
“You can be proud of becoming Billy. It takes talent, and the timing has to be right, too. I hope you’ll live happily, carrying the thought with you: I am Billy," Lim told the latest Billys.
Park Myung-sung, CEO of Seensee Company, said bringing back "Billy Elliot" onstage is more than just another production. "It strengthens the foundations of Korean musical theater and helps nurture young talent through the child actors who play Billy," Park noted, adding that Lim’s return is proof that dreams onstage can become reality, just as they do for Billy in the story.
Based on the 2000 film of the same name, “Billy Elliot” is set in northern England during the miners’ strike of the 1980s. It follows a young boy who discovers his talent for ballet after stumbling into a dance class during a boxing lesson, and who fights against adversity to pursue his dream.
The musical adaptation premiered in 2005 in London and has been staged three times in Korea previously, in 2010, 2017 and 2021.
The fourth revival will run from April 12 to July 26 at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
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