“Billy Elliot: The Musical” will continue to run at The Media Theatre until Jan. “I can relate to it, though I’m not in the same situation. “Not that many musicals are about ballet and this situation – this is the only one where this young boy is dancing and it’s his passion,” Ranalli said. In fact, in a way, the boys feel a connection to the character of Billy Elliot. “I was nervous, but I wouldn’t say I was as nervous as (when) I did the first preview. Once during 'Billy Elliot,' actor Dayton Tavares was stuck in midair when one of his wires got jammed. “I’ve grown to like the show more and more as I’ve practiced it and gone through it,” Daniels said. The show has come to mean a lot to both actors, who have that common bond of being both local and have a history of some sort of dance. This is a British social realism film due to its realistic depiction of British people. The film is set in Northern England in the mid-80s and explores gender stereotypes, different social classes, the 1984 miner's strike and the use of police violence. “It’s exciting because I live in Media and I already know a lot of people that are in it, like Gunar,” he said. Billy Elliot is about a young boy who finds his passion for dance. So it was almost fitting for Ranalli to have the role again, though this time around, it’s even more special. “The casting director kept an eye on me and asked me to do Billy Elliot in Kansas and New York and I played that this summer.” “I auditioned three years ago for the national tour, but I was too young and it was also closing, so they weren’t hiring anyone,” he said.
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In fact, this is the third time the young actor is playing the role of Billy Elliot. Once he started with acting, though, Ranalli couldn’t get enough of it. “My mom owns a dance studio and I’ve been going there since I was 3,” he said. He instead started his young life off as a dancer because of his mother. Unlike Daniels, Ranalli is fairly new at acting, having started when he was 11 years old. “During rehearsals, we are practicing a lot together.”
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Sharing the role with Daniels is Brandon Ranalli, of Media. I knew I had a lot ahead of me, so I tried to practice it a ton before rehearsal started.”ĭue to the high demands of the juvenile roles, many of the characters are double-cast and the actors typically alternate performances. “Once we got the script in August, I just read through almost every scene every day. “It’s a big step up from what I had done before,” Daniels said. It would be his first big role as a lead character, having only been in ensemble parts in his young acting career. “I found it surprising, but I wasn’t like, ‘What? I got the role?’” “The first day I was there, we had a roundabout to introduce yourself and I said I did ballet and tap and (I) was asked if I thought I could do the role of Billy Elliot,” Daniels said.ĭaniels had to wait about month before he found out that he was given the lead role of Billy.