What the hell is wrong with expressing yourself? For trying to be free— and lemme tell ya’— them wee bairns over at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland are pretty flippin’ special, oh yes they are! And they’re expressing themselves just fine with this really heartfelt production of Billy Elliot. Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans and Choreography by Lauren Stuart, this dance-focused musical tells a story about learning to love yourself and being accepted for who you are, no matter what. With music by Elton John and Book & Lyrics by Lee Hall, this charming story takes audiences to the heart of County Durham (North East England), 1984/85 at the zenith of the coal miners’ strike during the Thatcher administration. It’s a tough concept for young students to understand but the team at CPM has made tremendous efforts to educate and innovate these fine young performers into delivering a beautiful story that they understand and perform with sincerity and grace.

Children’s Playhouse of Maryland and its incredible production team has once again outdone themselves when it comes to setting the playing field for professional production values. Returning to a true physical set, Technical Director and Set Designer/Construction Master Diane M. Smith has given the audiences just enough to set the location (and had a polishing assist from Scenic Artist Laura Miller.) One of the really impressive feats in this production from the technical design side comes from a hybrid effort of Costume Coordinator Lizzie Jaspan and Properties Master Amy Vickers— the dancing dresses and pants! You see this oversized ‘dresses’ (young performers wearing enormously larger-than-life dresses with curtain hangers for heads) dancing all about during “Expressing Yourself” and its one of the most overly joyful moments in the production. Lighting Designer Ed Lake is taking the shows illumination to the next level and this is particularly important as an intrinsic part of the plot’s expression, particularly during “Angry Dance” and “Electricity.” And special praises are owed to Stage Crew Chief Courtney Katzenberger and her run-mate Amy Vickers, as they enact the magic of ‘dance-flight’ for the titular character during “Dream Ballet.”

If there’s a person on the creative team who deserves an extra nod of praise this time around it’s Dialect Coach Callum McLagan. His work with the ‘Geordie’ accent and the young performers in this production is very impressive indeed. It’s a very distinctive dialect that grown adults struggle to master and the fact that Billy Elliot and Dad/Jackie in particular do such a masterful job with it speaks volumes about McLagan’s work. It’s right up there with Director Liz Boyer Hunnicutt who has these kids chanting about a strike that existed decades and countries far away from their purview, and she has them doing it in a manner that feels like they really understand what they’re chanting about. Some of the characterizations, especially the dynamic between Michael and Billy feel so earnest and real; Hunnicutt has done an exceptional job with the storytelling dynamic of this production.

Charlotte Evans, as the show’s musical director, works pragmatically and effectively at getting the group numbers to sound hearty and particularly heartfelt at that. This is especially true for “Once We Were Kings” and “The Stars Look Down”, the respective closing and opening bid for the show. Working effortlessly with Choreographer Lauren Stuart, they make “Solidarity” this extraordinary number that really gets to you. There are three character groups moving in and out of one another— the miners, the cops, and the ballet dancers— all whilst singing different harmonies and verses and motions of this number; Evans and Stuart’s combined efforts in this number are sensational. And Stuart is really flexing her dancer’s knowhow with this production, particularly when it comes to the solo and two-person numbers like “Expressing Yourself” or “Dream Ballet.” And all of the solo work featured on the titular character feels and looks authentic.

The ensemble, as always, is chock-a-block with talent. Each and every one of these young performers is ready to prove to you that they’ve got pluck, panache, and pizazz, singing and dancing, chanting and acting their hearts out in a play that really does feel like it would more readily go over the heads of ordinary children. Everyone in the ensemble doubles up, many triple and quadruple up playing multiple tracks, involving several costume changes, dance routines, and differences in their approach to their stage time. You get the Cops— Jayden Yang, Owen Miller, Claire Laflamme, Scarlett Cook, Amelia Trageser Campbell— who square off against the Miners— Caroline Greenwood, Bentley Hines, Parker Hines, Brady Katzenberger— during “Solidarity” and they all turn up, mostly as Miners, for “Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher” singing heartily about ill-will-celebrating her hopeful demise. Then you have performers like Sivert Carlson, who plays ‘Posh Boy’ a critical encounter for Billy later in the second act, and Jackson Drake, who plays ‘Small Boy’, one of the ones seen readily carousing at the top of the second act Christmas scene.

It’s a musical about dancing, particularly ballet, so we have the Ballet Girls— Colette Halcott, Abby Heer, Alana Marin, Liddy Schindler, Carly Stuart, Tegan Whyte, Veronica Witherspoon— all at Mrs. Wilkinson’s dance class. Abby Heer, who plays the dance instructor’s daughter, Debbie, has a fine hold on her Geordie accent and she’s absolutely hysterical when screaming for ‘maaahm’ off-stage and when she’s mouthing off in the sweetest way with Billy. These seven ballet dancers do a lot of, you guessed it, dancing, and they’re all holding their ballet form quite well, with Carly Stuart arguably being the most precious among them. When you see these seven do their ‘leg-catch-line’ you’ll find yourself wholly impressed. Of course, it’s not just ballet dancing that we get— there’s tap— and with tap comes Dancing Costumes, or at least in this show as a part of “Expressing Yourself.” Playing Dresses— Caroline Greenwood, Brady Katzenberger, Claire Laflamme, Alana Marin, Jayden Yang— and one pair of Dancing Pants— Veronica Witherspoon— they really get their fanciful self-expression on during that number and it’s wild. Brady Katzenberger, who also serves as the show’s co-dance captain alongside Gianna Norton, and who doubles up not only those three aforementioned roles but as Older Billy, gets to showcase his dancer’s prowess and capability during “Dream Ballet” where he shadow-dances alongside of Billy Elliot to bits of, among other songs, “Swan Lake.”

Gianna Norton, in addition to being a co-dance captain, and one of the miners, plays the role of Ms. Braithewaite, who ad-libs along on the piano during “Shine” the number that heartily features the seven ballet dancers and imports one of the most important messages of the show to the audience. Norton has the perfect ‘dancer’s face’, wherein she’s constantly presenting that earnest, genuine smile to the audience whenever she moves and has stellar dance moves and vocality, all of which are on exemplary display during “Born to Boogie”,  trio in which she shares lyrics and moves with Mrs. Wilkinson and Debbie. It’s impressive to see her shining all throughout this number and every number she’s in. The Ms. Braithewaite character serves mostly as a foil (though in the adult version it’s often cast as Mr. Braithewaite) for Mrs. Wilkinson (Cassidy Gertner), the dance instructor. Balancing the accent, her singing, her dancing, and her character’s attitude, Gertner manages to get a lot of laughs from the audience, particularly when shouting at her daughter Debbie to ‘piss off’ and when trying to hold her own against Billy’s Dad. There’s pop modernity to her singing which you can readily hear in “Shine” and “Born to Boogie” and it’s fun to watch her soften up to Billy after starting off as a brassier, aloof character.

One of the under-recognized characters in Billy Elliot is perhaps ‘Mum’ (Scarlett Cook.) It’s not a spoiler to say right from the off, and she’s even credited as such, that Billy’s Mum is dead. Cook does a beautiful job with her two solo features, “The Letter” and its reprise. You get this glorious sense of maternalism coming from Cook when she’s in those two numbers and even though her Mum character is briefly experienced, she lingers in your mind and heart. You also get George (Bentley Hines) and Big Davey (Parker Hines) who are essentially some comic relief in the production though they both have their ‘very serious’ moments as well. As George, Bentley Hines is the rough-n-tumble, gritty, ‘man’s man’ of a Boxing Coach who rather boxes off at the mouth when it comes to his opinions on wrestling and lads being lads. And then you have Parker Hines, who’s the backbone and leader of the miners trying to rally the troupes and upkeep morale amidst the strike. Both are incredibly engaging scenic performers and hold their character decisions well.

Coming into the Elliot household there’s Grandma (Kaitlyn Bell) who really is just a nonsense casserole, baked up into a moldy pasty and enjoyed by all. Bell really convinces the audience that she understands what it’s like to be these aging character of senility and seniority, particularly when gassing on about her bloody missing pasty. But it’s her solo that she gets to sing, “Grandma’s Song” that really has you both laughing uproariously and sort of patting your heart because it’s emotional to. Bell has a solid voice that carries the accent well while she’s singing. Tobin Shoul, playing Tony, has a powerful grip on his Geordie accent and really understands how to blast out his internalized frustrations, particularly when going head to head with the Dad character. You only really get to hear Shoul’s singing voice in the one number, “He Could Be A Star”, going opposite Dad, and it’s really moving because of the friction and turmoil that Shoul brings to his half of the duet. Watching the three of them— Bell, Shoul and the Dad (Cormac Coleman)— try not to be deviants all round when the official notice arrives in the mail near the end of the performance is an uplifting laugh-fest that really picks up the spirits.

As the Dad, Cormac Coleman is really giving a dynamic and diverse performance. Not only does he have a superb handle on his Geordie accent but he unabashedly showcases true character growth and really explores the depth of ‘Dad’ and the way he transforms from the start of the show to the finish. When he sings “Deep Into the Ground” you’ll find it very, very difficult not to shed a tear or several because his voice is beautiful and striking, emotionally stirring, and very, very real. The raw emotional approach that Coleman takes to the character is extraordinary, especially when he leads the charge into “He Could Be a Star.” But truly the most sensational moment of Coleman’s performance is when he’s watching Billy dance during “Electricity.” Watch his facial expressions and his body language closely; it’s a silent, reactionary scene, but the transformation and dawning realization that he experiences is evocative and one of the most touching moments in the production.

Michael, Michael, Michael— that wildly expressive lad is in a category all his own. Played by the spunky and vivacious Noah Frieman, he only gets the one big number, a shared number with Billy Elliot, but you won’t soon forget his zest for life, self-expression, and general sassy over-the-top sensationalism. With a glorious singing sound, a vibrant and outgoing expressivity to his body language, his dance moves, his overall personality and his spatial awareness on stage, Frieman is living his best life in this role and really knocking it out of the park. Whether he’s jumping into the tutu, strutting around during “Expressing Yourself” or having that truly heartfelt moment with Billy towards the end, you won’t be able to take your eyes off of him; he’s an aspiring young talent to keep your eyes on for sure!

Tackling the title role in any show can be a daunting task, especially when the titular character of Billy Elliot comes with the requirements of being a good enough dancer to start off dancing poorly, singing with clarity, maintaining a complex accent, and being able to navigate a dozen or more personalized character interactions over the course of two hours on stage. And this is one test in performance that Luke DiBello is acing with flying colors. His singing voice is so natural and expressive, truly soaring— especially during “Electricity” and “The Letter.” His dancing shows marked improvement— it’s no easy thing to stumble around like someone who’s never danced before, make it look convincing, and then steadily grow into actual skilled dance moves— and you really are convinced that you’re watching DiBello in live-time as someone who is learning and then mastering the art of dancing. His “Angry Dance” is so wholly engaged— feet, arms, face, vocality— it’s brutally beautiful and so intense! DiBello is earning top marks in not only mastering but maintaining that really complicated Geordie accent as well. And you get a slightly different side of Billy every time he interacts with someone. That body-crushing hug he throws around Gertner’s Mrs. Wilkison— it’s such a touching moment that they both act beautifully— or the way he shoves Posh Boy (Sivert Carlson) and immediately displays his regret in doing so— all of these little nuanced moments are striking. Personal favorites include when he has that really sweet moment with Debbie (Abby Heer) when he tells her his mum is dead, when he says ‘goodbye’ with Michael (Noah Frieman) and any exchange he has with Dad (Cormac Coleman.) Luke DiBello is a delightful, phenomenal experience as Billy Elliot and he’s engaging the whole cast to be likewise.

Make sure you go out and express yourself— express your support of this talented group of young performers who are really nailing this complex and mature production. They’re living their liveliest expressions, enjoying their best lives, and doing a tremendously impressive job with this performance. Don’t miss Billy Elliot running through October 4^th, to kickstart this season at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland.

Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission

Billy Elliot plays through October 4^th 2026 with Children’s Playhouse of Maryland in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.

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