Paramount’s Circus-Themed Revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats April 30-June 15, 2025

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Step right up! Paramount’s circus-themed revival of 

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats 

promises to be a Jellicle spectacle, April 30-June 15

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows we're so excited to see Paramount's circus filled rendition of CATS! My son and daughter both practiced circus arts from age 7 through their teen years, performing in numerous Actors Gymnasium youth shows, and with Circesteem's team. We've also covered local, national, and international circus shows of all sizes for decades. Needless to say, we're quite familiar with Chicago's circus scene. Some of my kids' former coaches and castmates are about to grace Paramount's stage with feline finesse, and we can't wait to see them. I've reviewed multiple iterations of Broadway touring productions of CATS, but I can honestly say I'm more jazzed for Paramount's production. Don't miss this! 

Step right up! The Jellicle Ball is about to begin under the big top when Paramount Theatre presents a stunning, circus-themed revival of Cats, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Trent Stork, April 30-June 15, 2025.

Just picture Grizabella and her feline friends flying through the air with the greatest of ease. You may know all of the words to Cats, but you’ve never seen this Cats before, a new production intent on showcasing the amazing acrobatics and athletic grace of true felines.

Paramount isn't kitten around, casting its new take on Cats with a contortionist, jugglers, aerialists, tumblers, acrobats and other talented circus performers guaranteed to bring all new layers and energy to Lloyd Webber’s fantastical journey into the clandestine world of cats.

With a tent full of acro-cats, audiences will get swept up in the circus theme while Mungojerrie, Bustopher Jones, Bombalurina and more explore timeless themes of identity and redemption through captivating dance, singsong poetry, and unforgettable songs like “Memory” and “The Rum Tum Tugger.”

Paramount Theatre's Jellicle Ball is about to begin under the big top, on a set designed by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, with its stunning, circus-themed revival of Cats, April 30-June 15. 

Set rendering courtesy Jeffry D. Kmiec

Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s collection of poems, “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,” Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical tells the familiar story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the sacred night they make the “Jellicle choice” - which cat is worthy enough to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to new life? Brimming with magic, dance, and feats of fancy, Cats won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, and ranks eleventh on the all-time best selling Broadway musical roster. 

Here in Chicago, Paramount Artistic Producer and Casting Director Trent Stork has been licking their paws for years in anticipation of directing Cats. Stork most recently helmed Paramount’s smash hit regional premiere of Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical, directed Paramount’s stagings of Billy Elliot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock and Kinky Boots (Jeff Award winner, Director-Musical- Large) and co-directed Into the Woods with Jim Corti.

Trent Stork

“I was the associate director when Paramount did Cats the first time and I remember thinking, ‘what if Victoria arrived to the Jellicle Ball on a Moon Beam of Silks…’ and from there, a completely realized circus Cats has been living in my head for 11 years,” said director Trent Stork. “I’m very excited and grateful to be able to bring that vision to life with so much talent in the cast and behind the scenes. It’s going to be unlike anything the world has ever seen and totally something new for our audiences at Paramount.”

Charged with training actors to dance, play and move like cats are choreographer Kasey Alfonso, whose Paramount credits include Into the Woods and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, circus choreographer and founder of Actors Gymnasium. In fact, Paramount’s cast will take part in additional circus arts training intensives at Actors Gymnasium, Chicago’s oldest circus school, throughout the rehearsal process to make this production of Cats truly fly.

Cats fans better pounce on these tickets, because they’re just $28-$85, a fraction of the cost to see live theater in downtown Chicago. Plus Aurora boasts easy, affordable parking and great new restaurants all around.

Previews begin April 30. Press opening is Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m. Regular performances run through June 15: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Exception: No matinee Wednesday, April 30.)

For tickets, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461. 

Note: Paramount will also offer two Pay What You Can previews of Cats on Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 3 at 3 p.m. See ParamountAurora.com/Pay-What-You-Can for details. 

Accessible Performances

Paramount will offer open captioning Wednesday, June 11 at 7 p.m. and American Sign Language interpretation Friday, June 17 at 8 p.m.

Paramount offers free assistive listening devices at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a device. If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance.

Costume rendering for Electra (Hayley Larson) courtesy Izumi Inaba

 

Costume rendering for Coricopat (Ryan Huemmer) by Izumi Inaba 

Costume rendering for Munkustrap (Jake DiMaggio Lopez) by Izumi Inaba

Costume rendering for Grizabella (Emily Rohm) by Izumi Inaba

Paramount’s cast for Cats features Emily Rohm as Grizabella, Lorenzo Rush Jr. as Old Deuteronomy, Gene Weygandt as Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/ Peter, Jake DiMaggio Lopez as Munkustrap, Donovan Hoffer as Rum Tum Tugger, Tiffany Topol as Bombalurina, Alexandra Palkovic as Demeter, Allison Sill as Jellylorum, Christopher Kelley as Mistoffelees, Anakin Jace White as Skimbleshanks, Dani Goldberg as Mungojerrie, Ayana Strutz as Rumpleteazer, Kara Brody as Victoria, Kat Hoil as Jennyanydots, Emma Ogea as Sillabub, Brian Bandura as Carbuckety, Matty Bettencourt as Pouncival, Liam Bradley as Admetus, Sophie Liu David as Etcetera, Shaun Dennison White as George, Evan C. Dolan as Alonzo, Kat Harvey as Tantomile, Joe Giovannetti in The Cats Chorus, Ryan Huemmer as Coricopat, Brian Hupp in The Cats Chorus, Hayley Larson as Electra, Michael Lunder as Tumblebrutus, Emilie Lynn in The Cats Chorus, Selena Robinson as Cassandra, Emily Scinto as Exotica, Nellie Shuford in The Cats Chorus, and Matthew Weidenbener as Macavity/Plato.

Paramount Theatre’s Cats, directed by (row 1, from left) Trent Stork, features Emily Rohm as Grizabella, Lorenzo Rush Jr. as Old Deuteronomy, Gene Weygandt as Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Peter, Jake DiMaggio Lopez as Munkustrap, Donovan Hoffer as Rum Tum Tugger, Tiffany Topol as Bombalurina, Alexandra Palkovic as Demeter, Allison Sill as Jellylorum, (row 2) Christopher Kelley as Mistoffelees, Anakin Jace White as Skimbleshanks, Dani Goldberg as Mungojerrie, Ayana Strutz as Rumpleteazer, Kara Brody as Victoria, Kat Hoil as Jennyanydots, Emma Ogea as Sillabub, Brian Bandura (row 3) as Carbuckety, Matty Bettencourt as Pouncival, Liam Bradley as Admetus, Sophie Liu David as Etcetera, Shaun Dennison White as George, Evan C. Dolan as Alonzo, Kat Harvey as Tantomile, Joe Giovannetti in The Cats Chorus, Ryan Huemmer as Coricopat, (row 4) Brian Hupp in The Cats Chorus, Hayley Larson as Electra, Michael Lunder as Tumblebrutus, Emilie Lynn in The Cats Chorus, Selena Robinson as Cassandra, Emily Scinto as Exotica, Nellie Shuford in The Cats Chorus, and Matthew Weidenbener as Macavity/Plato. 

Paramount’s production team is led by director Trent Stork along with Kasey Alfonso, choreographer; Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, circus choreographer; Amanda Crockett, clown consultant and associate circus choreographer; Kory Danielson, music director, conductor; Jeffrey D. Kmiec, scenic designer; Izumi Inaba, costume designer; Greg Hofmann, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Paul Deziel, projection designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup designer; Ivy Thomas, properties designer; Benjamin Barnes, illusion consultant; Max Fabian, fight, stunt & intimacy director; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Tracy Nunnally, flight director; Devon Hayakawa, associate director; Kara Brody, associate choreographer; Kevin Reeks, associate music director; Cameron Tragesser, associate conductor; Amber R. Dettmers, stage manager; and Natalie Cohen and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage managers.

Cats is a sung-through musical with music by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the 1939 poetry collection “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats” by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber began setting Eliot's poems to music in 1977, and the compositions were first presented as a song cycle in 1980. Producer Cameron Mackintosh then recruited director Trevor Nunn and choreographer Gillian Lynne to turn the songs into a complete musical. Cats opened in 1981 to positive reviews at the New London Theatre in the West End and then to mixed reviews in 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. Regardless, it launched the era of the megamusical juggernaut, won countless awards including seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, garnered millions of loyal fans, and remains an international sensation.

In 2014, the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones called Paramount’s first staging of Cats “a genuinely spectacular show.” More than a decade later, just wait when Paramount unleashes its new circus-inspired version of Cats, the first Broadway title Paramount has brought back to its stage since launching its own Broadway series 13 seasons ago.

Cats is sponsored by Old Second National Bank. Paramount Theatre Broadway Season sponsors are the Dunham Foundation, BMO, ComEd, Illinois Arts Council and the City of Aurora.

 Costume rendering for Tantomile (Kat Harvey) by Izumi Inaba

Costume rendering for Old Deuteronomy (Lorenzo Rush Jr.) by Izumi Inaba

Costume rendering for Rum Tum Tugger (Donovan Hoffer) by Izumi Inaba

Costume rendering for Mistoffelees (Christopher Kelley) by Izumi Inaba

  

Coming soon: Paramount’s announces 2025-26 Broadway and BOLD Series line-ups

Looking to 2025-26, Paramount has revealed a four-show line-up for its 14th Broadway Series, and just as it has since it launched its first Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount still offers the same “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” offer, with packages starting as low as $60. Next season boasts two Chicago-area premieres - Come from Away, directed by Trent Stork, (August 20–October 12, 2025) and Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Jessica Fisch (February 4–March 22, 2026).

Add the most iconic holiday musical of all time, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, directed by Stephen Schellhardt (November 12, 2025–January 11, 2026), and the beloved 1940s World War II era musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, directed by Devon Hayakawa and Trent Stork (April 29-June 14, 2026), now that’s one enchanted season.

Just as it has since it launched its first Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount still offers the same “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” offer. Broadway packages start as low as $60. Actually, subscribers pay no more than $43.50 per show, and that’s the most expensive ticket. Fees not included. 

Paramount will also present three more exciting works in the Copley Theatre in 2025-26 as part of its fourth BOLD Series: Sam Shepard’s American classic True West, directed by Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti (July 16–August 31, 2025), the Chicago premiere of the buzzy new play Covenant by York Walker, directed by Goodman Theatre’s Malkia Stampley (October 1–November 9, 2025), and the first area Equity staging of Ride the Cyclone since its debut in 2015, directed by Lauren Berman (March 18–May 31, 2026). Sign-up for Paramount’s 2025-26 BOLD Series for as little as $78.

For subscriptions, tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.

About Paramount Theatre

Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.

Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 37,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S.

For over 50 years, the Joseph Jefferson Awards has recognized excellence in Chicago area theater. Paramount has been honored to earn 124 Jeff nominations and 29 wins over the last eight years of eligibility, including six Jeff Awards in 2022 for Kinky Boots, including Best Musical-Large, Paramount’s fourth win in that category following Sweeney Todd (2017), West Side Story (2016) and Les Misérables (2015). 

Paramount Theatre is one of five live performance venues overseen by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) in downtown Aurora. ACCA also programs and manages the 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s BOLD Series, at 8 E. Galena in the North Island Center; Stolp Island Theatre, now open at 5 E. Downer Place, Suite G, with a critically acclaimed immersive production of Million Dollar Quartet, extended through June 2025; RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora’s outdoor summer concert venue at 360 N. Broadway; and the Paramount School of the Arts.

Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.

For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.

REVIEW of Paramount Theatre’s Striking Billy Elliot: The Musical Now Playing Through March 24, 2024

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Family Friendly Shows On Our Radar

Paramount Theatre's 

Billy Elliot: The Musical 

Michelle Aravena (right, with cigarette) plays Mrs. Wilkinson, a ballet teacher who sees unusual talent in a young British boy named Billy (Neo Del Corral, center).  All production photos by Liz Lauren.

Inspired new production of the coming-of-age tale 

directed by Trent Stork

February 7-March 24, 2024

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Before miners or dancers ever step foot on the stage, the sheer magnitude of Paramount Theatre’s Billy Elliot set is sure to impress. With its towering iron scaffolding, towers and wheels, this gritty landscape provides the perfect backdrop for Paramount's blue collar Cinderella story. Billy Elliot comes from generations of overworked, underpaid English coal miners with few options. These hard headed brawlers are often the stereotype of toxic masculinity, but under those hard hats, there's fierce loyalty and community pride. When a year long strike creates financial woes, clashes with the police turn violent and neighbors are pitted against one another as some cross the picket line as scabs. 

Ron E. Rains (center, left) is Dad and Spencer Milford (right) is his son, Tony, leading coal miners on strike in a rural town in 1984 England in  Billy Elliot: The Musical.  In the midst of this stress and upheaval, young Billy Elliot, who has recently lost his mom, accidently discovers a passion for ballet. It's a hard sell to his family and friends, but his raw talent is recognized, and finally even the skeptics are willing to pitch in to help him follow his dreams, get trained, and rise above a dying town, where fossil fuel mining is going the way of the dinosaurs.

Sam Duncan (aloft) plays Billy and Christopher Kelley is Older Billy in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Sam shares the role of Billy with Neo Del Corral.  Billy (Neo Del Corral, center) rehearses with his ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Michelle Aravena, right) and Mr. Braithwaite, accompanist for Mrs. Wilkinson’s ballet class, (Dakota Hughes, left).  Here at ChiIL Mama, we couldn't love Paramount's production more. The casting is world class, and the entire confluence of creativity in choreography, lighting, sound, costumes, and set design is superb. This cast just kills it, and there isn't a weak link in the bunch. By the closing number there were few dry eyes in the place, and a rousing standing ovation erupted without coaxing.  Billy (Sam Duncan, right) and Michael (Gabriel Lafazan) perform “Expressing Yourself” in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Sam shares the role with Neo Del Corral.  ChiIL Tips: Come early and grab dinner in Aurora. Free street parking is easier to find if you're early and great restaurants are plentiful. We've tried at least 5 different places for pre-show food and drinks so far, and would happily return to any one of them. As you leave Billy Elliot: The Musical, you may find yourself singing earworm "Solidarity" for days after, but this show's excellent message of inclusion, community, support, and transcending differences is one worth remembering. Paramount's Billy Elliot: The Musical is not just memorable but remarkable.  Don't miss this.   ★★★★ Four out of four stars. Highly Recommended.   Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).

Combating prejudice with dance: Paramount Theatre  rings in the new year with  Billy Elliot: The Musical Sam Duncan (center, back to camera) plays the title role in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Sam shares the role with Neo Del Corral.

February 7-March 24, 2024

Do what you love no matter what other people think. That’s the message that leaps from the stage in Billy Elliot: The Musical, originally nominated for 15 Tony Awards and a winner of ten, including Best Musical. 

Meet Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old English boy who stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. His surprise love for dance must be hidden at all costs, especially from his coal miner father. With help from his sharp-tongued teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy gets the chance to attend a prestigious ballet school and must decide what is most important: doing what he loves or doing what other people want. 

Paramount Theatre rings in 2024 with an inspired new production of this popular coming-of-age tale, set to the music of Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, directed by Trent Stork. Performances are February 7-March 24, 2024. 

Trent Stork

Director Trent Stork, Paramount’s Artistic Producer and Casting Director, won their first Jeff Award, Director-Musical-Large, in 2022 for Paramount’s Kinky Boots. Stork also helmed Paramount’s current holiday season blockbuster, the Chicago Regional Premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with last season’s School of Rock, and Into the Woods with co-director Jim Corti. 

Stork has assembled another stellar design and production team, on point to create a dazzling night of theater: Isaiah Silvia-Chandley, choreographer; Kory Danielson, music director, conductor and music supervisor; Michelle Lilly, scenic designer; Izumi Inaba, costume designer and wig, hair and makeup designer; Greg Hofmann, lighting designer; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Mike Tutaj, projection designer; Jesse Gaffney, properties designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; John A. Tovar, fight director; Max Fabian, intimacy director; Devon Hayakawa, dramaturg; Amanda Raquel Martinez, associate director; Alex Mitchell, associate choreographer; Cameron Tragesser, associate music director and associate conductor; Jinni Pike, stage manager; Maegan Burnell and Lanita VanderSchaaf, assistant stage managers; and Bailey O’Neil and Madeline Scott, young performer supervisors.

Neo Del Corral performs the title role in Billy Elliot: The Musical.

Billy Elliot: The Musical, based on the 2000 film, features music by Elton John. Book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who also wrote the film's screenplay, inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike in North East England, “The Stars Look Down.” The musical premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four, including Best New Musical. The production ran through April 2016. Its success led to productions in Australia, Broadway, and numerous other countries. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, Best Musical. It was originally directed by Stephen Daldry. Orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

Sam Duncan (left) plays Billy and Christopher Kelley is Older Billy

Times, dates and ticket information

Previews start Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 7 p.m. Opening Night is Friday, February 16 at 8 p.m. Performances run through March 24: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Run time is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission.

Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. For group discounts, contact Melissa Striedl, melissas@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2461. 

Pay What You Can Performances

Paramount will offer two Pay What You Can performances of Billy Elliot: Thursday, February 8 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, February 10 at 3 p.m. Both days, starting at 10 a.m., visit the Paramount box office in-person to request tickets. Limit four per person. Subject to availability. See paramountaurora.com/pay-what-you-can for details. 

Access Services

Paramount offers assistive listening devices free of charge at all performances. Check in at the coat room before the show to borrow a listening device.

Paramount will offer open captioning on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m., and American Sign Language interpretation on Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m.

If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance.

Sponsors

Billy Elliot: The Musical is sponsored by Clear Perspective Advisors. Paramount Theatre Broadway Season sponsors are the Dunham Foundation, the City of Aurora, BMO, ComEd and the Illinois Arts Council. 

Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Single tickets are $28-$79. For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com or call (630) 896-6666. For the latest updates, follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn. 

Michelle Aravena (center) plays Mrs. Wilkinson, a ballet teacher who sees unusual talent in a young boy named Billy, (Sam Duncan, right) in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Sam shares the role of Billy with Neo Del Corral.  I'll always hold a soft spot for Billy Elliott, since it was the first Broadway touring production I ever reviewed reviewed for ChiILMama.com, back in 2010. My family was invited behind the scenes, to meet the four boys playing Billy on the national tour, and I got to bring my children to their first Broadway musical, at the ripe old ages of 7 and 9. I've been reviewing theatre ever since and couldn't love it more.

      My daughter Sage, Daniel, my son Dugan, and Billy Elliot -- AKA:  J.P. Viernes

Speaking of coming of age stories... Fourteen years later, these littles are now 20-22 year olds and my son has a theatre degree from Northwestern University! You never know how early exposure to theatre arts will grow. 

Places please: 

Behind the scenes of Paramount’s Billy Elliot: The Musical 

Performing the title role requires a “triple-threat” young performer who can act, sing and is a highly-trained ballet dancer. Paramount has found their Billy, two of them in fact, Neo Del Corral and Sam Duncan, who will alternate in the role. 

Paramount's Billy Elliot: The Musical will feature “triple-threat” actors/singers/dancers Neo Del Corral (left) and Sam Duncan alternating in the role of Billy.

Jennie Sophia (right, standing) plays Billy’s late Mum, Michelle Aravena(center) is Billy’s ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, and Neo Del Corral (left) plays Billy.  Neo Del Corral performs the title role in Billy Elliot: The Musical.   Jennie Sophia (left) plays Billy’s Mum, and Neo Del Corral plays Billy in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Neo shares the role with Sam Duncan. Del Corral, a veteran dancer at Miami City Ballet, has played Billy in productions in Florida and California. Duncan, from Connecticut, making his Billy debut, has many credits including John in Fun Home, the young prince in Public Theatre’s Richard III, plus TV appearances on Saturday Night Live and What We Do in the Shadows. Sam Duncan (center, back to camera) plays the title role in Billy Elliot: The Musical. Note: Sam shares the role with Neo Del Corral.

Sam Duncan (aloft) plays Billy and Christopher Kelley is Older Billy

Sam Duncan (center) plays Billy  

Sam Duncan (right) plays Billy and Ron E. Rains is Dad

Billy (Sam Duncan, right) spins Michael (Gabriel Lafazan) upside down in  “Expressing Yourself”  Principal cast members include (top, from left) Michelle Aravena (Mrs. Wilkinson), Ron E. Rains (Dad), (bottom) Barbara Robertson (Grandma) and Spencer Milford (Tony). Michelle Aravena (center) plays Mrs. Wilkinson, a ballet teacher who sees unusual talent in a boy named Billy in Billy Elliot: The Musical, playing now through March 24 at Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora. Photo credit: Liz Lauren

Youth performers are Gabriel Lafazan (Michael), Omi Lichtenstein and Elin Joy Seiler (rotating as Debbie), Charlie Long and Archer Geye (rotating as Tall Boy/Posh Boy), Levi Merlo and Eli Vander Griend (rotating as Small Boy), Ava Barabasz and Nina Poulimas (rotating as Angela Robson), Maya Keane and Meena Sood (rotating as Julie Hope), Avelyn Choi and Asha Dale Hopman (rotating as Keeley Gibson), Jojo Nabwangu and Willa Zatzenbloom (rotating as Margaret Gormley), Annabel Finch and Katie Romanski (rotating as Sharon Percy), Alexandria Rose Bell and Kavia Suri Kakodkar (rotating as Susan Parks), and Jordyn Helvie and Piper Sobel (rotating as Tracey Atkinson).

The ensemble (at press time) features Brian Bandura, Lydia Burke, Joe Foust, Neil Friedman, Nathan Gallop, Jared David Michael Grant, Dakota Hughes, Brian Hupp, Conor Jordan, Christopher Kelley, Chris Khoshaba, Kevin Kuska, Michael Earvin Martin, Matt Miles, Liz Pazik, Concetta Russo, Jennie Sophia and Matthew Weidenbener. 

It’s 1984 in rural England, and coal miners are on strike in Billy Elliot: The Musical, 

playing now through March 24 at Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora.