Great news for musical theatre fans everywhere – superstar Ruthie Henshall will be joining the cast of Billy Elliot – The Musical in May to play Billy’s dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson, taking over from current Mrs Wilkinson, Anna-Jane Casey. Ruthie has recently been focusing on her solo performances on tour, and will now return to the West End stage for the first time since 2011. The first performance for Ruthie as Mrs Wilkinson will be on 12 May 2014, nine years to the day since the show officially opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
Ruthie has become a musical theatre success throughout her years on stage, with other credits including performances in productions such as Chicago, The Woman in White, Marguerite, Les Misérables, Oliver!, Crazy For You, Cats, Miss Saigon and She Loves Me, for which she won an Olivier Award. She was last on stage in Thea Sharrock’s revival of Blithe Spirit at the Apollo Theatre in 2011.
Based on the hit 2000 film and set against the mining strikes of the 1980s, Billy Elliot – The Musical recounts the tale of a boy whose father wants him to learn to box but who instead discovers a love for ballet that leads him from secret lessons to a place at The Royal Ballet School.
Ruthie, having trained at the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts, has gone onto inaugural performing arts success in a range of roles and performances spanning many years across the industry. She has recently been performing in her own tour, presenting an anecdotal evening of snippets of her life alongside some of the blockbuster hits she is most famous for. This is in addition to her own material which is a testament to her incredible talent and ultimately, her success as a musical theatre artist.