Express & Star

Rising star chosen for London pantomime

A 14-year-old Black Country schoolboy has landed a big role in an upcoming ballet in London.

Published

Lewis Smallman from West Bromwich will play Freddie in the English National Ballet's adaptation of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum.

Lewis is no stranger to the big stage, having played as Billy Elliott at Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre earlier this year.

He will perform in the role over Christmas, from December 19 to 24 and January 2 to 6.

His part is that of a young Freddie, who is the mischievous brother to young Clara, who finds herself journeying through a magical world with a Nutcracker doll, a present given to her by a family friend on Christmas Eve.

Lewis is studying dance at Tring Park School of Performing Arts in Hertfordshire.

Lewis is jumping for joy at his new role

Earlier this year he was chosen to play Billy Elliot in the UK tour of the smash-hit West End musical.

Lewis has also performed with the English National Ballet in Swan Lake.

His school has churned out star performers of the stage over the years. Past alumni include: Lily James, who has played in Disney's Cinderella, Downton Abbey and War and Peace; Daisy Ridley, who has performed at Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Murder on the Orient Express; director and choreographer Drew McOnie, who won the 2016 Olivier Award and is currently directing King Kong the musical on Broadway; Jessica Brown-Findlay who has performed in Downton Abbey; and singer-songwriter Ella Henderson, who rose to fame on The X Factor and whose first album, Chapter One, reached number one in the UK in its first week of release back in 2014.

For more information about The Nutcracker, visit londoncoliseum.org/whats-on/nutcracker