KEY POINTS:
Teetering to the side of the Corelli School dance studio on Auckland's North Shore, nine boys wait nervously. Some wear ballet slippers and lycra, others stick to T-shirts and Chuck Taylors.
One by one, the boys come forward and ask if they can bum a smoke.
"Piss off," says casting director Rachel Mooney.
"I don't want to be in Billy Elliot anyway," the boys shout angrily.
Well, they're supposed to shout angrily.
New Zealand boys are just too polite according to Mooney. They can't bring themselves to be rude.
The boys are the first group of New Zealanders to audition for Billy Elliot The Musical, which will open in Sydney this December.
Mooney and resident choreographer Tom Hodgson have already seen 650 boys, aged 10 to 14, from across Australia and are now preparing to see another 60 from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
The pair are on the hunt for eight boys to play the roles of Billy and his friend Michael. The search is ongoing as the pre-adolescent actors have to be replaced as soon as their voices break.
After demonstrating their modest acting skills, it's time to hit the dance floor. The boys are taught a brief jazz routine, before they are asked to freestyle and "go bananas".
Some impress with their breakdancing skills, while others leave spectators giggling behind their hands, with their disco-cum-highland fling routines.
The cheeky face of Mark Davies catches Mooney's eye. That, and his eccentric mashed potato dance moves.
Tal Brink also impresses with his slick tap dancing. Unfortunately, a quick height check reveals the 11-year-old is already too tall and won't make the cut. There's a height limit of 152cm which cannot be waived.
Of the original nine, only Davies gets a call back. The 11-year-old Rosehill Intermediate student is stoked.
Davies has already had a taste of the limelight, starring in the new local drama Rude Awakenings, which debuted on TV One last Friday.
His extrovert personality appealed to Mooney and Hodgson.
"He's a real comedian with no inhibitions," said Mooney. "But without being precocious in anyway."
