Hobson’s Bay brothers, Sebastian Sero, 12, and Luka Sero, 10, are set to take audiences by storm in the regional Victorian premiere of the musical Billy Elliot, taking on a role they describe as “a dream come true.”
Sharing the role of Billy, the brothers will bring their impressive vocal, tap, ballet and acting skills to the stage to tell the story of a young boy’s struggle against the odds as he swaps his boxing gloves for ballet shoes.
“There’s no role like Billy,” said older brother Sebastian, who also played Billy in Cheltenham Light Opera Company’s (CLOC) production of Billy Elliot.
“I was only seven when the last touring production came to Australia and too young to audition – I cried in my room for a week when I found out, so playing the role twice now has been the best thing ever,” he said.
Luka played the role of Small Boy in the CLOC production and said he was envious of his older brother.
“I watched Seb rehearse and perform the role for months and part of me wished I could be up there on stage with him, performing the songs Electricity and Angry Dance too, which are my favourite numbers,” he said.
“Performing the role of Billy now though is just so special – I don’t even have the words!”
The Altona based brothers are no strangers to sharing roles, having previously performed together in professional productions of Elvis: A Musical Revolution, Mary Poppins, Fun Home and Round the Twist across Australia.
Both boys began working in film and television from a young age, with Luka appearing in the Liam Neeson action thriller Blacklight when he was 7 and in Oscar nominated Australian independent film Shadya and Magic Beach, while Sebastian appeared in the Disney Plus-Hulu series The Clearing, alongside Miranda Otto, Theresa Palmer and Guy Pierce.
Seb then worked on the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.
As much as the boys enjoy screen work, they say their heart lies in the theatre, which is where audiences will be able to see them at the Geelong Arts Centre for 13 performances from January 17 to February 2.
Ticket details: geelongartscentre.org.au/
