SAN FRANCISCO – Emotion carries the day in "Billy Elliot: The Musical," which just opened at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco. The touring production of the Broadway hit that won 10 Tony Awards in 2009, including best musical, wears its heart on its sleeve in telling the unlikely story of an English working-class boy who discovers his passion and talent in a ramshackle ballet studio.

That the boy, Billy Elliot, comes from a proud coal-mining family is not just background giving the story color. The strike by English coal miners in the mid-1980s and their bloody clashes with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's heavy-handed police enforcement tactics often literally share the stage with Billy's dancing revelations.

The passion and heartfelt devotion of the miners to their often unforgiving labor, and the ethical point of the strike, mirror the commitment Billy develops for dancing, while the obvious contrasts in the work and art create one of the play's powerful conflicts.

Oscar-nominated writer Lee Hall, who penned the original screenplay for the successful 2000 film, has written the book and song lyrics – with Elton John composing the music. While the collaboration doesn't yield any particularly distinctive or memorable songs, they are serviceable in carrying along the plot and also do a fine job supporting several standout production numbers that truly distinguish the show.

Director Stephen Daldry and choreographer Peter Darling – also both from the film – reprise their creative roles with the musical, which takes a darker edge than the movie.

Billy is the forgotten younger son of a widower, played by the compelling Rich Hebert, who is caught up in the whirlpool of the strike. Dad, as he is called, initially embraces the working-class nihilism oppressing the small dead-end town they live in. Billy's strident older brother, Tony (the effective Jeff Kready), also is enmeshed in the limited life of the coal town, finding his only outlet in violent clashes with Thatcher's police.

Somehow, in escaping the boxing lessons Dad sends him to, Billy finds himself in a ballet class run by Faith Prince's blithely matter-of-fact Mrs. Wilkinson. It's a testament to Prince's talent that so many roles seem perfect for her. She imbues Mrs. Wilkinson with a deliciously casual indifference that we immediately understand masks a warmth and soulful nurturing which will ultimately feed and empower Billy.

The scenes in Mrs. Wilkinson's school, particularly "Born to Boogie" with accompanist Mr. Braithwaite (a very flexible Patrick Wetzel), are comic gems. Mrs. Wilkinson not only sees the potential in Billy but also has the strength to stand up to both Dad and Tony when they are unable to understand the chance he has to escape the lives they lead.

While Prince is an invaluable asset to the production, the story centers on Billy and requires a remarkable performance from the young actor-dancer in the lead to make it all believable. There are five actors playing Billy in this run (the brilliant Daniel Russell performed the night I saw the show), and the demands of the role seem overwhelming. Billy is required to sing and dance several extended production numbers in the nearly three-hour show, and it seems improbable that an actor could perform the role more than a couple of times a week without exhaustion setting in.

The production has several inventive numbers, beginning with the poignant "We'd Go Dancing" by Patti Perkins as Billy's grandmother, who lives with the family. The song undercuts the sentimentality that pops up elsewhere in the story as Grandma poignantly tells of an unhappy life with her husband only intermittently interrupted by nights of drinking and dancing. The song sets a bleak context for life in the little town.

"Solidarity" brings the striking miners, physical policemen and developing young ballet dancers together in a dynamic, precise piece exploring the conflicting worlds of the story.

We also experience Billy's gifts in "Angry Dance" and an impressionist pas de deux from "Swan Lake" with his older, more refined ballet self.

Ian MacNeil's flexible set often effectively falls away, opening up the stage for the large, energetic cast. Director Daldry creates a truly moving and engaging production, even though he layers more pathos than the story really needs. Billy's transcendent movement is all that really matters.

Billy Elliot: The Musical

4 stars

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays- Saturdays, 2 p.m Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, through Sept. 17.

Tickets: $35-$200. Thirty rush tickets for each performance will be offered at $40 per ticket. Cash only, two hours before curtain; first come, first served. Two rush tickets per person.

Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes including one intermission.

Information: (888) 746-1799, www.shnsf.com.

Recommended for children 8 years of age or older.

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Call The Bee's Marcus Crowder, (916) 321-1120.

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