TORONTO - Toronto theatre-goers gave "Billy Elliot" a rapturous opening-night reception Tuesday, spontaneously leaping to their feet midway through the performance to cheer 14-year-old Canadian star Cesar Corrales.

"Billy Elliot" director Stephen Daldry has famously likened the rigours of the title role to performing "Hamlet" while running a marathon.

That description hardly seemed like hyperbole as the Montreal-raised Corrales turned in a dazzling dance showcase that encompassed modern moves, ballet and tap, as well as a breathtaking number in which he literally took flight -- sailing high above the audience.

To borrow the title of one of the production's most memorable songs, there was clearly an "Electricity" in the air at the city's Canon Theatre on Tuesday, with "Billy Elliot" Toronto-raised executive producer David Furnish and his partner Elton John (who wrote the show's music) in the audience.

The stage show was born after John was moved to tears by the "Billy Elliot" movie (released in 2000 and directed by Daldry), about a young boy who lives in an English coal-mining town in the 1980s and yearns to become a dancer, despite his father's disapproval.

John, proud papa with Furnish to a baby boy born Christmas Day, has said the tale echoed his struggle for acceptance with his own father.

The musical opened on London's West End in 2005 and moved on to Broadway, where it won 10 Tony Awards.

While the adult actors in the Toronto production are standouts (especially Canadian Kate Hennig as Billy's no-nonsense dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson), the allure of the show clearly rests with the 18 children in the cast (including the four actors who rotate the role of Billy).

These are unique and singularly focused young performers, particularly 13-year-old Dillon Stevens, who, as Billy's cross-dressing friend Michael, brings the house down with his tap-dancing extravaganza "Expressing Yourself."

For that number, the young actor from China Grove, N.C., is backed by a chorus of dancing dresses that must be seen to be believed.

Indeed, the staging in "Billy" is a marvel to behold. The show opens with newsreel footage that provides a rapid-fire lesson on the British labour movement.

The second act begins with the delightful "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher," in which the show's young female chorus sport masks of the former British PM.

As the number concludes, a huge Thatcher puppet is erected above the stage, her Tory-blue fingernails outstretched toward the cast.

But for all the eye-popping stage dressing, the mega-musical would be nothing without the talents of the Billys.

Corrales, who has studied with Canada's National Ballet School and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, danced as though possessed on opening night, yet also managed to mine moments of genuine humour and poignancy, particularly in his interplay with Hennig. He also admirably pulled off the British accent required for the show.

Make no mistake, while "Billy Elliot" is a heart-warming tale (some might even call it sappy), it's a salty show, set as it is in a rough-and-tumble town. Mirvish Productions recommends audience members be aged 8 and up, but be warned that the language is strong and the themes (a prolonged strike) might be challenging for some kids.

Young theatre-goers will no doubt be intrigued, however, to see themselves reflected onstage.

The casting crew has done a bang-up job of assembling a group of "normal" kids who look like they might very well be taking part in a small-town ballet class. And as Billy's dad, Armand Schultz makes a nice transformation from angry and appalled to bewildered, yet supportive of his son.

So far, the show seems to have cast a powerful spell on local theatre fans.

Mirvish Productions says audiences during the preview period have routinely offered up spontaneous standing ovations in the middle of the show -- something they've never seen happen before.

Indeed, "Billy Elliot" offers a night at the theatre like no other.

And rapt audiences may find themselves returning again and again. The show is said to have a completely different tenor with each of the Billys (the other three -- Myles Erlick, Marcus Pei and J.P. Viernes, joined Corrales onstage for a curtain call Tuesday night, performing a rousing tap-dancing routine).

They were rewarded by an appearance onstage from John, who sported a tutu as he stood waving alongside the beaming cast.

For the Rocket Man, "Billy Elliot" seems to have gained special resonance since he became a father.

Said the singing legend before the curtain went up for opening night: "We would never encourage our son to do anything he didn't want to do. And if he wanted to do something that was totally alien to what I do -- then fantastic!"