As a much loved Christmas classic, ELF the Musical will open at the Dominion Theatre on 24 October, for a strictly limited 10 week season. Following the sold-out UK and Ireland premieres in Plymouth and Dublin in December 2014, ELF the musical will receive its London premiere this autumn, with the run ending on 2 January 2016. What began as a mandatory Christmas film to watch with the family could now become a smash hit!
The musical is based on the 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell: it is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. Casting for the musical is yet to be announced.
ELF the Musical features a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer). The production will feature direction and choreography by Morgan Young (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), set design and costumes by Tim Goodchild, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, vocal arrangements by Phil Reno, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, video design by Ian William Galloway and sound design by Clement Rawling. Musical direction and supervision will be by Stuart Morley.
Michael Rose and U-Live, in association with the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin, will present the Theatre Royal Plymouth production of ELF at the Dominion.