Elf has a score by Wedding Singer songwriters Matthew Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics) and a book by Tony Award winners Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and Thomas Meehan (Annie, Hairspray, The Producers).
Elf premiered at the Hirschfeld Theatre in 2010 where it broke box-office records. It will run through Jan. 6, 2013. Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, The Drowsy Chaperone) is the director and choreographer of Elf. The production reunites members of the original 2010 Broadway creative team.
The 2012 production has been updated since audiences saw the musical two seasons ago. A new opening number, "Happy All the Time," has been added, with additional tweaks and revisions throughout the production, the authors told Playbill.com in a recent interview.
Jordan Gelber (Avenue Q, All My Sons) stars as Buddy the Elf, with Leslie Kritzer (A Catered Affair, Sondheim on Sondheim) as his girlfriend, Jovie. Young actor Mitchell Sink makes his Broadway debut as Michael. "Seinfeld" star Wayne Knight, who also appeared on Broadway in Sweet Charity, Gemini and Art, portrays Santa. Tony Award winner Beth Leavel portrays Emily opposite Tony nominee Mark Jacoby as her husband Walter with Valerie Wright as Deb, Adam Heller as Mr. Greenway and Michael Mandell as the store manager.
Leavel, Jacoby, Wright, Heller and Mandell were part of the original Broadway production. Many ensemble members were also part of the original 2010 Broadway run.
The ensemble features Rory Donovan, Jason Eric Testa, Timothy J. Alex, Catherine Brunell, Callie Carter, Andrea Chamberlain, Jay Douglas, David Hibbard, Jenny Hill, Stacey Todd Holt, Emily Hsu, Nancy Johnston, Josh Lamon, Ariel Reid, Jonathan Schwartz, Eric LaJuan Summers, Jen Taylor and Lee Wilkins
Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures in association with Unique Features is presenting the nine-week return engagement.
Elf has designs by Tony winners David Rockwell (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design) and Natasha Katz (lighting design) as well as Tony nominee Peter Hylenski (sound design), Josh Marquette (hair and wig design) and Zachary Borovay (projections). Tony winner Doug Besterman provides orchestrations.
According to producers, "Elf 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. Buddy is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his 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 and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and his step-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner Elf."
A cast album preserves the original Broadway production.
For tickets visit Telecharge.com.
