Stage and screen star and recording artist David Essex will head the cast of an upscaled version of the West End and Broadway hit Elf: The Musical which will play three major arenas this Christmas.
Essex, whose musical theatre pedigree includes starring roles in Godspell, Evita, and The War of the Worlds, will play Buddy the Elf’s long lost father in Elf A Christmas Spectacular at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena (14-16 December), Birmingham’s Genting Arena (20-24 December) and Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena (28-30 December).
Commenting on his casting in the show, Essex said: “I’m really looking forward to taking Elf on tour. The big special effects that we have lined-up are incredible, including a giant sleigh which will fly across the arena, an indoor snow blizzard and lots of skating which all adds to this perfect Christmas story.”
Essex will appear alongside Love Actually star and singer Martine McCutcheon who will play Buddy’s girlfriend Jovie, and popular panto star Tam Ryan in the title role. The cast will also include West End star Louise English and 70 performers including children from local Pauline Quirke Academy stage schools.
Based on the instant Christmas classic film which starred Will Ferrell, the feel-good family favourite follows the fortunes of Buddy who heads for New York from Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole in search of his real dad.
Elf : The Musical features a book by the late Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, with songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.
Produced by WBP Ltd, the team behind the 2017 Christmas arena production Peter Pan, the large-scale new production will feature giant screens, showing both computer graphic backdrops and live action close-ups. The 5,000 seat arena layout will have a 70-foot wide stage and a 60-foot long thrust stage, with some scenes taking place around and above the audience.
Angela Thomas
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