Sean Astin to Make Broadway Debut as Santa in ELF This Holiday Season

Academy Award nominee and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Sean Astin will make his Broadway debut this holiday season as Santa, in Elf The Musical. An acclaimed actor, director and pop culture icon, Astin’s career has spanned four decades with such internationally-beloved roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Doug Whitmore in 50 First Dates, and Bob Newby in "Stranger Things." He adds to this list of legendary characters with yet another iconic role, when he makes his Broadway debut as Santa in Elf The Musical, opposite the previously announced Tony Award nominee Grey Henson as Buddy the Elf. 
 
Elf The Musical returns to Broadway for the first time in over a decade, following two  seasons in London’s West End. Previews begin Saturday, November 9, 2024 at The Marquis Theatre, with an official Opening Night of Sunday, November 17, 2024, for the limited engagement through Saturday, January 4, 2025.
 
Elf The Musical features a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, with songs by Tony nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The musical returns to Broadway in an acclaimed production directed by Philip Wm. McKinley and choreographed by Olivier and Drama Desk nominee Liam Steel. First staged at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End, this production became the venue’s fastest-selling show in nearly a century and became a firm holiday favorite for London audiences, breaking its own box office records during last year’s run. 
 
Elf The Musical is the hilarious and heartwarming tale of Buddy, a young orphan child whose life is changed forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve. Raised by elves in the North Pole, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities make him realize he doesn’t quite fit in. When he discovers he is human, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and, in turn, helps the Big Apple rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. 
 
The hit holiday musical is based on the beloved New Line Cinema film of the same name starring Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel and James Caan.  Released in 2003, the movie grossed over $250 million dollars globally and has gone on to become a worldwide perennial favorite for families to watch over the holiday period.
 
The Broadway production will feature Set and Costume Design by multi-Olivier Award winner Tim Goodchild, Lighting Design by Patrick Woodroffe, Sound Design by Tony Award winner Gareth Owen, Video Design by Ian William Galloway, and Hair and Wig Design by Sam Cox. Orchestrations are by Doug Besterman, Dance Arrangements are by David Chase, Vocal Arrangements are by Phil Reno, and this production will feature Music Supervision by Olivier Award winner Alan Williams with Music Direction by Nate Patten. Casting is by Rachel Hoffman/The Telsey Office.