The Media Theatre Presents ELF The Musical For The Holidays

Remember how that movie "Elf" starring Will Ferrell made you laugh? And how heartwarming it was? Well, "Elf" is also a Broadway musical, and it's coming to The Media Theatre this holiday season (November 13-January 12). Christian Ryan directs and choreographs. Ben Kapilow is Resident Music Director.

Elf The Musical is a must-see holiday treat . Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit, Elf features songs by Tony Award nominees, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, The Wedding Singer), with a book by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf 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 realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-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 holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

At The Media Theatre, the role of Buddy The Elf will be played by Chicago's Josh Houghton. He resides in Chicago, and this is his Media debut. Josh has been in the National Tour of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and his performance venues include Theatre By The Sea, Fireside Theatre, and Forestburgh Playhouse.One of Philadelphia's brightest stars, Krissy Fraelich, returns to Media's stage as Emily Hobbs. Krissy was last seen at Media in the critically-acclaimed Next To Normal. She also received rave reviews a few seasons back as Mama Rose in Gypsy.Another well known Philadelphia actor, Bob Stineman, plays her husband Walter. Stineman's credits at Media include To Kill A Mockingbird, The Wizard of OZ, Bridges of Madison County, and Disney's Beauty And The Beast.Media Theatre student Aidan Crane will share the role of their son Michael with Alex Hamel.

Kelly Briggs takes on the dual role of Santa and Mr. Greenway. Kelly was last seen as the mean Miss Trunchbull in Matilda: The Musical. Megan McDevitt is Jovie, Emily Derrick is Deb, and Ryane Nicole Studivant is the sassy Store Manager.For show information, dates and times, etc., please visit mediatheatre.org. ELF is on November 13, 2019 to January 12, 2020.

The Ensemble, playing everything from Elves to Townspeople to Fake Santas, consists of Alyssa Arcangeli, Dante Brattelli, Gabrielle Impriano, Hannah Mehl, Roger Ricker, Jacob Schrimpf, Angel Sigala, Andy Spinosi, and Grace Szczepkowski.

The Youth Ensemble is Ace Cullen, Saajan Lakhani, Alexander Palomba, Kai Quimbo, Sadie Wynne, and Ryan Zebley.For tickets, visit mediatheatre.org or call 610-891-0100.Pictured: Josh Houghton as Buddy The Elf. Photo by Sam Nagel.

To post a comment, you must register and login.