Arizona Broadway Theatre Celebrates the Holidays with ELF THE MUSICAL

Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT) kicks off the holidays in a big way with the wildly-popular, Elf The Musical and the Theatre's annual Christmas tree lighting on November 22, 2019. Elf will continue to delight ABT audiences through December 29, 2019.

Based on the cherished 2003 holiday film, this hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity. 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 by Santa's elves, 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.

Elf The Musical opened on Broadway during the Christmas season of 2012-2013 and has seen a number of national tours around the United States during the past five years, most notably last year's national tour which featured ABT's own Tristan Klaphake as Michael Hobbs. Tristan is the youngest son of ABT's Executive & Artistic Producers, Kiel & Cassandra Klaphake, and will be reprising his role in the ABT production.

"It's hard to believe that almost fifteen years ago in the fall of 2005 we learned we were pregnant with Tristan at the very same time we were working to open our very first production of Anything Goes," said Tristan's mom, Cassandra. "No doubt the little guy was hearing a ton of musical theatre from day one, but I don't think I ever thought he would take to the craft and profession as he has. I'm a very proud mom!"

Elf The Musical has become a staple for theater-goers during the holidays, and Arizonans will be pleased to know that they can find the heartwarming yet hilarious Broadway musical right in their own backyard at Arizona Broadway Theatre.

"This holiday season is special because it marks ABT's 15th season of bringing high-quality Broadway musical theatre entertainment to the Valley of the Sun. We always take a moment during this time of year to appreciate our community and all of the many volunteers, patrons, sponsors and donors who have made ABT what it is today," says Kiel Klaphake, Co-founder and Executive Producer, Arizona Broadway Theatre. "It's our hope that Elf The Musical will be a time for family & friends to gather together this holiday season!"

The annual Christmas tree lighting will take place in the lobby of Arizona Broadway Theatre at 7701 W Paradise Lane, Peoria at 5:00pm on November 22 and is open and free of charge to the public. Not only will the community enjoy the dazzling lights of the tree and lobby decor but also a short performance of festive holiday tunes by ABT's youth company, HyRev. HyRev is specifically for young performers ages 13-19 with some previous music theatre/dance /show choir experience, and they truly know how to share the holiday spirit. The annual toy drive also kicks off on November 22 and will run through December 29, 2019. New, unwrapped toys are welcome and can be brought to the ABT lobby whenever the theatre is open. Toys will go to "Helping Hands For Freedom," a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the military families of the fallen, wounded, and deployed.

ABT's production of Elf The Musical is made possible in part through the generous support of Dr. Keith & Kim Haar of Epiphany Dermatology. As part of the Haar's generous support, members of the Phoenix Children's Hospital community have been invited to attend opening weekend performances free of charge.

ABT's Season 15 Broadway Series continues in 2020 with La Cage aux Folles (January 24 - February 28 (in Peoria) & March 6 - 22 (at Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix) and Chicago (March 13 - April 19, 2020). For more information about these and other upcoming productions presented at Arizona Broadway Theatre, visit azbroadway.org or call 623.776.8400.

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