Interview: 'I've Been Doing a Lot of Kissing!': Actor Georgina Castle of ELF THE MUSICAL on Christmas Joy and Returning to the Role of Jovie

The festive season has well and truly arrived in London. Lights are up, Christmas trees are decorated and ELF the Musical has returned to the Dominion Theatre, after its successful run last winter starring Simon Lipkin as Buddy the Elf and Georgina Castle as Jovie. Castle returns to the role as Jovie for a second year and will be performing alongside Matthew Wolfenden and Ben Lancaster.

BroadwayWorld chatted with Georgina Castle about what it has been like returning to the show. We discussed what she loves about the production, how the musical compares to the film and how she found love on stage!

How did you first get involved with ELF?

So that was last year! I'd actually never seen the film, or the musical. 

Oh, wow!

I know, exactly! It's like, “Where have you been living, under a rock?” [Laughs] So I got the audition through for ELF the Musical and didn't have that much time to prepare for a tape, so I frantically watched what I could of it and just thought, “Oh, my God, this is absolutely hilarious!” And did a tape and then got it off that one audition, which was also a nice change! I’m used to doing sometimes ten rounds for something.

I actually got the call that I'd received it when I was on a plane from Birmingham to Ibiza, so I couldn't really hear what my agent was saying - I was surrounded by these hen dos and a load of drunk people in the middle of summer, and I was like, “Can you call me back?” And she's like, “No, it's really important. You've got Jovie in ELF!” I was thrilled!

What has it been like returning to the show this year? 

It's obviously amazing. That goes without saying, because I loved the show last year. But I also ended up falling in love with my Buddy last year, and Simon [Lipkin] and I are still together. So it's now completely strange to go back and be not just doing it with one other person, but two other people, because we have an alternate Buddy this year. So I've been doing a lot of kissing and a lot of skating! [Laughs]  It's been lovely actually to reconnect with it with different people who have a completely different energy to Simon and discover it again for the first time.

How have you made the role of Jovie your own versus the movie version? Have you seen the full movie?

I have now! [Laughs] Rest assured, she knows what the hell she's entering into! What I loved about Zooey Deschanel's performance was that it was so subtle, and everything happens in the eyes. She's this quirky, kind of insular character, and obviously, on the Dominion Theatre stage, which is a 2,500-seater, that doesn't get so far. So I really want to keep that natural energy that she had, but it also has to be slightly more exaggerated just because of the absolute barn that we're in. But our director, Philip McKinley, wants her to be slightly more hard-nosed than she is in the movie. She's a trodden-down New Yorker who then finds her Christmas spirit. So that's been quite fun! I'm getting a bit more crabby, and that's fun.

Do you have any favourite moments in the show to perform?

Yes, I've got three. I love the roller skating scene at the end of Act One. The pace of the show is so fast! It moves from one thing to another, especially because it's got to be family-friendly and kids get bored. I think even adults get bored quicker now, post-Covid and stuff like that. So it's really super pacey. But Jovie and Buddy get two really lovely moments where they just have their scene and I love acting those. But I do love the finale tap number because I never in a million years thought that I would be front and centre for part of a big, MGM, Broadway tap segment. I've never tapped in my life and it's quite clear, so I'm trying my best to get better at that! [Laughs]

And do you have any favourites to watch? Are they different?

Oh my gosh, I do! I absolutely love to watch “There Is A Santa Claus,” which is done by Michael and Emily. Rebecca Lock is just an absolute powerhouse - she plays Emily. So I love watching that. I also love watching “Just Like Him,” which is the number that Kim Ismay does as Debs. I mean, I get to watch quite a lot of it - there's a lot of me sitting around at the sides, waiting for me to come and sing my song, and then whizzing off again. So I love to watch on the side. And also, because the wings are quite big, I can sometimes sneak out a little look at the audience and see their reactions to what's happening on stage. It's not even a guilty pleasure - I just love it!

Do you have any favourite memories from last year's production?

Yes. To be honest - this is gonna sound so cheesy - I loved working with Simon. And this is before we were an item. Just as an actor, he is the most exciting person that I've got to work with on stage because he's absolutely mental. You never know what he's going to come up with at any one point. One time I walked off stage because I thought the scene was finished. I turned around and he was there doing the worm, and I was like, “What does that got to do with the scene? But I'm obsessed with it! And it's funny! And I think you’re great!” So yeah, my favourite memory of last year was watching him do his thing.

How do you celebrate the holiday season?

It's actually changed quite recently, because my sister had a baby two years ago. So now it's like Christmas on steroids! Everything is just the best. He's just started to say words, and I'm really excited about making Christmas magical for him this year, and going forward. So we'll be spending that together, eating, drinking for us, drinking milk for him, and just playing loads of games and eating a lot of chocolate!

What do you hope audiences take away from ELF?

Well, we've had a lot of talks about this in the rehearsal room. I think a lot of people come in to watch ELF thinking it's gonna be a bit fluffy, and there's no real heart or meaning, but we're going to have a great time. We're going to laugh. And actually, people have been surprised that when they leave, they feel quite affected. It really does force you to connect with your inner child and what used to make you so excited about Christmas before. So I think people are leaving with slightly more wide-eyed wonder and a little bit of happier Christmas hearts, which is really, really important at the moment. Life is hard. It's dark, and, especially at the moment, there's a lot going on. So I think especially this year, people are going to really connect with it.

And how would you describe the show in one word?

There is one word that I want to say . . . How can you not say it? Sparklejollytwinklejingley!

ELF runs at the Dominion Theatre until 6 January. 

Main Photo Credit: Matt Crockett