Amarillo Little Theatre shares holiday cheer for all to hear with 'Elf the Musical'
The magic of the holiday season comes to life on stage as the Amarillo Little Theatre in collaboration with the ALT Academy presents "Elf the Musical," Dec. 1 through Dec. 18 at ALT's Allen Shankles Main Stage, located at 2019 Civic Circle.
Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit, "Elf the Musical" is a modern day Christmas classic that is sure to allow everyone embrace their inner elf. This ALT musical promises to bring heart, hilarity and holiday joy to the stage because after all … "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
"If you like any sort of comedy, whether it be old sitcom humor or whatever, I would say that you are going to love this. Not only are you going to relate to the comedy and will it put a smile on your face, but many will relate to the story of someone who feels incredibly out of place in the world and is just trying to find their own special way," said Ban Burke, who portrays Buddy the Elf in the local production.
This new age holiday classic follows Buddy who, after mistakenly crawling into Santa’s toy sack as a young orphan boy, is raised by elves at the North Pole. Unaware he is really a human, Buddy’s enormous size and lack of natural toy making skills that the other elves possess eventually forces Buddy to face the truth. With Santa’s blessing, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs, a cynical no-nonsense workaholic. Buddy soon discovers that most New Yorkers no longer believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas. The problem is, Santa’s sleigh will only fly if people believe in him. Buddy’s unrelenting sunny disposition and a profoundly ingrained love of Christmas not only creates hilarity amongst the cynicism of New Yorkers, but may also save Christmas.
ALT has assembled a brilliant and enthusiastic cast for this production, including 17 current Academy students. Burke makes his ALT debut as the over-enthusiastic Buddy the Elf, and Evelyn Ruvalcaba portrays Jovie, the New Yorker who needs a little Christmas in her heart this holiday season.
"This is my first leading role with ALT, and I hope that I can pay proper tribute to the movie. It's such an iconic movie during the Christmas season. I hope to pay homage and leave people feeling good after watching (the show). I want people to feel like this was a good kick-off to the holiday season," Ruvalcaba said.
The Hobbs Family consists of short-tempered dad Walter, played by Hugh Fristoe; optimistic mother Emily, played by Jeri Tidmore; and sharing the role of son Michael Hobbs are Academy students Atticus Lee and Graham Moore.
The cast also includes Hailey Christmas, Ariel Claire, Brooklyn Comer, Laken Derington, Emery Mills Forbis, Jaxson Gaitan, Megan Gore, Piper Gore, Wyatt Hall, Colton Harada, Joey Hill, Evelyn Johnston, Joanna Kimbell, Dillon Kizarr, Jamie McCarrell, Kristin McCarrell, Brandon McCauley, Gary Paul Moore, Hannah Moore, Sydney Nickson, Bodi Parks, Stoney Prickett, Sean Pritchard, Gabe Scherman, Nicholas Shaffer, Michael Villarreal, Grady Wyrick and Jeff Wyrick.
Artistic director for this production is Jason Crespin, with music direction by Jennifer Akins and choreography by Christeen Bernet. Laura Jo Worsham serves as assistant director, with AnnaLee Lujan and Blake Nester as production assistants.
"This is a beautiful story, and it reminds us all that spending time with those we love is really important and it doesn't matter where you come from, if you come from the North Pole and were raised by elves, or if you are a cold-hearted New Yorker that just needs some Christmas cheer. We all could use that reminder to spend time with those you love," Crespin said.
The production will include live projections on stage as well as an orchestra ensemble of eight local musicians playing the songs live. Songs performed in the production include "Nobody Cares About Santa," "Sparklejollytwinklejingley," "Happy All The Time," "Worlds Greatest Dad," and "I'll Believe In You."
In preparation for the upcoming musical, Burke as Buddy the Elf will be reading his on-stage life story at Barnes and Noble Booksellers on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.
Opening night, ALT will also be selling Buddy the Elf merchandise, including shirts, headbands, koozies and more. Children and families will also have the opportunity for a photo op with Santa, Buddy and Jovie after the show.
According to Crespin, 75% of the production's 13 performances are currently sold out, and season tickets are currently still available.
Showtimes are:
Dec. 1, 8 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.;
Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m.; and
Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 2:30 p.m.
To purchase a ticket to "Elf the Musical," visit them online at https://tickets.amarillolittletheatre.org/ .
For more information, visit ALT online at https://amarillolittletheatre.org/ .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Little Theatre shares holiday cheer with 'Elf the Musical'
