Elf: The Musical

Elf: The Musical at Dominion Theatre

Why see Elf: The Musical?

elf returns!

Buddy the Elf is stepping into the Dominion Theatre this Christmas, all the way from the North Pole! This hit musical is based on the movie starring Will Ferrell and first premiered on Broadway in 2010 with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.

what is the story?

When Santa is out delivering his presents to the world's children, unbeknownst to him he has picked up an unexpected present of his own; an orphaned baby boy has crawled into his present sack, and he is unknowingly whisked off to the North Pole. Years later, the boy, named Buddy by Santa, has grown up to adulthood - very much standing heads, shoulders (and waist) above the other elves and poorly skilled at toy-making. He is confronted with a startling truth; he is not in fact an elf, but a human. With Santa's blessing, he leaves the safety of the North Pole and sets off alone to the bright lights of New York City to discover his real birth family.

Initially full of hope and joy, when he arrives in the Big Apple, he receives a shock; the native New Yorkers are seriously lacking in Christmas spirit, and his birth father Walter is a cynical and mean-minded book publisher who is more concerned with the bottom line rather than spending time with his family.

So you can imagine Walter's horror when a fully-grown man dressed as an Elf walks into his plush offices and announces that he is in fact his son! Determined to avoid taking him under his wing, this is in stark contrast to Walter's long-suffering but kindly wife and son Michael, Buddy's younger half-brother.

When Christmas is threatened by the lack of cheer to power Santa's sleigh, Buddy is tasked with injecting the Christmas spirit into the whole of New York to save Santa's night and to reconcile his new family - will he be able to succeed, or continue causing chaos around him? And who is the enigmatic department store girl with the beautiful singing voice?

This critically acclaimed musical is set to be a joyful addition to London Christmas theatre at the Dominion, with enough hi-tech wizardry and songs to keep the kids engrossed, as well as plenty of in-jokes for the adults to enjoy.

Did you know?

The musical broke records at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld box office THREE times, grossing over a million dollars in one week in 2010. SANTAAAAAA!!!!

Key Information

Audience

Suitable for humans (and elves) from ages 4+

Run Time

Two hours and 15 minutes with one interval

Dates

Finished 6 Jan 2024

Cast

Matthew Wolfenden as Buddy 
Tom Chambers as Father Brown
Georgina Castle as Jovie
Rebecca Lock as Emily Hobbs
Nicholas Pound as Santa
Kim Ismay as Debs
Dermot Canavan as Store Manager
Ben Lancaster as alternate Buddy
Jude Farrant, Daniel Lee, Oliver Ravelini and Austin Riley alternating as Michael Hobbs

With
Rhys Batten, Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Marie Finlayson, Aimée Fisher, Farirayi Garaba, Alex Given, Morgan Gregory, Samuel John-Humphreys, Keir Hylands, Dominic Lamb, Ellis Linford-Pill, Theo Reece, Chloe Saunders, Heather Scott-Martin, Jessica Spalis, Katie Warsop and Natalie Woods

Creative

Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin 
Casting by Grindrod Burton Casting
Associate Direction by Stacey Haynes
Associate Choreography by Richard J. Hinds
Lighting Design by Patrick Woodroffe
Sound Design by Gareth Owen 
Video Design by Ian William Galloway
Set and Costume Design by Tim Goodchild
Choreography by Liam Steel
Direction by Philip Wm. McKinley

Reviews

Our review

Comical, fun, festive!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at the Dominion Theatre. Ushers whisper, "Are you excited?" into little ears in the enthusiastically decorated lobby of the Dominion Theatre. And excited we were!

Nicola Quinn

Read full review

Customer reviews

22 reviews, average rating: (1.8 Stars)

Kazash

Fab

Great show, brilliantly done. Well worth a watch. Some adult humour. Plenty of giggles and a great way to get in the Christmas spirit. If I had grandchildren I would definitely take them. Good seats near to the back of stalls and had fab view. Would definitely go again ... Read more

Iain

The reviews below are not of the 2023 production. Go see it!

As mentioned, the reviews below are of a previous production. This production is excellent. Great set, some fantastic dances and a full orchestra. The production values are great and the cast don't disappoint. Santa's sleigh flying is spectacular and a really magical moment for the kids. It's not the best show in the world, but that isn't the fault of the cast or the creatives on this production who have made the show about as good as it can be. ... Read more

Vic

Uhm not funny

Went yesterday left at half time prefer the movie, it was ok, definitely not slick, not memorable ... Read more
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