“Elf The Musical” Returns to Broadway for Limited Holiday Engagement Led by Tony Nominee Grey Henson (Exclusive)
It'll be the first time in over a decade the family-favorite musical will play the Great White Way
Son of a nutcracker! Buddy the Elf is coming back to Broadway!
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that Elf The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas comedy, will return to the Great White Way this holiday season in a new production led by Tony Award nominee Grey Henson.
Previews begin Nov. 9 at the Marquis Theatre in New York City ahead of an opening on Nov. 17. The limited engagement is currently scheduled through Jan. 4.
“I cannot wait to play Buddy the Elf eight times a week in this hilarious and joyful musical during the most magical time of the year on Broadway,” said Henson, known for roles in Mean Girls and Schucked, in a statement.
"Elf has always been required yearly viewing for me, and I am so honored and excited to be fulfilling a lifelong dream of wearing tights on Broadway."
Related: George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr. and All the Stars Heading to Broadway
Related: The Cast of Elf: Where Are They Now?
Elf The Musical first opened in 2010, with a cast led by Sebastian Arcelus, Amy Spanger, Beth Leavel and George Wendt.
Featuring a book by Tony winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone, Boop! The Musical) with songs by Tony nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Prom, The Wedding Singer), the musical tells the heartwarming tale of Buddy, an orphan who was raised by elves in the North Pole after mistakenly crawling into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve.
Like in the film, once Buddy discovers he's human, he embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father. In turn, Buddy helps the Big Apple rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
The revival will be directed by Philip Wm. McKinley (The Boy from Oz) with choreography by Olivier and Drama Desk nominee Liam Steel (Company).
It was first staged at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End in 2022 to great fanfare, and returned there the following year where it broke its own box office records.
Related: 10 Fun Facts About Elf You Probably Didn't Know
Elf itself has become a holiday favorite for families. The movie, which also stars Zooey Deschanel and James Caan, earned more than $225 million worldwide, becoming an instantly quotable classic.
"I had literally no idea [it would be a hit]," Ferrell told Entertainment Weekly in 2017, recalling how he had just left Saturday Night Live and Old School hadn't been released yet.
"We just had a script about a guy who was raised by elves in the North Pole — it really needed to be rewritten. So here I am running around the streets of New York in an elf costume, thinking, 'This could be the end of my career,' " he said. "I remember thinking, 'This is a huge swing,' which I love taking, 'and it's either going to be a big hit or an absolute strikeout.' "
"But we just had the right combination of story and a great cast and Jon Favreau directing and obviously enough comedy," Ferrell continued. "And it all came together."
Tickets for Elf The Musical are now on sale.
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