By Lisa Larson
This Christmas, the story of everybody’s favorite elf is unfolding on Tuacahn’s Indoor Hafen Theatre stage in Elf the Musical, bringing to life the childhood magic and joy of the holiday season.
“This is such a great multi-generational story that leaves everyone laughing and happy,” said Shari Jordan, associate artistic director for Tuacahn, and director for Elf the Musical. “People will be singing these catchy tunes all the way home.”
But before audiences can revel in Buddy the Elf’s innocent, contagious love for all things Santa-related, several things have to happen behind the scenes, which is why even in the early months of fall, Jordan and her team have Christmas on the brain.
“I love Christmas with my whole soul… it makes me want to cry just thinking about it,” Jordan said, with an enthusiasm that makes her the perfect fit for telling the story of a young orphan baby who accidentally climbs into Santa’s sack one Christmas Eve and is raised in the North Pole by elves before leaving to find his birth father in the enchanted land of New York City.
Among the early tasks involved in getting Elf the Musical ready for the stage, there is an audition tour, scenic concept design and construction, and choreography plans.
After seeing actors audition in New York City and beyond who would love to be part of the Tuacahn family this season, Jordan said they are thrilled with the kind of talent they were able to secure in this cast, including Broadway actors Danny Lingren as Buddy the Elf, John Ahlin as Santa Claus and Jim Stanek as Walter Hobbs, along with several returning Tuacahn favorites including Jillian Butler, who is currently playing Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, Randal Keith, who plays Pulitzer in Newsies and Eric B. Anthony who audiences have enjoyed as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz and Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
“I love the casting process and working with so many talented actors,” Jordan said. “To this point, that has been my favorite part of the process.”
While the actors are celebrating the news that they’ve been selected for the cast, Scenic Designer Paul Black is hard at work on another aspect of the production: the setting.
“For me, the big part of designing a show like Elf is the beginning phase, with a blank piece of paper,” Black said. “It’s very exciting. You do lot of drawings that move from the early sketch phase to detailed technical drawings to give to the scenic shop for budgeting.”
There’s a bit of back and forth between the creative side and the execution in terms of budget, time frames and other logistics, but eventually, the artisans in the scenic shop are able to bring Black’s designs off the page and into real life.
“Once they start working on the designs we move from bigger budget-type questions to very specific conversations about shades of red and green,” Black said.
This year, the concept behind the Elf stage design was inspired by the fact that at the end of the musical, the publishing house is saved because Buddy has an idea for a children’s storybook, which is really the story of Buddy himself. With that in mind Black focused each individual scenic design to have the feel of a children’s book, with each scene being somewhat color-coded — blue and white for the North Pole, green and white for the publishing office, red and gold for Macy’s Department store, etc.
“The color palette is very clear, so it looks like a page from a children’s book as you go through the show,” Black said. “Each scene has a visual language that is exciting and bright and accessible to children and adults.”
While Black is focused on the aesthetics for the physical stage space, Bill Burns, choreographer, is paying attention to how the movements of the actors will enhance those aesthetics and move the story along.
“This is such a fun show,” Burns said. “It’s a much bigger produced show than people realize. It has a great sense of humor, but there are sweet moments as well, and there are several big production numbers.”
Burns is no stranger to the story, having produced the musical twice before, once at Tuacahn several years ago. This time, he’s excited to expound and improve on all the great aspects from the last time, including several big dance numbers, and an ice-skating scene.
“There’s a new energy and a cast with different types of skill sets, so while the story is the same, it’s going to look and feel different in the best possible way,” Burns said.
During the early stages of production, Burns is still off site, meeting with Jordan and others via video calls in order to solidify the details of the show. Having worked with Jordan in the past when he was the choreographer and Jordan the performer, there is a well-established connection that allows the creativity to really flow.
“Seeing Shari’s career go from dancer and performer to management is really fun. I am excited to see what she is able to do with this show,” Burns said.
Elf the Musical will take place Nov. 21 to Dec. 20 in the Indoor Hafen Theatre at Tuacahn. Tickets start at just $39. Or, you can save 30 percent on tickets to Elf and Million Dollar Quartet when you buy the two show Indoor Season Package. For details go online to www.tuacahn.org or call the box office at 435-652-3300.