Wednesday, November 8, through Saturday, December 30
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Called “hilarious and heartwarming” by the Chicago Tribune and praised for its “bright comic zest” and “swinging music” by the New York Times, the musical adaptation of Elf – based on the 2003 screen comedy starring Will Ferrell – will make its area debut and jump-start the holidays as Circa '21's 2017-18 season opener.
Elf: The Musical centers on William “Buddy” Hobbs, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of toys and is transported back to the North Pole. Years later, the fully grown Buddy finds out that he's an ordinary human being, not the elf he thought he was, and heads off to New York City in search of his father. Although Buddy does find the man, he also finds that Walter doesn't believe in the spirit of Christmas, nor do many other New Yorkers – which proves to be a problem, considering Santa's sleigh is powered by people's belief in Christmas.
A holiday tale that Broadway World called an “upbeat, oddball, and tuneful concoction,” Circa '21's Elf: The Musical is directed by venue veteran Ann Nieman, whose previous musicals for the theatre have included Annie, Grease, and Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Among the cast members returning to the Rock Island stage are Paige Salter-Denton, Erin Churchill, Joey Boos, Travis Smith, and married performers Tom and Shelley Walljasper. And 10 area schoolchildren compose the show's youth ensemble: Julian Anderson, Croix Baker, Joe Brune, Nate Cederoth, Trey Gordon, Brennan Hampton, Lily Hansel, Leah Kuehl, Josie Roland, and Macy Stierwalt.
In addition to its preview performances on November 8 and 9, Elf: The Musical will be performed Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:45 p.m.; Sundays at 5:45 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. All shows will be preceded by meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.
