Elf the Musical Opens at the Palace December 8th

This season, GEAR and the Palace Theatre will present the modern holiday classic, Elf the Musical. Jr.

Showtimes are December 8th @7:30, December 9th @3:00, and December 15th @7:30.

The Palace Theatre is located at 305 Mason Ave, Cape Charles, VA 23310.

Based on the film of the same name, Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

“This is really a fun, enjoyable work of musical theater,” co-director Amy Watkins told the Mirror. “For all of our actors, especially those in the dance and theater programs, we try and prepare them to be a triple threat—dance, act and sing. In Elf, they have really been pushed to polish all three aspects of the performing arts.”

The GEAR dance program is an integral part of the program. Ms. Watkins choreographed all the original dance numbers.

“I have really been proud of everyone in this show,” said co-Director Wayne Creed. “The actors, singers and dancers have really put in the work—it has been a joy to be around such a remarkable group of performers who are dedicated and willing to give up a big portion of their lives to make this show great. Amy Watkins has also done a great job once again bringing the show to life visually and spatially, and Katherine Reid, our costume mistress has been wonderful making our transitions from the North Pole to New York believable and aesthetically beautiful.”

Elf JR. features songs by Tony Award-nominees, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Tony Award-winners, Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.

“I have to admit, being a fan of the Will Ferrell film, I was a little skeptical about a musical version,” Creed said. “but the numbers are wonderful—you can’t stop singing them.”