After a bitterly contentious election season, we all need to chill.
And what better way than by welcoming the holiday season early, with the beloved (and wintry) “Elf.”
Staples Players presents their first-ever production of the show this month. The choice was hardly random.
“With the state of the country the way it was, with everyone on edge, we wanted to do something that was just fun,” says Players’ co-director David Roth.
“This is all about positive thoughts. Buddy the Elf is so optimistic. He loves people and Christmas, and wants to spread cheer.”
Seamus Brannigan (double cast as Buddy) and Chloe Carson (double cast as Jovie). (Photo/Kerry Long)
Roth and co-director Kerry Long are not the only ones wanting to put a smile on audience’s faces. “Elf” opens on Broadway the same weekend the Staples curtain rises.
And Pottery Barn is one of several retailers to roll out a special “Elf” line this season.
It’s the right musical at the right time for Westport audiences. And “Elf” comes from the same script, music and lyric writers who created “Prom” — last year’s very popular Players production — and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” one of Roth and Long’s favorite shows.
“It’s a really funny book,” Roth says. “The play has its own humor and personality. It’s different from the movie, for people who are only familiar with that Will Ferrell version.”
Rehearsals have been “a lot of fun,” notes the director. “We laugh a lot. The kids are loving it. There’s a lot of good, positive energy, which they really need in their lives right now.”
Blake Raho (center) as Walter, with dancing castmates. (Photo/Kerry Long)
It is, he admits, “bizarre” to have been in holiday mode since auditions in September. And, though it’s still early November, “backstage looks like Santa’s workshop.”
The auditorium, meanwhile, will look festive too. Players encourages everyone to dress in fun holiday clothes: ugly sweaters, elf costumes, whatever looks festive.
Audience members are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys and/or new winter clothing. They’ll be donated to those in need, through Person to Person.
Just one more reason that everyone will leave “Elf” smiling.
(Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, November 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23, 7 p.m.; matinees November 16, 17 and 23, 2 p.m. Click here for tickets. Though some shows may be sold out, tickets are often available at the door.)
Sara Stanley and Will McCrea (double cast as Jovie and Buddy). (Photo/Kerry Long)