Ben Forster to reprise lead role in Elf: The Musical at Theatre Royal Plymouth
Casting has been announced for the upcoming production of Elf: The Musical which returns to Theatre Royal Plymouth for one week only, Saturday 11 – Saturday 18 November 2017.
West End star and ITV ‘Superstar’ winner Ben Forster will reprise the key role of Buddy the Elf, a role which he originated in the UK première in 2014 at Theatre Royal Plymouth and continued to perform throughout the record-breaking 2015 Christmas run in the West End.
He was the first actor to take on the role of Buddy the Elf outside of the USA. A role which he garnered considerable critical acclaim for his portrayal of, receiving a nomination for Best Actor in a Musical at the What’s on Stage Awards.
Ben Forster won the 2012 ITV1 show Superstar, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s TV talent search for the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar, and went on to play the title role in the UK arena tour. Other recent theatre roles include starring as Brad Majors in the reinvented 40th anniversary production of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show and Magaldi in Evita at the Dominion Theatre. He is currently performing the prestigious role of the Phantom of the Opera in London’s West End.
Other confirmed cast members include Joe McGann as Walter and Jessica Martin as Emily Hobbs, roles they both performed during the London run.
Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell, Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s 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, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Elf: The Musical features a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).
The production will feature direction and choreography by Morgan Young (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), set design and costumes by Olivier Award winner Tim Goodchild, lighting design by Olivier Award winner Tim Lutkin, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, video design by Ian William Galloway and sound design by Avgoustos Psillas & Terry Jardine for Autograph. Musical supervision will be by Stuart Morley.
Tickets are priced between £16 - £52.50 can be booked online at www.theatreroyal.com or by calling the Theatre Royal Plymouth Box Office on 01752 267222. Concessions are available.
