The cast will be led by Ben Forster, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin, all reprising the roles of Buddy, Walter Hobbs and Emily Hobbs that they respectively appeared in in the show's 2014 U.K. and Ireland premieres in Plymouth and Dublin, newly joined by Kimberly Walsh as Jovie.
They are also joined by Jennie Dale as Deb, Mark McKerracher as Santa and Graham Lappin as Store Manager, with further casting to be announced.
Forster won the 2012 ITV 1 show "Superstar." Other recent stage credits include Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show and Magaldi in Evita at the Dominion Theatre.
McGann is probably best known for his role as Charlie Burrows in the TV comedy series "The Upper Hand." West End credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Of Mice and Men at the Old Vic and Oliver! at the London Palladium.
Martin’s career began as an impressionist on television shows such as "Copycats" and "Spitting Image." West End credits include Sally Smith in Me and My Girl, Sunset Boulevard and Mack and Mabel. Walsh first rose to fame as one-fifth of the award-winning pop group Girls Aloud. She made her West End theatre debut playing Princess Fiona in the London production of Shrek the Musical.
With a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin and songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, it is directed and choreographed by Morgan Young, with set design and costumes by Tim Goodchild, lighting by Tim Lutkin, vocal arrangements by Phil Reno, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, video design by Ian William Galloway and sound design by Clement Rawling. Musical direction and supervision will be by Stuart Morley.
Based on the beloved 2003 film of the same name that starred Will Ferrell, it tells the story 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."
It is produced in London by Michael Rose and U-Live in association with the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin.
To book tickets, contact the box office on 0845 200 7982, or visit www.elfthemusical.co.uk.
