Local theater program puts on "Elf the Musical"!

Image: Cal U Times

Steele Hall and Cal U's theater program open its doors to present "Elf the Musical". Showtimes for the show were 7 P.M. Nov 18-20 and 2 P.M. Nov 20-21; tickets sold out fast, but we caught the afternoon Sunday show! If you missed it and want to support the show, catch a live stream of the performance at the university website.

"Elf the Musical" follows the story of Buddy, an orphan who ends up in the North Pole after mistakenly crawling into Santa's bag. Raised as one of Santa's helpers Buddy one day seeks Santa's permission to go in search of his birth father. A heartwarming journey in New York begins as Buddy looks to discover his identity.

Guests in attendance of the show were required to wear masks at all times while indoors.

Cal U usually works together with the community to put on the musical as tradition. This year was no exception however, as a CalTimes article reports, the event this year would be significantly smaller due to Covid-19 restrictions. At the Sunday show for example for every one available seat to the public, about five seats were closed of as a result of distancing. An event that no doubt could have been packed full house back to back is still adapting and adjusting as a result of the continuing pandemic.

The show was still absolutely excellent! Cast and crew came together, even on a Sunday-the last day of performances-and brought life to the stage that was revitalizing to see in the theater setting again. The cast was led by: Daniel Nuttall, playing Buddy the Elf; Shane Callahan, playing his father, Walter Hobbs; Lauren Butler, playing Emily Hobbs; Amanda Peters, playing Jovie; Toby Maykuth, playing Santa; and Ian Grodz, a fifth-grader from Cal Elementary, playing Michael Hobbs.