KAMLOOPS — Those who are no stranger to Will Ferrell’s 2003 Christmas movie, Elf, will recognize similar high-energy, holiday spirit with Western Canada Theatre’s latest production.
“ELF: The Musical” opens Nov. 29 at the Sagebrush Theatre, and will feature local talent front and centre.
The production tells the story of Buddy, a who is raised in Santa’s workshop, unaware that he is actually a human and ultimately discovers his true identity.
Taking on the role of Buddy is Kamloops’s own, Kirk Smith, who says putting their twist on the film’s spin-off Broadway musical gives even die-hard Elf fans something to appreciate.
“It’s tricky with any sort of iconic role or iconic piece, because people expect something, they want to see something and you don’t want to not give them that, but I’m also not Will Ferrell,” he explains. “So I just try and get what I felt from the movie and bring that through what I do, and hopefully there’s some of the stuff that people liked.”
Smith is a familiar face in Western Canada Theatre productions, with ELF: The Musical being his 13th show with them, and he’s positive the production will give spectators some feel-good entertainment.
“You’ll be surprised at how many feelings aside from just laughing that you’ll have. But in general, it just feels great. It just is a lot of fun and silliness, and it’s nice to just take a break from life and be goofy.”
The show features one of the largest casts WCT has had in decades, and Sheldon Bergstrom, playing the role of Santa, says they’re confident audiences will see how much effort and emotion was put into the production.
“Everyone else in this cast is working their behinds off. We are putting in eight hour days every day for three to four weeks, putting it all together, and we have an incredible group here. This cast is a lot of fun, and our director and choreographer (Tracey Power) is a genius,” Bergstrom says. “We spend all day laughing and goofing, and we have our moments where the script kind of catches us off guard and we find ourselves sitting and crying our eyes out every once in a while, and it’s been an incredible adventure.”
“We have shows at both 8:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and some 2:00 p.m matinees on Satuday, so if you get a chance to come and see us, you’re not going to regret it,” Bergstrom adds. “Although I hear we’re almost sold out.”
ELF: The Musical, runs Nov. 29 until Dec. 12, and tickets can be bought online, or at the Kamloops Live! Box Office, located at 1025 Lorne St.
