Fulton Theatre's ELF Runs Through January 3

The Fulton Theatre kicks off the holiday season with the musical comedy and treat for the entire family, ELF, November 17th through January 3rd. As "Buddy" says in the script, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," there are many joyful tunes throughout the production, including "SparkleJollyTwinkleJingley," "A Christmas Song," "The Story of Buddy the ELF," and more!

ELF tells the story of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities can no longer be ignored. Hoping to discover his true identity, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, move Dad off the naughty list and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. Entertainment Weekly declared, "Even the biggest Cotton-Headed-Ninny-Muggins will leave the theatre with a warm festive glow!"

ELF the musical is based on the New Line Cinema motion picture, with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book is adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the 2003 film, written by David Berenbaum. The musical ran on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld theatre, in the Christmas seasons of 2010-11 and 2012-13 and broke box office records.

The Fulton Theatre's production stars Broadway Actor Timothy Hughes as Buddy and Broadway Actress Kate Fahrner as Jovie. Hughes returns to the Fulton Theatre after playing the Scarecrow in this past summer's hit, The Wizard of Oz. He appeared in Chaplin: The Musical on Broadway and various New York productions, including Paint Your Wagon (Encores!), and the developments of Countess of Storyville, Superfly! (dir: Bill T. Jones), and Josephine, along with regional productions at The Muny, Goodspeed Opera, LA Opera and others. Fahrner is making her Fulton Theatre debut. She appeared on Broadway as the Glinda standby in Wicked, the National Tours: Chicago Company of Wicked, Lincoln Center's South Pacific, The Full Monty, and Cats. Off-Broadway, she has appeared in Under My Skin, The Gig, Sarah Plain and Tall.

Also starring is Heidi Kettenring as Emily Hobbs, whose credits include Wicked with Broadway Chicago and the National Tour of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and most recently was seen at the Fulton Theatre in The Addams Family. Joe Gately as Walter Hobbs, is making his Fulton Theatre debut. He has numerous New York credits, including productions at 59E59, Prospect Theatre, and numerous Regional Theatre, Television, and Film credits. Douglas Edward Stark as Santa Claus is celebrating 44 years on stage, and has appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, LES MISERABLES, Fiddler on the Roof and many others. Andrew Lyndaker as Michael Hobbs is from Maine and has appeared in productions at the Portland Stage, Maine State Music Theater and others throughout the state. This marks his first production outside of the state of Maine. Broadway Actress Lanene Charters as Deb was seen in Mamma Mia! on Broadway, and in the Touring productions of ELF, Annie Get Your Gun, Titanic, Big and Cats. Broadway Actor David Girolmo as Mr. Greenway/Fake Santa has appeared in numerous Fulton Theatre productions and was seen in Candide on Broadway, and numerous Regional Theatre, Film and Television credits. Paul Aguirre as the Macy's Manager was in the National Tour and several regional productions of Billy Elliott. He has also appeared in In The Heights, Guys and Dolls, Miss Saigon and many other regional productions.

Rounding out the cast in alphabetical order are; Jonathan Anthony Allen (Kid on Santa's Lap/Kids Ensemble), Joshua Bellamy (Ensemble), Sarah Biddle (Schwanda/Macy's Salesgirl), Broadway Actor Grady McLeod Bowman (Charlie/Policeman 1), Zoe Caloviras (Kids Ensemble), Alexa Day (Kids Ensemble), Lauren Elledge (Ensemble), Alexandria Fernandez (Kids Ensemble), Meredith Fox (Ensemble), Ashley Gage (Kids Ensemble), Ellie Groff (Kids Ensemble), Cameron Hobbs (Chadwick), Donovan Hoffer (Sam), Andrew Kindig (Matthews), Christopher Lewis (Ensemble), Emily Meola (Ensemble), Aubrey Metzler (Kids Ensemble), Addison Niven (Kids Ensemble), PJ Palmer (Ensemble), Zoe Raphael (Mrs. Claus/Waitress), Buddy Reeder (Ensemble/Dance Captain), Samantha Riesenberg (Ensemble), Liz Schmitz (Charlotte Dennon), Sue Steffy (Ensemble), Anthony Sullivan Jr. (Ensemble), Sarah Webster (Ensemble), Ashley West (Ensemble), and Marissa Wolner (Ensemble).

The creative team for the production includes Marc Robin (Direction and Choreography), Aaron McAllister (Musical Direction), Robert Andrew Kovach (Scenic Design), Matthew DeMascolo (Lighting Design), Anthony Lascoskie, Jr. (Costume Design), Jacob Mishler (Sound Design), Katelin Walsko (Properties Manager), Timothy Markus (Stage Manager), and Rebekah Church (Assistant Stage Manager).

With special thanks to the Fulton Theatre's Season Co-Sponsor Fulton Bank, Media Sponsor WGAL, Production Sponsor PNC Bank, and Audience Services Sponsors; La Piazza, Simon Lever, and Willow Valley.
- New York Casting is done by Bob Cline Casting. Interviews are available with the cast and/or director based on availability. Production photos are available upon request.

Single ticket prices range from $25 - $90, with Student Rush available. The Fulton performs in the historic landmark theatre located at 12 North Prince Street in Lancaster, PA. For more information or to purchase tickets call 717.397.7425 or visit TheFulton.org.

In addition to the shows themselves, the Fulton Theatre offers additional events and services, all of which are FREE with the exception of Wine Tasting Night.

For ELF:

Pay-What-You-Want - Tuesday, November 17 at 7:30 pm. This makes theatre affordable for all. Tickets go on sale 2 hours before the show.

Fig Preview Night - Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 pm. This performance includes a pre-show reception and an opportunity to win GREAT prizes from downtown Lancaster merchants, all at a great price. All preview performance tickets are steeply discounted from regular priced ticket prices.

Opening Night - Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 pm. This performance includes a celebration with the cast and crew at a post-show party at the Lancaster Marriott/Penn Square Grille.

Thirst for History Night - Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 pm. This performance will give you a special historical insight into the production in a pre-show lecture one half hour before the performance.

Wine Tasting Night - Friday, November 27 at 8:00 pm. This performance is a great way to sample excellent wines in a casual environment for just $10 per evening or $60 for the full season, begins at 6:30 pm on the Fulton Theatre's 2nd Floor Gardner Lobby.

ASL/Audio Description/Open Caption - ASL occurs on Saturday, November 28 at 2:00 pm with Audio Description and Open Caption on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 pm.

ASIDES Pre-show presentations - Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 pm (1/2 hour before the performance). About Fulton Theatre:

The Fulton first opened its doors in 1852. 163 years later, this National Historic Landmark Theatre continues to entertain, educate and delight audiences, bringing live theatre, music, and more than 120,000 patrons into downtown Lancaster annually. Since its inception, some of the brightest stars of theatre, music and film have appeared on its stage, including Sarah Bernhardt, Mark Twain, Lionel Barrymore, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, W.C. Fields, George M. Cohan, Treat Williams and Lancaster's own Jonathan Groff.

Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Robin and Managing Director Aaron A. Young, the Fulton Theatre produces a mix of comedies, dramas and musicals, employing the talents of professional directors, designers, playwrights and actors from the local community, New York and across the country. The Fulton also offers acting classes for children, teens and adults as well as numerous outreach programs for youth across the region.