Lead cast set for Elf in the West End

Exclusive: Elf the Musical has announced casting for its limited ten-week season.

The show previously ran at the Dominion Theatre in both 2022 and 2023, setting box office records on each occasion. It also had a recent run at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway in 2024, marking its first return to New York in over ten years and setting new weekly gross records. It will open at the Aldwych Theatre, running from 28 October 2025 to 3 January 2026.

It has been revealed today that Joel Montague, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Aled Jones will star as Buddy, Jovie and Walter Hobbs respectively. Further cast members have also been revealed here. 

Adapted from the 2003 New Line Cinema film starring Will Ferrell, Elf features a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The story follows Buddy, a human raised as an elf at the North Pole, who travels to New York City in search of his birth father.

The production is directed by Philip Wm McKinley, with choreography by Liam Steel, set and costume design by Tim Goodchild, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, and video design by Ian William Galloway. Casting will be by Grindrod Burton Casting.

A new set has been designed for the Aldwych Theatre by Goodchild to accommodate the venue’s dimensions. The production is presented by Temple Live Entertainment.

Performances will run from Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2pm. Additional matinees are scheduled for 9 and 16 December.

Further names joining the main trio have also been revealed.