Sean Astin to play Santa in Elf on Broadway

Elf the Musical will return to Broadway this autumn – and further casting has been revealed.

Performances will run from 9 November 2024 to 4 January 2025, with opening night set for 17 November. Starring as Buddy the Elf will be Tony nominee Grey Henson of Mean Girls and Shucked.

Joining him will be Academy Award nominee and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Sean Astin, who will make his Broadway debut this holiday season as Santa.

This staging of Elf the Musical comes to New York following several engagements in London’s West End. Directed by Philip Wm McKinley, it has choreography by Liam Steel, sets and costumes by Tim Goodchild, lighting by Patrick Woodroffe, sound by Gareth Owen, video by Ian William Galloway, and music supervision by Alan Williams.

With a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin and a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, Elf the Musical is inspired by the much-loved 2003 film that starred Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, and James Caan. The stage version premiered in 2010, and hasn’t been seen on Broadway since 2013.