By Crystal Hayduk
Slideshow at bottom of story by Don Paulsell
(Publisher’s note: The photos in the gallery are by Don Paulsell. I apologize for the error.)
With the highest attendance in the history of CAP Youth Theatre, “Elf, Jr. the Musical” is one for the record books.
According to Chelsea Area Players (CAP) board member C. Don Paulsell, 1,338 people attended the Nov. 18-20 production held at the George Prinzing Auditorium, Washington Street.
Sixty-three young actors, hailing from Chelsea and surrounding communities, brought the best of their enthusiasm, energy, and talent to “… spread Christmas cheer … singing loud for all to hear,” a quote by Buddy the Elf, played by Carson Woollams.
The story follows Buddy, an “elf” raised at the North Pole after he crawled into Santa’s bag during a Christmas Eve visit to an orphanage. When Buddy discovers that he is an ordinary human, he searches for his birth father, Walter Hobbs, who now has a wife and 12-year-old son and lives in New York City.
Buddy discovers that neither Walter nor most other New Yorkers believe in the spirit of Christmas, which is necessary to power Santa’s sleigh. He resolves to help them all regain the Christmas spirit.
In his directorial debut program note, Michael Cicirelli wrote his thanks to the children who “… brought their characters to life effectively and [were] always ready to go with full energy.” He also thanked the families who participated in all behind-the-scenes aspects of the production. “They are some of the real heroes,” he said.
Other members of the production team included Alex Moore (vocal director), Alisa Bauer (choreographer), Ken Beauchamp (technical director), Brian Myers (assistant director), Molly Borneman (costumer), Dr. Michael and Clara Smith (properties), Todd Ducsay (producer), and Grace Sharrow-Ducsay (assistant producer).
“Elf, Jr. the Musical” was presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI), and was based on the New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin; book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.
