The 2003 film, “Elf,” which starred Will Ferrell as “Buddy the Elf’’ is a household Christmas classic. “Elf the Musical” is based on the popular motion picture. For those in Savannah Nov. 4-27, the musical will be performed live at the historic Savannah Theatre, featuring a plethora of local Savannah talent.
“Everything we do at the theater is an attempt to entertain our audiences so that they can have two hours of fun and forget any other tensions that they might be feeling. There’s no better show than ‘Elf’ to do that,” said Meece. “It was one of our most popular shows in our 20 years of being here, and producing shows at the theater. We just thought this was a great time to have another fun show,” said Michael Meece, director of the musical.
Thus, plans were put into motion to bring back the popular production. Running at the Savannah Theatre for a total of 18 performances, featuring a local cast that Meece is especially proud of.
“There are quite a few locals that are in the show. I’m really proud of them, there are really talented people here. Some have been in some of our shows before, but they’re not just locals that wanted to be in a play, they are very successful around the world and they are very professional,” said Meece.
“This was a Broadway production so they already transitioned the movie into the stage version of it, and it follows the storyline pretty closely. All of the scenes are still there, people who are what you call aficionados of the movie will not miss any of their favorite lines, they’re all in the stage version,” said Meece.
F. Michael Zaller was cast as “Buddy the Elf,”the titular character. Zaller has been at the Savannah Theatre over the past 20 years, in numerous shows, including the previous production of Elf the Musical in 2019, where he also played “Buddy.” He received high praise from Meece, for his performance capabilities.
“Will Ferrell and ‘Elf’ are synonymous. I would challenge anybody to come to the show and see if I’m wrong, that this is the closest impersonation to Will Ferrell you’re gonna find anywhere. He [Zaller] embodies all of the same charm and comic timing, as Will Ferrell,” said Meece.
Zaller is excited to jump back into character and play “Buddy the Elf.”
“It’s a tricky thing as an actor, some actors will want to approach a role and not do it anything like people have done it before. I feel like when you get an iconic role, such as ‘Buddy the Elf,’ that everyone knows and loves, you’ve got to give it a homage to it,” said Zaller. “What I try to do is just embody the joy and the energy that Will Ferrell brought to it.”
Will Ferrel is no easy act to follow, which Zaller understands, and has practiced in-depth to be able to perform as “Buddy the Elf,” and do the role justice.
“It is one of the most difficult roles I’ve ever done. They took a movie that has Will Ferrell in every scene, and they converted it to the stage. He is in almost every scene, it’s a marathon, it takes endurance,” said Zaller.
What should the audience expect? Well… if you have to ask…
“I would just say knowing from doing the show before, the way people walk out of this show, it’s just so fun, and the energy and the joy. People from five years old to 95 years old, all come out with a smile on their faces. It’s been a pleasure. It’s just wonderful seeing people’s reaction to the show,” said Zaller.
For more information, tickets, and showtimes, visit savannahtheatre.com
