\'Elf\' Will Return to Broadway for the Holidays

By STEVEN MCELROY

Here's an early Christmas present for aficionados of the 2003 Will Ferrell film “Elf”: The musical adaptation that ran on Broadway during the 2010-11 holiday season will return to the Al Hirschfeld Theater beginning Nov. 9, its producers have announced.

The show, about an orphan who is brought up in the North Pole by Santa and the elves and searches for his real father in the relative wilds of New York City, features a book by Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Thomas Meehan (“Annie”). Matthew Sklar wrote the music, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”) is the director and choreographer
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The last time “Elf” came along the show received some tough reviews (Charles Isherwood in the New York Times was definitely not amused) but it was successful at the box office. The coming limited run of “Elf” is scheduled to conclude on Jan. 6, 2013; casting has yet to be announced.

The show's return to Broadway will make for a competitive Yuletide for ticket buyers seeking family entertainment. A revival of “Annie” with Tony winner Katie Finneran as Miss Hannigan opens on November 8, while a musical adaptation of the beloved holiday movie “A Christmas Story” opens on November 19.