A grand production: 'Elf the Musical' returns to London, Ont.

Elf the Musical is returning to the Grand Theatre for the second time.

After rehearsing eight hours a day, six days a week, Elf the Musical is debuting its first show on Tuesday night in the heart of downtown London.

“I haven’t slept for a month,” said Dennis Garnhum, the director. “Ever since we started rehearsing this play, it’s because I’ve met the cast. I'm so excited. The joy of this is so intoxicating.”

The show is based on the 2003 holiday movie Elf, where Will Ferrell plays Buddy.

“While the people Buddy meets initially mock him for being too kind and too good, the musical cleverly weaves its way into our hearts,” said Garnhum.

In the musical, Buddy grows up at the North Pole, surrounded by elves, and he believes he is an elf, but eventually comes to realize he is in fact a human. Buddy then embarks on a journey to find his father who is in need of some Christmas spirit.

“And he goes down to New York to figure out who he is and how he fits in the world,” said Izad Etemadi, who plays Buddy the elf in the musical.

15 other Canadian actors and 10 young actors from across London join Etemadi.

“The beautiful thing about Buddy is that he has this infectious optimistic outlook on life no matter what happens,” Etemadi said. “He always chooses to see the best of everybody.”

Treating every day like Christmas, the cast said they eat, sleep and breathe the show.

“You’ll catch us at home practicing the dance together, pushing the kitchen table out of the way and dancing at home,” said Michelle Bardach, who plays Jovie.

“The production team is phenomenal, I think we have something spectacular,” added Aadin Church, who plays Santa Claus. He told CTV News London it was his first time performing at The Grand Theatre.

“As actors we take it home with us and we try and be the best we can be every time we have a rehearsal,” Church added.

“The costume, the set, and the props are insane. I have never seen such a beautiful set,” Bardach said.

Pictured is Santa Claus, played by Aadin Church and Izad Etemadi, playing the lead role as Buddy the elf. (Jenn Basa/CTV News London)

In order to bring this story to life, the production used 50 pounds of fake snow, all of which is made from plastic bags. This massive production does not fall short of Christmas lights, colours, and costumes, including the 45 pounds of glitter used throughout the show.

As of Tuesday, they have sold 20,000 seats. With the pent-up demand, they have decided to extend their show until New Year's Eve.

Encouraging more people to see the show for themselves, the director said, “If you need to find something to do I think there's nothing better than coming to the Grand and seeing the elf.”

Etemadi added, “I hope people leave this theatre tapping their foot, bobbing their heads along to the music, singing the songs on their way home.”

The cast is also looking to give back this year, by asking for monetary donations that will go to the London Food Bank.

“It’s almost impossible to turn on the news today without hearing stories of the escalating prices of food and how many within our city and our country are facing greater food insecurity than ever before,” said Evan Klassen, the Grand Theatre’s executive director.

For the sixth year in a row, audience members will hear more about the food bank and the impact it had in London. All proceeds will go to the food bank to help those in need.