'Elf The Musical' Coming To City Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — City Springs Theatre, the Atlanta area's newest professional theatre company, presents Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley and Broadway’s Autumn Hurlbert in "Elf the Musical," a modern day holiday classic, playing at Byers Theatre at The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.

The show will run Dec. 7-16 and ticket prices range from $30 to $62, with discounts for seniors, students, groups, and active and retired military personnel. Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell, "Elf the Musical" features songs by Tony Award nominees, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.

Directed by Broadway’s Steve Bebout, "Elf the Musical" is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Playing the beloved, and sometimes misunderstood Buddy is Hensley, who most recently starred as Julian Marsh in City Springs Theatre Company’s "42nd Street" and as Sir Toby Belch in The Public Theatre’s "Twelfth Night." He has appeared as the Monster in the original Broadway and West End productions of Mel Brook’s "Young Frankenstein," Javert in Broadway’s "Les Miserables," and Jud Fry in "Oklahoma!," which earned him the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Olivier awards. Hensley is the associate artistic director of City Springs Theatre Company.

"I am excited and honored to be a part of City Springs Theatre’s holiday spectacular," Hensley said. "It is a wonderful show for young and old and will definitely have you claiming that the
only way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

Broadway’s Autumn Hurlbert plays Jovie, the tough-around-the-edges target of Buddy’s
complete adoration. Hurlbert is best known for her appearance on MTV’s reality competition series "Legally Blonde: The Musical—The Search for Elle Woods," which catapulted her to the Broadway company of "Legally Blonde: The Musical." Most recently, she appeared as Portia in the national tour of "Something Rotten!"

The performance schedule is 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8; and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9; and 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16.

Shows will be held in Byers Theater at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center at 1 Galambos Way. Visit www.CitySpringsTheatre.com or call 404-477-4365 for more information.

Image via City Springs Theatre Company