Former Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh is to join the fabulously festive Ben Forster, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin in the musical adaptation of hit Christmas movie Elf, which is coming to London’s Dominion Theatre this autumn.
Walsh, who previously played Princess Fiona in the West End production of Shrek The Musical, will play shop worker Jovie in the story of Buddy the Elf’s search for his real human father.
Forster, who played Buddy when the show ran in Plymouth and Dublin last year, returns to the role made famous on the big screen by Will Ferrell.
Having crawled into Santa’s sack as a baby, Buddy is raised as an elf at the North Pole. When it becomes apparent he is very different to all his miniature mates, Buddy’s secret is revealed and he sets off on an adventure to find his real father. Unfortunately for him, his Dad’s name was all too often found on the naughty list.
McGann, last seen on the West End stage in The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui but arguably best known for TV comedy The Upper Hand, returns to the role of cynical father Walter Hobbs. Martin (Me And My Girl, Sunset Boulevard) plays his wife Emily.
Jennie Dale, Graham Lappin and Mark McKerracher, who dons the iconic red suit to play the North Pole’s most famous resident, also join the West End cast.
The fantastically festive show will be bringing Christmas spirit to the Dominion Theatre from 24 October. It follows another wintery family favourite, Sing-Along Frozen, and the return of Irish dance spectacular Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games into the venue.