Sean Astin will make his Broadway debut this season Elf The Musical.
Astin will play Santa Claus, opposite Tony Award nominee Gray Henson (Bad, shelled girls) as Buddy the Elf. The musical will be performed at the Marquis Theater starting November 9, with an opening night on November 17.
Astin is known for his onscreen roles as Mikey Walsh in The Gooniesthe title character of RudySamwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Doug Whitmore in 50 first dates and Bob Newby inside Stranger things.
The show, based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel and James Caan, is scheduled for a limited run through January 4. The show follows Buddy, a human raised by Santa's elves, as he goes to New York to find his royal pretty.
The musical, which was first staged at the Dominion Theater in London's West End, has already appeared on Broadway twice. The show features a book by Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The sleepy chaperone, Smash, Boop! The Musical), with songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The prom, the wedding singer).
The Broadway production is directed by Philip Wm. McKinley (The Boy from Oz, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark) and choreographed by Liam Steel (Agency).
Temple Live Entertainment North America and Crossroads Live North America will produce the Broadway series.
The Broadway production will feature set and costume design by Tim Goodchild, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen and video design by Ian William Galloway.