News about Thomas Meehan

VERONICA LEE: The 2003 film Elf is a perennial favorite, and viewers will unquestionably have Will Ferrell lodged in their heads as they think about Santa's hapless 'little' helper Buddy Buddy Buddy. Simon Lipkin of Elf The Musical in Elf The Musical Defiant overcomes any comparisons (and a disgusting wig) to create a convincing lead. If you want to know, the naive Buddy, who as a child, crawled into Santa's sack and was then brought up by his elves at the North Pole, is the subject of this tale. Buddy heads to New York to find his father, frazzled businessman Walter Hobbs (Tom Chambers), who is too occupied for his wife, Emily (Rebecca Lock), and son Michael, let alone this strange manboy who loves to hug him all the time. Hobbs is on the Naughty List, which is oh, the horror - he doesn't believe Santa exists. The classy revival by Philip McKinley - Macy's appearance in Tim Goodchild's book - has some rousing song-and-dance numbers (the book is by Thomas Meehan and Robert Martin, with songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, choreography by Liam Steel).