MANSFIELD — Make snow angels for two hours? Check. Go ice skating? Check. Eat a whole roll of Toll-House cookie dough as fast as you can? Check.
Go see “Elf Jr.” at the Mansfield Playhouse this weekend? Double check.
The beloved holiday tale about an elf who realizes he’s human hits the stage at the Mansfield Playhouse at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30. Other show dates include Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Audiences will follow Buddy the Elf’s journey as he travels from the North Pole to New York City in search of his birth father and his true identity.
“He touches everybody’s hearts and lives and makes people better,” said director Candy Boyd.
Boyd is at the helm of a cast of 28 kids ranging in age from 8 to 18. The biggest differences between the show and the movie are the addition of musical numbers, and the condensed story for the stage.
“This group is so well-behaved. They’re quiet and I don’t know what to make of them,” she said with a laugh. “It’s an interesting group because it’s a lot of new faces for me personally, but it’s been fun.”
Bringing Buddy to life is 16-year-old Joshua Carpenter from Ontario High School. This is Carpenter’s second time performing at the Playhouse, and his first production in a major role.
“Buddy is a very out-of-the-box kind of character,” Carpenter said. “From screaming and dancing and being fun on stage, to some of the more wholehearted moments where I get to calm down a little bit and have touching moments with characters, it’s a fun role to do.”
Those familiar with the movie version of “Elf” know that Buddy has a distinct personality, incredibly childlike and pure in his enthusiasm for the holidays. Carpenter describes himself as more of a “serious” person in comparison, so taking on a character made so iconic by Will Ferrell was a bit of a challenge.
“The rest of the cast, we’ve become like a family,” Carpenter said. “Any time I’ve had even an ounce of doubt they’ve cheered me up and made sure I’m good to go. The role is intimidating, but I’ve been able to get through it with this cast.”
Playing Buddy’s long-lost younger brother is Payne Schwartz, an 11-year-old student at Discovery School. Schwartz is a veteran of the stage, having performed in a dozen shows since kindergarten and appearing in his fourth show at the Mansfield Playhouse.
“I just like interacting with people,” Schwartz said of his love for theatre. “You get to act like someone you’re not, and sometimes if you have a bad day at school and you wish you were someone else, you can come here and pretend.”
The character of Michael is quite a bit more reserved than his elf stepbrother – which is also the opposite of Schwartz, who loves Christmas (even though he doesn’t yet know what he wants from Santa this year).
“At first he’s a little confused at Buddy because he thinks he’s a psycho because he still believes in Santa and Christmas,” Schwartz said. “Michael doesn’t really believe but all he wants is a day with his dad, and if Santa can do that he’ll believe in him.”
The theme of Buddy helping other characters come out of their shells occurs over and over again in “Elf Jr.,” according to Boyd.
“For Walter Hobbs it’s about becoming a better father to Buddy and his son Michael; for the mother it’s about growing into a more loving and affectionate wife; for Michael it’s becoming more outgoing and friendly. For each character it’s different,” Boyd said. “And then there’s Buddy, who doesn’t need any help growing.”
Tickets for the Mansfield Playhouse’s production of “Elf Jr.” can be purchased by calling the box office at 419-522-2883 Wednesdays through Fridays between 1 and 6 p.m. or visiting mansfieldplayhouse.com.
“Whether you’ve grown up with the movie or you know people in the cast, you’re going to come in and see a very fun show full of energy and full of people you can tell actually want to be here,” Carpenter said.
“It’s just like the movie, only better,” Schwartz added. “It’s a really fun family show.”
