Sharon Crandall is in familiar company.
Three actors that the Port Moody resident performed with at Bard on the Beach this summer are also in a show with her that opens tonight, Nov. 1.
Crandall, who portrayed Corin in As You Like It and Calphurnia in Julius Caesar on the Vanier Park stage, takes on the role of Emily Hobbs in the Arts Club Theatre production of Elf: The Musical.
Running until Dec. 31 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, Crandall appears alongside fellow Bard alumni Andrew McNee (Buddy); Scott Bellis (Mr. Greenway/Santa understudy); and Andrew Wheeler (Walter Hobbs).
"I've been so looking forward to it," Crandall told the Tri-City News on Tuesday, Oct. 30, of Elf.
"The Bard contract is for five-and-a-half months and, although I loved it, it was time for a change."
Based on the 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell, Elf: The Musical is a whimsical tale that follows Buddy Hobbs who, as a child, crawls into Santa's bags and is raised in the North Pole as an elf.
When he learns his true identity, he returns to New York City to be reunited with his dad, Walter Hobbs.
His step-mother Emily, played by Mary Steenburgen in the flick, attempts to reason with Walter and their son, Michael, and calls for a DNA test.
"I love her," Crandall said of Emily.
"She's the first one who accepts Buddy, but she's also the one who says to her husband, 'We should listen to this guy.'"
Crandall said there are some very touching moments in the production that speak about of familial love and loss, and during rehearsals, "I'm often tearing up."
"The core story is about a family that's found each other and is prioritizing each other after all the things that have happened. In the end, Walter makes a big turnaround to put his family first."
She described the family-friendly musical as "a feast for the eyes, a feast for the ears" with set design by Brian Ball, choreography from Julie Tomaino and music under the baton of Ken Cormier.
It also includes Port Moody actor Siggi Kaldestad, a Grade 6 student at Moody Middle School, in the children's chorus.
Directed by Stephen Drover, Elf: The Musical is the first Christmas show that Crandall has worked on for the Arts Club Theatre; however, it's not her first production with the company: In 2019, she was cast as Mrs. Phelps in Roald Dahl's Matilda.
As for the new year, Crandall will take on General Matilda B. Cartwright and the Hot Box emcee in the musical Guys and Dolls.
Tickets start at $39 for Elf: The Musical, an Arts Club Theatre Company production at that runs at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver (2750 Granville St.) until Dec. 31. Visit artsclub.com.
Showtimes and Special Events
- Evenings: Tuesdays to Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.
- Matinees: Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m.
- Sunday Salon: Nov. 12, 2 p.m.
- Talkback Tuesday: Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.
- VocalEye Performances: Dec. 3, 2 p.m.; Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
