by Laura Bloom Farber

Palm Canyon Theater’s production of Elf, a feel-good Christmas musical,  will put you in a holiday mood.  It tells the story of Buddy Hobbs, a young orphan child, who mistakenly crawls into Santa Claus’ bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole.  After discovering the baby, Santa and his elves decide to raise the child as an elf. Years later, at age thirty, Buddy learns that he is not an elf, but actually a human being and, prompted by Santa, heads off to New York in search of his father.

Scott Clinkscales gives a spectacular performance embodying Buddy’s innocence with an excellent voice, great spirit, and good moves.  David Brooks portrays Santa Claus with quirky charm.  Eric Stein-Steele, as Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s father, grows from a jaded businessman to a loving parent.  Completing the cast are Georgia Smith as Buddy’s stepmother, Desmond Seiders as Buddy’s half-brother, Jessica Lenz as the girl with whom Buddy falls in love, Keith Alexander as the manager of Macy’s, Tim Steele as Mr. Greenway (Walter’s boss), Michelle Davis as a co-worker in Walter’s office, and an ensemble consisting of Darrin Dikes, London Dikes, Fuz Edwards, Jackson Enzler, Danny Hargreaves, Reagan Kaminsky, Bogdona Koltsovva, Radmira Koltsova, S.J. Layne, Glenn Liggett, Darin MacLoed, Leilah Mendivil, Jackie Padgett, Janet Murphy Patterson, Finneus Stein-Steele, Lisa Walters, Sanai Wright, and Gina Zollman.  All give fine performances.  Special kudos to Lisa Walters who splendidly filled in for an ailing cast member as television reporter Charlotte Dennon.

Alison Logan’s wonderful choreography captures the spirit of the play.  The three-piece band, composed of Musical Director Jaci Davis on keyboard, Larry Holloway on bass, and Allen Carter on drums, provide the lively accompaniment.  The costumes, sets, props, and projections all contribute to the beautiful, finely detailed visuals. 

For a happy holiday time, come see Elf.  

The rest of the performances are on Sunday, December 3, Thursday December 7, Friday, December 8, Saturday, December 9, Sunday, December 10, Thursday, December 14, Friday, December 15, Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17.  All Thursday performances start at 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday performances at 2:00 p.m.  October 13th and 14th at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 15th at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $38 for most adults, $34 for seniors, and $17 for students and children). For tickets, call 760-323-5123 or visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/36239/production/1161187. The theater is located at 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262, between N. Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive, on the north side of E. Alejo Road.

Photos by Sonny Von Cleveland

The rest of the 2023-24 season consists of:

SORDID LIVES (Jan 19 – 28, 2024)

SOMETHING ROTTEN! (Feb 9-25, 2024)

SWEENEY TODD (Mar 8 – 24, 2024)

THE BOYS IN THE BAND (Apr 12 – 21, 2024)

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (May 10 -19, 2024)

BYE BYE BIRDIE (July 5-14, 2024)