Mecca’s ‘Elf Jr.’ lights up the stage at WMCA

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This article was published 23/11/2023 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Smiling might be your favourite after you see Mecca Productions’ “Elf Jr.” light up the stage at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium this week.

The show is Mecca’s first children’s musical they have tried in the fall and the kids will be on stage this Thursday to Saturday.

“It’s such a good show. It’s really, really funny,” said Lisa Vasconcelos, co-proprietor of Mecca Productions and artistic director and producer of “Elf Jr.” “It’s very much a parallel to the movie with some really cute songs as well. So if people love the movie, they’ll love the musical because it’s the same story. But it is shorter as a junior musical.”

The show will run for about an hour and a half and stars Grade 10 student Rixon Suski as Buddy the elf. Suski leads a cast completely made up of children of all ages, nearly 100 of them from all over southern Manitoba, playing the familiar characters of Jovie, Santa, Walter Hobbs and many elves. The musical is based on the Broadway version of “Elf,” which is based on the popular 2003 film of the same name, starring comedian Will Ferrell.

Matching Ferrell’s comedic, slapstick performance as Buddy might be challenging for some, but Vasconcelos said Suski is perfect for the role.

“When you look at him, he’s just a high-spirited, energetic young man. He’s so kind. He’s worked very, very hard, because Buddy is like Maria of ‘The Sound of Music’ and he has a million lines. He’s just fabulous. He’s really taken this seriously and worked super hard at it. He’s got it all down just perfectly,” she said.

For Suski, this is his second musical role with Mecca, but his first big lead, and he says he enjoys the journey that Buddy takes during the show.

“Getting to play a character with multiple connections and having the excitement of (Buddy) meeting new people and trying new things, all throughout the musical, is really fun,” said Suski.

Buddy’s New York family is played by Zac McKenzie (Walter Hobbs), Rori Jacobson and Yesenia Zavala (double cast as Emily Hobbs), and Grady Sanko and Lauren Mazer (Michael Hobbs). Avery Sydor and Lillian Bromley play Buddy’s love interest, Jovie. Many kids will play the role of New Yorkers and Santa’s elves.

Suski and the “Elf Jr.” cast have been in rehearsals since September and Suski has found he is attracting young fans as they get closer to the show date.

“It’s super fun and (the younger kids) all look up to me a little bit, which is fun and also new. Because I know being a teenager you don’t always get looked up to and when little kids will go up to me and say ‘Hi, Mr. Buddy,’ it’s pretty awesome,” Suski said with a laugh.

Showtimes are tonight and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $17 to $22.50 and are available through the WMCA. The Mecca Arts Council (MCA) will also be on site for the shows, offering a VIP experience for $10 before Saturday morning’s show.

The VIP experience allows the purchaser to meet the cast before the show and enjoy some other perks. They will also hold a 50/50 and have a rainbow auction on site.

The MCA is a group of parents who raise funds to help kids to participate in Mecca classes and musicals, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to.

» khenderson@brandonsun.com