Elf the Musical has announced a huge arena tour of the UK this Christmas, including THREE massive shows in Manchester.
The musical, based on the festive favourite film, will be stopping off at the AO Arena just before Christmas, before heading on to arenas in Leeds, Newcastle and Brighton.
The blockbuster film stars Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, a human raised by Santa Claus and his elves, who travels to New York City to find his real father – with hilarious and heartwarming consequences.
The Hollywood hit was turned into Elf the Musical, a supersized live arena spectacular with a mobile stage that travels the auditorium and a massive main stage with film backdrops on a huge LED screen.
Audiences can expect everything from an audience snowball fight to an indoor snowstorm, as well as witnessing Santa’s flying sleigh, following a giant candy cane journey from the North Pole.
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Aerial cirque artists will bring all of the action to life as part of a huge cast of performers.
A still from Elf the movie. Credit: Warner Brothers
Elf the Musical promises to be the biggest live Christmas show in the UK when it tours this winter.
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West End star Steven Serlin will be stepping into the lead role of Buddy the Elf, with other cast members including Birds of a Feather actor Charlie Quirke (as Buddy’s NYC pal), Charlotte Hall (as love interest Jovie), and Barry Bloxham (as Buddy’s dad).
The original score has been written by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin and has already delighted audiences on Broadway and the West End.
Producer and director Jon Conway says: “This is the fourth year we have presented this epic version of the Broadway and Hollywood hit as part of the World’s Biggest Pantomime brand.
“Elf is always one of the most popular Christmas films and ‘Buddy The Elf’ a truly iconic character. We are returning to some venues and have made the show even bigger and better with new features to make it a really thrilling experience.
“We are keenly aware of the economic climate and are one of the few shows to have reduced our prices from Elf’s last visit for an affordable family outing!
“One of the best sights is the audiences dressing up for the show, especially the dads in elf Christmas sweaters! This is an unmissable Xmas treat.”
Elf the Musical will be at the AO Arena with two shows on 23 December (12pm and 4pm) and another on 24 December at 10am. Tickets are on pre-sale now at Ticketmaster.
Featured image: Publicity picture
Theatre
10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester already has a jam-packed 2025 theatre schedule, and in the words of Hairspray, Manchester really can’t stop the beat.
There’s no denying that Manchester and its surrounding areas are no stranger to a live performance or two, after all, with three cracking theatres to choose from, it would be hard to miss one of these spell-bounding tours.
Without further ado, here’s a brief overview of 10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025.
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Wicked
Palace Theatre Manchester
3 December 2024 – 12 January 2025
Wicked / Credit: Matt Crockett
The smash-hit blockbuster of the year is continuing its reign even into the New Year for two weeks of gravity defying awesomeness.
Currently nearing the end of its remarkable cinema run, thanks to leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, continue the magic of the two witches in the form of live theatre.
Expect all the usual hits like ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling?’, get lost in the world of Ozian storytelling and recline in your own comfy bright red theatre seat.
It’s all about star power with this musical as Johannes Radebe from Strictly Come Dancing playing Lola and the music and lyrics handled by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
The musical follows the life of a struggling businessman who’s inherited his family’s shoe factory, all seems dire until he meets Lola a drag queen who might just solve all his problems.
‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ as its titled is directed by Aditya Chopra, the film’s original director.
Since its big-screen release in 1995, the show has never left cinemas in Mumbai, becoming the longest-running title in Indian cinema.
This stage adaptation has a huge emphasis on colliding cultures, with the Bollywood production following the love story of two lovers from different backgrounds.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, back in Manchester LIVE.
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The six wives of Henry VIII have a special place in Manchester’s hearts, becoming a returning favourite since its not-so-quiet 2018 debut. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to see it, imagine Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour but a few centuries earlier – it’s a pure pop celebration.
Something’s just go hand in hand – Fish and chips, tea and biscuits, and thespians and The Rocky Horror Show.
This musical carries alongside it one of the biggest fandoms of all time, and with Jason Donovan playing the role of Frank-N-Furter, the love for this production is set to grow much stronger. Manchester is no stranger to doing the ‘Time Warp’ and with the musical returning in summer 2025, they’re most definitely about to do it again.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe / Credit: Matt Crockett
Start filling your Christmas calendar for 2025 early and enrich yourself in a classic novel set in the fantasy land of Narnia.
Watch Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter tackle enemies, face foes and create solutions while venturing through a world of wonders. You’re about to be in awe as you get whisked away to this mystical land and watch the story unfold on stage with a live cast and some mesmerising set designs.
Dates for this show are very flexible too, meaning theatregoers have lots of opportunities to see the miracle worker that is Ms. Poppins fly about the streets of London.
It’s a double Australian bill as both Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers who are reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert, respectively, are both from down under.
‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘The Best’, you can’t deny the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll has certainly earned her royal musical status.
This monumental singer achieved 12 Grammy awards during her musical career and grew a strong cult fanbase who stuck with her through thick and thin.
Now fans and musical lovers alike can enjoy a show all about the life of the vocal pioneer while also reminiscing on some of the biggest hits of her career.
Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of…) / Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic
There are lots of fantastic productions happening throughout the year and but we had to include this one because it’s Pride And Prejudice… well sort of.
Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novel has seen itself take on numerous adaptations since it’s original hardback debut from the big screen release in 2005 to this new stage musical coming in 2025. The drama will feature some of pop’s greatest records throughout the tale like ‘You’re So Vain’, ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.
The all-new Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz is coming to the AO Arena in 2025
Danny Jones
Something Wicked comes this way but not as you know because a high-flying twist on the Wizard of Oz lands in Manchester next year – only this time, make it Cirque!
That’s right, AO Arena is set to welcome the Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz: an acrobatic take on the classic children’s story and much-loved 1939 film starring Judy Garland.
With Wicked fever having taken over the global zeitgeist following the release of this year’s feature-length adaption and even more people, theatre fans or not, going along to see the long-hailed theatre production that inspired it, it seems there’s no better time to announce this latest entry into the universe.
Set to embark on its inaugural tour in 2025, the experience is being described as ‘cirque meets panto’ and is set to deliver a magical retelling of the iconic tale like never before.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOW ON SALE!⚡ CIRQUE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ!<br><br>Panto meets Cirque... Be amazed by a brand-new, breath-taking, Cirque staging… of the Wicked Wizard of Oz, coming to the AO Arena next year on Tuesday 23rd December 2025! 💫✨ <br><br>Buy tickets now: <a href="https://t.co/uQTPa3YJqW">https://t.co/uQTPa3YJqW</a> <a href="https://t.co/kTctGVXZIn">pic.twitter.com/kTctGVXZIn</a></p>— AO Arena (@AOArena) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOArena/status/1870046804659568980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Turning the Emerald City into the Emerald Circus, World’s Biggest Productions (the same team behind Elf: The Musical, Peter Pan and many other pantomime hits) are bringing this new concept to the masses starting in Autumn 2025, with a Manchester date pencilled in for the following winter.
Featuring a cast of more than 60, including already familiar audience favourites like Jordan Conway, Kelly Banlaki and Kev Orkian in starring roles, anyone who has seen one of their productions before will know how big and bold an affair they are.
Combine that with one of the most well-known stories on the planet and what do you get? Well, what we can only expect to be a supremely energetic, colourful and heartfelt spectacle on a huge scale.
Promising aerial stunts, amazing special effects and the big-budget perks of an arena as legendary as the AO, this is not one you’ll want to miss if you’re a musical theatre fan.
It’s also not the show the theatre company are bringing to the stage next year either, as their hugely successful run of Elf will be returning alongside Scrooge – yes, another circus spin, only this time on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Most importantly, all of these shows are fundamentally family-friendly, meaning not only can they be enjoyed by people of all ages but they’ll make for a perfect day out come the festive period.
Cirque Wicked Wizard of Oz comes to Manchester for one night only on Tuesday, 23 December 2025 with the fun starting from 7pm.
In the meantime, if you’re still in need of a musical theatre of fantasy fix, you can read all about what we made of the most recent showings of Wicked at the Palace Theatre down below.
Daisy Jackson -
20th April 2023 
