Hasting Senior High School's Elf: The Musical will be showing on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the school auditorium. Tickets are available for sale online and also at the auditorium during musical days.
Get ready to hang your stockings, wear your ugly Christmas sweaters, and get into the holiday spirit because Christmas is coming early this year!
Hastings Senior High School will be premiering its rendition of Broadway’s Elf: The Musical on April 11, 2025 in the school auditorium.
The decision to have Elf as this year’s musical was due to multiple reasons. For one reason, HHS Musical Director Christian Yost thought it would be unique to have a Christmas-themed musical during the spring season.
“I think the novelty of having Christmas in April will be a little fun for people to kind of step back into the season of Christmas for a few hours,” Yost said.
The decision was also based on what would sell well to family audiences. Yost wanted both adults and children to be able to enjoy the musical in their own respective ways.
“There’s a quote in [Elf]. This little kid says to his dad, ‘You know dad, kids of workaholics are prone to have self-esteem issues.’ … As a parent with now two sons, I go, ‘Oh. Maybe I should go listen to that.’” Yost said. “There’s some lighthearted fun and cute things [for younger audiences] but also some things for adults.”
Though the cast members may not be adults who have experienced the heavier topics underlining the musical, Yost has faith that the execution will not be affected. The goal is to immerse the audience and have them experience the characters’ emotions.
“One of the things that’s great about our kids down here is they’re really good storytellers… Maybe Aidan Leonard, who’s playing Walter, hasn’t necessarily struggled with [being a workaholic dad] in his life. However, we can say, ‘How would that make Walter feel? How would that make Michael feel?’” Yost said. “He can channel that inner [emotion]. I think that’s one of the great things about being an actor. You get to kind of hyper-analyze feelings a little bit, but then you’re [also] able to make people kind of think.”
Yost considered multiple factors when deciding who to cast. These ranged from personality, vocal skills, line delivery, to general affinity with the character.
“We look for, when they read or they sing, ‘Do they have the mannerisms?’ But Buddy the Elf is an iconic character, much like Spongebob last year, where we all know Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf,” Yost said.
Ezekiel Verhage will be taking on the lead role, Buddy Hobbs, and Laura Kate Oliver will be playing Jovie. The musical will have a total of 55 cast members.
“I was pumped to be casted as Buddy the Elf for the musical. I spent a lot of time practicing, and now that I have the role, I can say it was worth it,” Verhage said.
Oliver played the role of Squidward in Spongebob the Musical last year. This year, she is excited to be taking on the female lead of the musical.
“I’m so excited to be playing Jovie in Elf the Musical! It’s been such a fun experience getting to know her character and learning how to bring her to life on stage. It’s a big change from last year when I played Squidward… but I’ve loved the challenge,” Oliver said.
Last year, the production team introduced the usage of eight large LED panels as a background. This year, for the first time in two decades, the cast will be wearing professionally-made costumes rented from Crane River Theater in Kearney.
“It is always exciting to see our program grow, and I love the improvements we get every year. We couldn’t do it without everyone who comes out and all the people in the cast. From stage crew to actors, we all play a part in improving the quality of the shows,” Verhage said.
Some think that the usage of the LED panels and costumes sets the musicals at HHS apart from others.
“It’s incredible to see our theater advancing in so many ways. The use of LED lights and boards onstage truly creates an immersive experience for the audience. The costumes this year are amazing, and it’s exciting to see how other theaters are putting their unique spin on the same show we’ve made our own,” Oliver said. “I can’t wait to see what HHS Theater has in store in the coming years and the spectacular shows they’ll put on!”
Yost, along with co-director Lacey Franzen, accompanist Mindy Rowan, and stagecraft teacher and HHS Play Director Katie Funkey, began production for the musical in February of this year. Yost dedicates a majority of his day to different aspects of the musical, staying from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and sometimes until 11:00 a.m.
“It’s a lot of commitment. It’s a lot of time, especially as the director… Just because rehearsal’s over, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that have to be done or fixed or tweaked,” Yost said. “But, it’s really fun to give kids the opportunity to go and do a show at such a professional level.”
The musical is expected to run for two hours. This rendition will be nearly identical to the movie and Broadway’s version of the musical because the official scripts and license for the musical were sourced from Musical Theatre International.
“You should expect that same lighthearted, youthful feel that the movie brings. It’s the story of Buddy who has the same struggles as the movie, struggles with social cues, struggles with personal space, struggles with having way more energy than everyone else, [and] struggles with being way too loud,” Yost said.
Before being a music teacher and director at the school, Yost toured professionally with a traveling magic show. Now, Yost finds joy in being able to direct the musicals at Hastings Senior High School.
“[Touring] was a big passion of mine. I really enjoyed it, however, I would rather be a dad and have a family, so, what’s fun is being able to bring all of my experience from [touring] and to be able to bring it and give our school the biggest opportunities that I possibly can,” Yost said.
During three of the past five years Yost has worked on the musicals, the musical cast and team have received the Nebraska Outstanding Music Theater Production award and the Nebraska Outstanding Music Theatre Ensemble award from Nebraska High School Theater Academy hosted by Omaha Performing Arts, in addition to having national finalists who competed for a chance to perform at the National High School Musical Theater Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. Yost hopes to reach similar results this year too.
“I think it’s going to be a little harder because it’s not as fun and cutesy and quirky of a show. A lot of time we’ve tackled shows that other people wouldn’t. Elf is another one of those shows,” Yost said. “It’s not as… ‘submersive’ as Spongebob, where we take you underwater, so we’re going to have to do a [much] better job of convincing the audience to buy into New York and making it a transformative experience.”
The entirety of the musical cast, producers, and other contributors encourage patrons to go buy tickets to watch the musical. It will be showing on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the school auditorium.
“Elf: The Musical is a joy for adults and fellow family members. I hope if you can make it out you should. It is hilarious and heartwarming, all in one big Christmas package. I’ll be glad to see anyone who comes out! ” Verhage said.
