Cheers Star George Wendt to Reprise Broadway Turn in Elf at Madison Square Garden

Ho ho ho! (And a bottle of rum?) George Wendt, who spent 11 seasons delivering one-liners from a barstool on Cheers, has been announced to play Santa in an upcoming holiday engagement of the musical Elf at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Directed by Sam Scalamoni and featuring choreography by Connor Gallagher, Elf will run from December 13 through 29. Wendt originated the role of Santa in the 2010 Broadway premiere of Elf. 

Based on the beloved 2003 film, Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember its inner Elf.

Wendt is perhaps most known for his six-time Emmy-nominated performance as Norm Peterson on the '80s sitcom Cheers. Wendt's Broadway stage credits also include Art, Hairspray and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Off-Broadway, he has been seen in Wild Men and An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf.

Elf features a book by Bob Martin and the late Thomas Meehan and an original score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Additional casting for Elf at Madison Square Garden will be announced at a later date.