From Seinfeld to Santa! Wayne Knight Joins the Cast of Elf

Seinfeld alum Wayne Knight will star as Santa Claus in the Broadway return of the musical Elf. The show is set for a limited nine-week engagement at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre beginning November 9.

Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf tells the story of Buddy, a young orphan who accidentally crawls into Santa’s gift bag and is transported back to the North Pole. Buddy, who is raised among Santa’s elves, is unaware that he’s actually human until his increasingly enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his true identity.

Knight joins previously announced stars Beth Leavel, Mark Jacoby and Valerie Wright, who reprise the roles of Emily, Walter and Deb, respectively, from the original 2010 production. Additional casting for the central roles of Buddy and Jovie will be announced soon.

Knight is well-known to audiences for his role as Newman on the classic sitcom Seinfeld. His film and TV credits include Jurassic Park, Toy Story 2, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Hot in Cleveland, JFK, Basic Instinct, Dirty Dancing and Curb Your Enthusiasm. His Broadway credits include Sweet Charity, Art, Mastergate and Gemini. He can currently be seen on TV Land’s sitcom The Exes.