George Wendt to Star as Santa in Elf the Musical at Madison Square Garden

George Wendt, best known for playing Norm Peterson on the long-running TV series Cheers, will star as Santa in Elf the Musical at Madison Square Garden this holiday season. The limited engagement is set to run December 13-29.

In addition to Cheers, Wendt has appeared on several television programs including Taxi, Soap, M*A*S*H, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Becker, and has made numerous appearances on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. On Broadway, Wendt originated the role of Santa in Elf the Musical in 2010 and played the role of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. He also performed in the 2013 stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Inspired by the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf features a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin. The musical tells the story 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 their inner Elf.

Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

For tickets and more information, click here.