I had a chance to chat with actress/singer/dancer/director Dae Spering on the show this week; we talked about The Missouri Street Theater’s production of the “new” holiday classic “ELF” and Dae’s role in the show.  We also talked about the fact that this particular performance is the first non-touring company performance of the show in Northern California, making it an amazing rarity at The Downtown Theatre in Fairfield (the show runs through January 6th, 2020; go to www.downtowntheatre.com for tickets and use code “KUIC” at checkout to save some $). I asked Dae what she thought about why audiences are so drawn to “ELF,” both the 2003 movie and various stage productions from high school drama clubs to Broadway…she made a very cool point: “Most Holiday Shows have a ‘dark’ aspect to them,” she said. “ELF never goes into a real dark section; no matter what happens to [title character] Buddy, he maintains a sense of joy that’s infectious.” Dae’s right: think about the darker aspects of holiday classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “A Christmas Carol.” Maybe we need to create more joy-filled holiday entertainment fare?

John Young