An interview with the stars of Elf: A Christmas Spectacular

December is nearing, which can only mean one thing – Elf: A Christmas Spectacular is coming our way! From Friday 28 December until Sunday 30 December you can see the hit West End and Broadway musical, in all its glory at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. We got the chance to speak to the stars of the show and give them a special ‘Nottingham’ present – a rubber ducky.

On a quiet Tuesday morning in September, Simon Kirk – our special guest interviewer for the day - is ready to put his interviewing skills to the test and interrogate Tam Ryan, David Essex and Martine McCutcheon to get to know all things ELF and to find out how ‘Nottingham’ they actually are!

Simon begins by admitting to Tam, Martine and David that this isn’t his day job - and that things might therefore not go as planned. The three of them reassure him that he doesn’t need to worry, and they decide to crack on with the interview.

With the arena show nearing, it’s only right to find out what they’ve been holding back for us and see if we can get any inside scoops on this magical Christmas show. David, Tam and Martine are quick to tell us all about this new rendition of the iconic Elf.

According to Tam, they’ve taken the best bits of both the film and the musical to make it into a big production with interactive aspects, where the audience are as much a part of the show as the cast. And not only that, Martine tells us they’ve got CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and an interactive set, including flying sleighs. Tam: “There’s going to be circus elements to it as well and there’s going to be music, comedy and the retelling of the story and just a celebration of Christmas magic”.

As Simon asks them what comes to mind when they think of Nottingham, the answers vary from Martine’s memories of how warm and kind us Nottingham folk are - waiting at stage door and cheering her on for her very first solo tour – to Tam’s night out after a show (which apparently didn’t end on a high) and David’s Newstead Abbey adventure – where he climbed a rain pipe to have a look inside. The latter – in contrast to Tam’s night out - did end well, as David and his then colleagues were let in to have a look around the premises during closing time and able to do some research on Lord Byron.

When asked if they have a standout memory of visiting Nottingham, Martine tells us “I’ve had the most fans I’ve ever seen standing outside stage door here and I honestly felt like such a star, they were so lovely and made me feel so welcome”.

And now the ultimate test to find out how ‘Nottingham’ our stars really are:

Q1: Red sauce or brown sauce (invented by Frederick Gibson Garton right here in Nottingham)?

Tam: ooh crikey, is there a right or wrong answer? I’m brown sauce!
Martine and David: Brown sauce

Q2: What do you call a bread roll?

Tam: Now I’m aware it’s called a cob in Nottingham, but I would call it a roll…
Martine: A butty
David: I’d call it a… bread roll

Q3: Who is your favourite Robin Hood – Errol Flynn or Kevin Costner?

All: Errol Flynn, no debate!

Q4: What is your favourite colour?

Tam: Green! For the record, I’ve just been handed a green duck – which can only be described as a strange moment.
Martine: Would it be green?
David: Lincoln green.

Let’s say it’s safe to conclude they are all pretty ‘Nottingham’! And just for the record, the green ducks given to David, Martine and Tam as little gifts – a warm ‘ayup me duck’ from Nottingham!

Big thanks to David Essex, Martine McCutcheon and Tam Ryan for chatting with us! Go see Elf: A Christmas Spectacular at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham from Friday 28 December until Sunday 30 December. Tickets are on sale now, please visit the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham website to book online.

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This blog was written by Ananda Datema, Marketing Assistant at Visit Nottinghamshire.