Jake Quickenden Expresses Enthusiasm for Christmas Production

Television personality Jake Quickenden expressed his eagerness to perform near his home this Christmas, collaborating with an entirely local cast in a theatrical adaptation of Elf. The actor, a resident of Colchester, Essex, is scheduled to portray Buddy, the central character from the 2003 film, starting Saturday for the first of 36 performances. During a break from rehearsals for the musical at the city’s Charter Hall, Quickenden informed the BBC, “It’s brilliant that I’m home for Christmas.” He added, “I had last year at home but I was on tour with the Full Monty, so we had a bit of a break, but I’m always doing Christmas shows in different cities or different towns.” Quickenden, who gained prominence in 2012 following his appearance on the ITV singing competition The X Factor, described the preparation for the show as a “great experience.” He further stated, “It’s going to be, I think, one of the best shows that you’ll see in Colchester for a long, long time, hopefully.” Director James Cartwright, a regular on BBC Radio 4’s soap opera The Archers, conveyed that he felt “privileged” to collaborate with a cast of local talent, both on and off stage. He remarked, “Everyone’s homegrown which is fantastic. Everyone in this show is from Colchester. It’s produced by Colchester and it’s in Colchester, which is so unusual for a show on this scale.” Jade MayJean, who is playing Jovie, Quickenden’s on-stage girlfriend, stated that it felt “amazing” to be performing so close to her home in Ipswich, Suffolk, during the period leading up to Christmas. MayJean commented, “I haven’t done acting for a very long while – I do a lot of music regularly, but to be able to dip back in and do this has just felt absolutely amazing.” She explained that she had planned her Christmas in advance, purchasing gifts in October and wrapping them in November, to enable her to concentrate on the musical in December. “It doesn’t feel like Christmas at the moment outside of [rehearsals], but while I’m here we’ve still got that bit of Christmas spirit going on between the cast.” She added, “It will be so nice for my friends and family to come along because they’re all getting very excited about seeing it.” Gary Turner, another Colchester resident, is cast as Walter, Buddy’s father. He noted, “This whole thing is born locally,” and elaborated, “It is the first time a project like this has happened in Colchester on this scale; a professional scale.” The entire cast will observe a well-deserved break on Christmas Day, before resuming performances on Charter Hall’s stage on Boxing Day. For updates on Essex news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.