Elf
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Cititour.com Review
One man’s "saccharine" is another man's "adorable." So begins the argument over the new musical Elf, adapted from the Will Ferrell film, which just opened on Broadway. Not as edgy as The Grinch, and not quite as polished as White Christmas, Elf is definitely cute. With breezy choreography and confident direction from Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Spamalot), the musical offers wholesome family entertainment for the holiday season with a genuine sense of fun and a pleasant score from Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer). Book writers Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin pass on the zingers and substitute, instead, a salute to the innocence of childhood.
It's the story of Buddy, who's brought to the North Pole accidentally by Santa one Christmas. Buddy's mom has died, so he's brought up to believe that he's an elf, despite the fact that eventually he grows over six feet tall. We tune in just about the time that Buddy discovers he's really human and searches New York for this book-publishing grouch of a father.
Norm from TV's Cheers (George Wendt) has a kind of cameo as Santa Claus, and the rest of the cast all boast Broadway credits, so everyone here has something to offer. The lead, Sebastian Arcelus, as Buddy, is charming and sings well. Stage veteran, Mark Jacoby, is appropriately exasperated as the workaholic dad, Walter. Beth Leavel, as Buddy's newly discovered stepmom can really belt out the big notes and Matthew Gumley, as Buddy's young half-brother, has a big career ahead of him. Also a standout in the ensemble is Valerie Wright as Walter's secretary.
The songs have the old-fashioned feel of a show, with music from Sklar that could have been written in the '50s although Beguelin's lyrics have too many topical references to feel very retro. Still, numbers like "World's Greatest Dad" and "I’ll Believe in You" are really sweet, and "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" (it's not as bad as you think!) is actually an adorable production number. There's also a snappy title tune. It's a shame, though, the creators missed an opportunity to add a real Christmas standard to their repertoire and could only come up with limp holiday fare entitled "A Christmas Song."
David Rockwell's scenic design mixes cartoon projections with colorful cutouts, making the stage feel like snowflakes for the holiday season. Gregg Barnes' costumes, especially those for the elves, capture the colors of the deluxe Crayola crayon box.
Elf isn’t for everyone, but for those with kids, or anyone who's still a kid inside, it's a sweet charmer.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.elfmusical.com
Cast
Sebastian Arcelus, Amy Spanger, Beth Leavel, Mark Jacoby, Matthew Gumley, Valerie Wright, Michael McCormick, Michael Mandell, George Wendt, Timothy J. Alex, Callie Carter, Cara Cooper, Lisa Gadja, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Blake Hammond, Emily Hsu, Jenny Hill, Nancy Johnston, Marc Kessler, Matt Loehr, Lee Wilkins, Kirsten Wyatt
Open/Close Dates
Opening 11/2/2010
Closing 1/2/2011
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
302 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
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