Christmas is a-coming, the goose is getting fat, and I’m sure that after Christmas so will a lot of us. Well, let’s ring in the holidays with one of the newer seasonal shows that will make you feel happy all the time, or at least throughout the show. Happiness afterward is not guaranteed. Anyway, your next musical could be…Elf.
Authors: Book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan. Music by Matthew Sklar. Lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Based on the 2003 film of the same name.
History: Opened on Broadway in 2010, got mixed reviews, received no Tony nominations and ran 57 performances. A 2012 Broadway return engagement ran 74 performances.
Synopsis: At the North Pole, happy-go-lucky Buddy is not like other elves—he’s much taller and lousy at making toys. Turns out Buddy’s a human being—an orphan who wandered into Santa’s toy sack as a baby and was raised by elves. When Santa reveals to Buddy that his biological father Walter Hobbs is alive in New York City—and on the naughty list for not believing (as Santa’s sleigh needs Christmas spirit to fly since PETA stopped him from using reindeer)—Buddy goes to the Big Apple. Walter is too preoccupied with his publishing job to care about Christmas and has him sent to Macy’s, where Buddy is mistaken for an employee and sent to work on the Christmas display, where he falls for cynical co-worker Jovie and asks her on a date. Buddy also gets into a fight with the store Santa, calling him a fake, and is sent home.
Walter’s wife Emily and son Michael, who want to spend more time with Walter, take to Buddy, especially after Emily slyly uses a DNA test to prove Buddy is Walter’s son, but Walter is none too pleased, especially when Buddy inadvertently shreds a valuable manuscript. Walter sends Buddy out, leaving him with nowhere to go…and leading him to miss a date with Jovie. When Emily and Michael see Santa outside their window, they realize Buddy was right.
When Walter is pitching stories to his boss, Mr. Greenway, Buddy arrives and gives them his own story. Mr. Greenway is pleased but insists on making changes and having Walter work all day on Christmas, prompting Walter to quit. They find Santa stalled in Central Park, where Buddy calls on everyone in New York to believe and spread Christmas cheer, which allows Santa to fly. He asks Buddy to join him, but Buddy decides to stay in New York with his newfound family.
Cast Size: At least eight male, six female and one boy.
My Personal Take: While Elf may not be one of the all-time holiday favorites, it is certainly an upbeat show with modern sensibilities. Yes it has the old themes of believing in Santa no matter what and choosing family over work, but it does it in a new way, and like in Disney’s Enchanted, which also shows a transplanted innocent winning over a jaded cynic, it acknowledges the attitudes that dampen our holiday cheer while ultimately renewing out faith. Also, it’s nice that Buddy takes well to his stepmother considering one would usually expect otherwise. The book and score are solid, with plenty of jokes and clever lyrics, nothing outstanding but still a good holiday musical that you’ll want to sing out loud for all to hear.
Put On This Musical If: You want a family-friendly show for the holiday season that’s suited for modern times.
Things to Consider: It’s certainly not for those who want a more religious take on Christmas.
Different Versions/Sequels and Prequels: The licensed version and a Junior version.
Licensing Rights: Music Theatre International
Next time, it will be New Year’s Eve, so I’ll finish the year with a family favorite…Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.
Feel free to comment below. The full list can be found here, and on this page they are broken down by category.
Rantin' from Anton 