By ALAN SMASON
Of all the holiday-themed shows that make their way onto stages in December, Elf: The Broadway Musical may be the one most resistant to the Grinch, Scrooge and other humbugs.
Based on “Elf,” the 2003 holiday classic that starred Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf with the late James Caan and Bob Newhart in support, the work has music composed by Matthew Sklar, who achieved fame at first with The Drowsy Chaperone and more recently with The Prom. In both cases he also worked with Chad Beguelin as a lyricist, who is credited with the lyrics for Elf.
Bob Martin, who was a performer (The Man in the Chair) and bookwriter for The Drowsy Chaperone also worked with Thomas Meehan to punch up the script for Elf. Meehan had achieved fame several decades previously with Annie and proved his worth as a c0-bookwriter with Mel Brooks in The Producers and with Mark O’Donnell in Hairspray.
The story of a baby who stows away in Santa’s sleigh and unknowingly is transported to the North Pole and Santaland does create lots of questions. But it’s not important at this season to be entirely credible; it’s important to tell the story for the enjoyment of those that do believe and, maybe more importantly, for those that forgot about why that is important.
The linchpin for the musical is, of course, the jolly elf Buddy himself. He is by far and away the most exuberant figure on the entire stage. Jackson Reagin sells the role through his sheer will and he takes this non-Equity production into the rarefied air that one expects when attending a national tour. He is just that good. He dances well and sings his songs as charmingly as any child might wish on Christmas.
He is supported by Santa, a very funny Mark Fishback, who enjoys breaking the fourth wall early on to advise audience members to turn off their cell phones, etc. Their relationship is very important in establishing that Buddy is a veritable duck out of water or, perhaps, a moose out of snow. He thinks he’s an elf and only Santa and the other elves know the truth. Yet, as he is unprepared for New York City, too, he is not very comfortable navigating the streets of Manhattan. Out of desperation and necessity, he takes up a temporary job at a department store during the Christmas holiday rush.
Tara Nicola Vinson takes a while to break out of her self-imposed hiatus from men, after having made several bad choices prior to Buddy arriving on the scene at . Her big number of “Never Fall in Love (with an Elf),” which uniquely quotes its own title in the lyrics, is a highlight of the second act.
As Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s father, Ralph Prentice Daniel moves from a man unwilling to accept Buddy as his offspring to being moved by having him as a son. Of course, along the way there is a lot of room for learning, sharing and caring about each other. This is, after all, a holiday play and family always figures prominently in such offerings.
Marie Lemon is also quite endearing in her role as Emily Hobbs, Buddy’s stepmom, while Theodore Lowenstein brings his youthful energy into several scenes with both her and Buddy as his stepbrother Michael.
Tyler Price Ferguson juggles two roles – Hobbs’ boss, Mr. Greenway, and the store manager – one is a lovable, supportive co-worker, while the other is a miserly misanthrope who makes unreasonable demands on Hobbs and his staff.
Matthew Sklar’s music and Chad Beguelin’s lyrics sparkle throughout the first act with standout numbers including “Happy All the Time,” “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” and “A Christmas Song.” Act II starts off with a great number “Nobody Cares About Santa” that features a memorable dancing line of out-0f-work Santas with Buddy at his lowest ebb.
“The Story of Buddy the Elf” involves the entire company as Buddy, the Hobbs family, Walter’s coworkers and others pitch the idea of a book to Greenway. The small ensemble of seven talented musicians play all of the horns, reeds, drums and keyboards needed to carry off the music. Michael Gilden serves as music supervisor, while John Mezzio acts as music coordinator.
The remainder of the ensemble is put through its paces with solid choreography by Connor Gallagher. Outstanding costumes are rendered by Gregg Barnes with kudos to Paul Miller and Shannon Slaton for lighting and sound designs, respectively.
Sam Scalamoni has served as the director of Elf since its very first tour in 2012 and continues to work the material with exceptional talent who have yet to prove themselves on a national tour. While this is frothy holiday material, it is well done and at times like these during this particular season, it is a welcome diversion.
The national tour of Elf: The Broadway Musical (2 hours and 25 minutes with a 15-minute intermission) concludes its run on Sunday, December 8, at the Saenger Theater, 1111 Canal Street in New Orleans.
