Elf, The Musical

Elf, an adaption by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan, with music and lyrics from Matthew Sylar and Chad Beguelin, has made its way to Drury Lane Theatre all the way from the north pole. Based on the 2003 film, the musical has broken box office records and become one of the top Christmas musicals touring in the theater world.

Elf, The Musical is an enchanting story about a young orphan child who finds his way into Santa Claus' bag of gifts. As Santa returns to the North Pole, he discovers the young lad and decides to raise the child as an elf. But young Buddy is a human and grows substantially bigger than the elves. After learning he has a real human father, Santa decides it's time for Buddy to know the truth and tells Buddy about his father, who lives in New York. So he heads off to New York City, searching for his father, Walter Hobbs. Unfortunately, Bubby's family is on the naughty list, as his father, brother, and stepmother don't even believe — but Buddy is determined to change their minds and win them over by reminding them of the true meaning of Christmas.

The storyline of this production of Elf combines things seen in the movie and musical. It's narrated by Santa Claus, who has updated technology and is now using an iPhone to check the naughty and nice list. Santa transports Buddy to New York, and he goes to the Empire State Building to meet his father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs is obsessed with his work, deliberately neglects his family, and has terrified staff. He is under pressure to produce a successful children's story or face the possibility of losing their job. Fully coated in his elf attire, Bubby meets his father, who thinks Bubby is a lunatic and has him thrown out. He meets Jovie at Macy's and falls in love with her, but after Charlie, the store manager at Macy's, realizes that Buddy is not a spy sent from the corporate office, he has security remove him, where they take Buddy to his father's home — where we meet his little brother Micheal and stepmother, Emily.

Elf is a magical journey where believing conquers doubt and how the unconditional love of an elf can change the world, one soul at a time. Drury Lane's scenic and projection design, where they use a large children's book to help narrate the story, wonderfully added to the enchantment of the evening, and we loved Boylan's costumes of the elves.

The multicultural cast featured the gifted actor A.D. Weaver as Santa. Last seen at Drury Lane in Forever Plaid, A.D. Weaver has been featured on American Greed and has a plethora of theater acclaims; he is the main storyteller for the evening and provides an outstanding performance as Santa. In addition, Sean Fortunato, seen in "The Merry Gentleman, Chicago P.D. and the musical The Producers," was great as the mean-spirited Walter Hobbs, who just needed the childhood love of Buddy to remind him of the importance of family. The beautiful and sweet Lydia Burke, who played Jovie, Buddy's girl, returns to Drury Lane and wow's us with her singing and acting talents. Melody A. Betts and Gabriel Solis as Emily and Michael Hobbs were incredible. I love their chemistry and singing. Finally, New York's own Lorenzo Shawn Parnell, who made his debut at Drury Lane, truly captured the role of Charlie.

But the star of the evening goes to the talented Ben Dow. Dow's role as Buddy was magical! I learned from a source that he only had days to prepare for the lead, and he captured your heart with his performance. I also had the pleasure of meeting his mother, father, and grandparents, and the glow on their faces was just as magical as Ben's performance. This role initially listed to star Jake Morrissy may have seen a star born in Dow. His charisma and pure talent make Ben Dow a name to remember.

After Hobbs's staff finds an unpublished manuscript for a Christmas story by deceased famous author Chris Smith that proved to be a fake, Buddy provides a story pitch detailing his life to Mr. Greenway, who likes it but wants to make changes. Walter Hobbs refuses, quits, and starts his own company where Buddy, his father, brother, and stepmother live happily ever after.

Elf, The Musical is a family fun date that everyone should have.

Let's Play Theatrical Review Highly Recommends Elf, The Musical at The Drury Lane Theatre.

Drury Lane Theatre

Elf: The Musical

Book by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin

Directed by Lynne Kurdziel Formato

Nov 9 - Jan 8, 2022