ELF THE MUSICAL

What a wonderful - albeit early way to start the festive season, with more cheese than you would see on any cheeseboard at Christmas! ELF THE MUSICAL is based on the original film Elf written by David Berenbaum, staring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf.

If anyone is unfamiliar with the story, we follow Buddy, who is brought up in Christmastown by Santa and his elves. After crawling into Santa’s sack as a baby, Buddy is mistakenly transported to the North Pole. It has recently become evident that Buddy has a few ‘special’ qualities that set him aside from the rest of the elves, most notably his human size. Santa explains to buddy that his real father is alive, but on the naughty list and living in New York City. Buddy embarks on a journey to find him and spread some much-needed Christmas Cheer to an ever-increasing world of non-believers.

Beaconsfield Operatic Society; although absent from the stage since their award nominated production of SUNSET BOULEVARD in 2019, have been entertaining the people of Blyth in the meantime with several concerts in and around the Borough. They had originally chosen JEKYLL AND HYDE as their next production. Under the circumstances we all found ourselves in through Covid, I’m sure they made the correct decision to ‘change horses’ and switch to ELF THE MUSICAL; a show full of the goodwill factor and just the vehicle they, and their audiences deserved to herald their stage comeback.

The Musical is nicely directed by Shaunagh Burge, with choreography by Laura Batey. Musical Direction is by Susan Sabourn, with her ten piece band locked away in the Green Room of the Theatre, providing superb musical accompaniment. This team collectively brought a very delightful show to the stage.

The scenery was represented with moveable desks and props and included some splendid digital backdrops projected onto screens as an integral part of the set. A first for me. However, this is an actor’s show and the exuberance displayed on stage did not require an elaborate set.

The lead characters of Buddy (Dan Dickinson) and Jovie (Kathryn Sabourn) are very nicely played by two experienced performers who created a believable romantic pair. He; the centre of attention in a massive part was happy and bouncy and totally watchable. His pleasant musical theatre vocals were excellent. She; a very hard-to-get but sincere and loving foil was also suitably watchable and the connection between the two was obvious to see, every bit a partnership, from sarcasm to joy. This young lady has great stage presence and I must also mention she’s a great tapper.

There were some stellar supporting performances by cast members that really need a mention. There was no doubt as to why Michael Douglas as Walter Hobbs  – Buddy’s father was on the naughty list. Excellently overplayed. David Patrick’s Santa Claus was just right and everything you would imagine the big man to be. I also thoroughly enjoyed Andrew Herron as the Store Manager. He was very funny and sang very well. Chelle Milne as Emily Hobbs has a really strong voice with wonderful diction. Kath Dryden as Deb also caught my eye; for all the right reasons, every time she was on stage. Award winning Ethan Egan as Michael Hobbs is a very talented young man who I have seen previously and look forward to seeing again in the future. Other performances of note are Mark Navin as Mr Greenway, Aimee Alderson as Chadwick, Susan Laws as Matthews and Laura Batey and Callum Storey as the named elves. A very strong adult and children’s ensemble completed the cast. Well done to everyone!.

Thanks to Chairman Kathleen for the invitation and to the whole team for a very enjoyable evening. Thanks also from my companion Pat and myself for the hospitality.

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