Elf the Musical

Centenary Theatre Company were back on stage this week with their sell out production of the family classic, Elf the Musical. Taking the helm on again as Director was Dan Grimes who had the pleasure of having his wife and children in this production – a proud moment, I’m sure!

A disclaimer - there are two people in life, one that loves Christmas and puts their Christmas tree up at the earliest opportunity, and one (like me) who is full on bah humbug until December 1st. I entered the theatre in an average mood, seeing the Christmas decorations and front of house staff in Christmas Jumpers etc – trepidation. However, I left the theatre in a great mood and smiling from ear to ear – a sure fire way to show that this was a successful production! Dan Grimes had captured the Christmas spirit and produced a musical of high quality and good production values. For me, there was some more to do with scene transitions, particularly scene changes and I felt that a lot of the action was a little too far back on the stage at times. I also felt some of the styling of characters was a little off which impacted on characterisations (I’m being really picky). What did come across were the family entertainment, family values and a sense of joy and community. This musical, (although twee) has an important message about these values and that is something that really stood out. The cast worked cohesively on-stage and what came across was that everyone was having the time of their lives, both young and old(er). There was a lot of love in the theatre and the audience were loving it and were entertained the whole way through! I really enjoyed some of the staging of some of the scenes, such as Nobody Cares About Santa scene, the Ice-Skating scene and the Finale Scene – well done.

The Musical Director for this production was Simon Pickup. I have to say that the orchestra were fantastic and a wonderful support for the entire production. I felt that they were the solid foundation that the entire show was built on and if I may, the brass section were particularly very good! The cast vocals in the whole company numbers were brilliant also.

Lisa-Ann Jones was the choreographer for this production, and it was clear that a lot of hard work and dedication had gone into the dance numbers. I was slightly underwhelmed with SparkleJollyTwinkleJingly which I feel could’ve been more of a spectacular moment (I’m being picky again). Saying that, I loved the more stylised routines such as Nobody Cares About Santa and A Christmas Song. The shaping throughout the show was great and the more able dancers were given their opportunity to shine. I loved the use of roller blades when staging the ice-skating scene which really worked. It was a joy to see some lifts too which I feel is often missed in shows. I have to say that the dancing is very strong with this society and the choreography reflected both the values and twee(ness) needed to add layers to the overall show.

The set. Despite looking great, I found that the set was very cumbersome and got in the way of pace. The scene changes were too long and noisy and I’m not a fan of too many blackouts either. There were a few times when cast changed parts of the set within a scene which really worked, and I felt this could’ve been explored further. Perhaps using the transition music to change scenes in a stylised way? The set wall for Father Christmas needed reenforcing as it constantly moved in his scenes. Some of the fly’s were slightly late and bumpy too which brought us out of the magic a little.

The sound was fantastic for this show, and I could hear everything perfectly. The levels were also great. A shout out to the props team for your hard work. The properties used were fab and really added to scenes. The costume team have clearly been working hard to produce many Christmas themed costumes as well as character costumes. The Christmas themed costumes looked great and added vibrancy to the overall visuals. I personally didn’t like some of the character costumes, particularly Jovie. I felt that the styling of some of her costumes and shoes jarred a little with the character which affected her physicality.

The protagonist, Buddy the Elf was superbly played by Dean Callow. There comes a time in any actor’s life when a role comes along that is perfectly suited for them and this is certainly true of Dean as Buddy the Elf – perfect casting! Dean’s energy and commitment to this role was nothing short of brilliance! His vocals and physicality were strong, and he commanded the stage in every scene! A tour de force performance!

Jovie, Buddy’s love interest was played by Jessie Scotson. Despite me not a massive fan of the styling of this character which I feel jarred with how I see this character; I cannot fault Jessie’s commitment to this role. Her rapport with Dean Callow was excellent and it was believable that they were in love. I would’ve loved to have seen more of Jovie throughout this show as I don’t remember her being so underused. Jessie was able to showcase her beautiful vocals and I loved her stage presence!

Buddy’s Mum and Dad were played by Clare Grimes and Alex Clare. Both were commanding and had a lovely rapport on stage. Clare Grimes was able to showcase some brilliant vocals ‘I Believe in You’ was fab! I also liked the juxtaposition she brought to this character in scenes when trying to be a loving wife and doing the ‘right’ thing with Buddy. I personally would’ve loved to have seen more of the straight-laced businessman struggling with the pressures of the job with Alex Clare’s Walter Hobbs but Alex looked much more at home at the end of the show when he was able to let loose – which was a joy to watch.

The role of Michael Hobbs is shared between two child actors (Team Sparkle and Team Jolly). I had the pleasure of watching Jonas Rynn on my night. Jonas had stage presence and confidence in abundance, and I loved his rapport with Clare Grimes (Emily). Some lovely vocals too!

Deb, the office worker was played by Aimee Clare. Aimee shone on stage and had a brilliant energy and brightness. Her scenes were full of life, and I loved her rapport with Buddy. ‘In The Way’ was brilliantly staged and sung.

Marilyn Baxter was one of the highlights for me and had a brilliant amount of energy and stage presence. Marilyn was well cast, and I loved the gravitas that she brought to this role!

Another highlight for me was Pete Brennan as the store manager. Pete was wonderful in this role and had a great amount of humour and campery to convey this character. Pete was able to showcase some brilliant vocals too! – A great performance!

Mike Hall, as Father Christmas was well cast and certainly looked the part. I felt that Mike needed a bit more security with his lines and line delivery but his rapport with the audience was fab and his rapport off-stage with the children in the audience was brilliant too – posing for a long time and making dreams come true for a lot of children!

There are far too many other cast members to mention by name and it would be unfair to leave anyone out. What I will say is that the whole company numbers were excellent, and the energy was high. As I mentioned previously, what really came across was a sense of togetherness and friendship which really worked in this piece. Their dancing and vocals really helped layer scenes and it was a joy to watch you all.

I thank Centenary Theatre Company for their wonderful hospitality (Marjorie Clare & Anita Warbuton) and wish them all the very best for their next production ‘Strictly Movie Musicals’ in May 2023!

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