Elf The Musical

Thank you for your warm welcome to your company it was great to be greeted by your front of house staff in their seasonal wear and to hear Christmas music playing. Although I have seen Elf the film this was my first time watching the musical and it certainly was a suitable lead up to the special season. The story is like a fairy-tale based around the Christmas season but certainly deals with some tough adult situations. The whole cast enthusiastically moved the tale along and the sell-out audience enjoyed the show thoroughly.

The beautiful hall was appropriately decorated with lots of festive ware and the younger members of the audience loved the letter writing station. The merchandising of elf’s ears was inspired and it was wonderful to see lots were wore throughout the performance.

Your stage crew and cast members must be congratulated on their scene changes. All the items were moved efficiently around and on and off the stage. The different stage sets enhanced the scenes and it was great to see how many items had been constructed to be used in a variety of ways, well done.

The props were numerous and well used by the members of your cast. I especially liked the Macy’s product placement and the way that Santa’s sleigh moved around the delighted audience.

The lighting and sound for the show was controlled from the back of the hall and was provided by a variety of lights from LED’s, spots and Fresnel’s set on the ceiling and trusses both stage left and right. All the scenes were well lit and the changes carefully controlled. It is always difficult when you have a mix of radio mics and natural voices on the stage together and although I understand you wanted to protect the leading characters voices some of the other members of your team’s script was lost. There did seem to be some problems with clicking noises on the mics the afternoon we were there. Apart from that I would like to say that I was impressed with many of your younger members who had obviously been taught to speak out the front rather than turning their heads and losing their dialogue.

I would also like to congratulate you on your wonderful projected backcloth it added details to every scene and brought the show to life. You are extremely lucky to have a member in your group who has the ability to use creatively such a brilliant piece of technology.

You are extremely lucky to have an orchestra, it makes such a difference to any musical production. Your musical director had obviously spent a lot of time rehearsing the songs and they were all sung clearly with feeling, well done.

The choreographed routines were cleverly constructed to suit the members of your team and they were all well-rehearsed and delivered.

The costumes were numerous and well fitting. It was great to see a definite distinction between the North Pole and those actors based in New York City and I would be very surprised if anyone in Tavistock was able to find a Santa Claus outfit to buy. Many congratulations.

The forty plus cast worked hard taking on the variety of roles within the performance. It was great to see so many younger members featured in the production.

The opening scene based in Santa’s home was beautifully played. Santa created the role of narrator clearly with topical references and was joined by Mrs Claus who quietly ensured he had everything he required to hand.

Santa’s workshop was certainly a frantic place with many busy elves working on projects, they all knew their positions on stage and interacted well together. In the title role and at the centre of every scene the actor playing Buddy did a fantastic job, he was full of energy throughout the performance. He showed his disbelief when told he was not a real elf and that his real dad was on the naughty list and didn’t even believe in Santa! He demonstrated all the facets of the child like character, light and shade, confusion and naivety. His joyful delivery of ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ was excellent. He sang all his musical numbers with feeling and the interaction between him and Jovie was touching.  Charlie and Shawanda worked hard to control the workshop and stop Buddy causing mayhem, they both portrayed their characters well. ‘Happy All the Time’ was a great production number.

The actor playing the hardnosed businessman Walter Hobbs was convincing. He showed his annoyance with his team and exasperation with Buddy. Emily demonstrated her concern for her son Michael and the effect her husband’s work ethic had on their family life. Michael acted his part well you could see his desperation for his father to spend time with him and his joy in his brotherly interaction with Buddy. The mother and son duet ‘I Believe in You’ was a wonderful heartfelt plea.

When Buddy arrived at Greenway Press Office, he was met by Deb Mr Hobbs secretary, the actor playing this part was first rate. She kept her accent throughout, was totally over the top with her songs, her laugh, manner and movements. I’m surprised she didn’t fall off her chair when she did her leg crossing manoeuvre. The other members of the office staff Sam, Chadwick and Matthews played their respective parts well and did all they could to keep the business going and make their boss happy. Mr Greenaway came across as the demanding boss who no-one disobeyed.

Those members of your team playing parts in Macy’s acquitted themselves well. The Store manager spoke clearly and tried her best to control Buddy and to keep him onside especially when she thought he was a spy from head office.  Jovie played her part with feeling she showed both sides of her character, her distain for Buddy at their first meeting was evident but his unchanging manner gradually won her over. She had a warm soulful voice and her delivery of ‘Never Fall in Love (with an Elf)’ was memorable. The saleswoman and Fake Santa certainly interacted with Buddy in different ways and the mother and kid were well received.

The two policemen popped up at various times during the show and spoke clearly. The part of the reporter Charlotte Denon was convincingly portrayed. Your ensemble supported the principals in varying roles and added to the delivery of the piece.

Your production team brought together a brilliant cast; with an impromptu appearance of your director as a very vocal Santa; each member owned their own part and kept the audience transfixed throughout the show and they showed their appreciation by their rapturous applause at the end of the performance. There were many stand out scenes but I loved the fact that there was a happy ending although I hope Buddy treats his own little elf more gently when pushing them around in a pram!

Many congratulations to all your team on an enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment and a Merry Christmas to you all.

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