Elf The Musical

What better to get you into the Christmas spirit than a trip to see Elf The Musical.  Having never seen the stage show, it was an open book for me, and one that brought happiness and cheer to packed audiences.  Bringing the movie to the stage, the production team created a show that was full of great music, dance, and staging.  Opening the show, Santa Claus played by Rob Marshall captured the audience with his storytelling, and along with Jen Lucas as Mrs. Claus they got the show off to a great start.  The opening musical number was fun and well done with dancing elves and introduced us to Buddy who was going to be taking us on his journey to find his real dad. Played by John-Ross Weir his portrayal of the role was excellent and with superb vocals and acting, he created a very believable character.  His performance throughout the entire production never faltered.  Walter Hobbs played by Steven Struthers also brought strong vocals and acting, and while he was very convincing as a grumpy person, he showed us his versatility in portraying his softer and emotional side later in the show.  Emily Hobbs played by Marianne Carr brought balance to the family and we experienced some lovely acting and singing.  Michael played by Callum Middleton at the performance at which I was present, undertook the role with great ease and his singing and acting were superb in equal measure.  With a strong supporting cast, we saw the abilities of Barry Leggat as the manager, Jodie Pollock playing Deb, and Bethany Morton as Jovie.  All portrayed excellent roles through singing and acting.  Creating the magic in a show like Elf isn’t easy, but the entire cast displayed great energy, and all aspects of the production were well done from singing through to choreography.  I thought the balance of sound of both the sound and the band were excellent and brought a real sense of musicality to the production.    The technical elements of the show were good, and the use of a high-quality video wall produced a different approach to the entire staging of the show.  Many of the scenes were enhanced with furniture and props. However, when this wasn’t the case, the production moved along with good pace.  The skating scene in the Rockefeller Center was excellent and this worked extremely well.  We were treated to a magical moment when Santa flew in his sleigh high up above the stage and brought joy and happiness to the end of a great show.  Audiences were treated to an excellent production of Elf The Musical. Well done!

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