Elf The Musical Jr

This charming little show brought a touch of Christmas spirit into the new year as the Youth Theatre presented a musical treat which also made a splendid alternative to the traditional seasonal pantomime. Based on the film of the same name, this show tells the comical tale of Buddy the oversized elf and his adventures in the big wide world. Being a character completely lacking in guile, Buddy's refreshingly open hearted approach to the world around him is the source of most of the humour in the show: the Yuletide scrapes he gets into (of course) resolving themselves with a suitably heart-melting happy ending as befits the Christmas setting. It would be nice to see this show perhaps expanded slightly and used to replace the dreaded pantomime as the theatrical entertainment of choice for the Christmas/New Year period, as the engaging narrative and seasonally themed music made a refreshing change from the deadening slew of production-line pantomimes to which I have a peculiarly strong aversion - unfortunate really given the fact that I'm a NODA District representative - but I know my secret is safe with you dear reader!

Heading up the cast list as Buddy - the titular Elf - was Fletcher Smith, who had the tireless confidence needed to carry this demanding role. Rather cleverly, not only in his stature but also with his mannerisms, he managed to suggest he was different than the other elves, which was exactly what was needed: a clever piece of characterisation from Fletcher here. He was very much the driving force of the production and rose to the challenge very well. The denizens of the North Pole were all lively and suitably clad in elfen garb, with Santa himself (Lewis Gorton) a particularly jolly figure. 'Happy All the Time' was a particularly glittery opening number and was well performed by the ensemble, with a backing track used instead of an orchestral accompaniment throughout the show. I'm not usually a fan of the piped-in backing track music format (it has the unfortunate tendency to summon up ghastly memories of the dreaded karaoke, or the Saturday night 'turn' at the working men's club for me!) but here, the backing music was at least of a good quality and the cast had clearly been well drilled musically by MD Gillian Mason. It was nice to see Josh Hindle's signature colour-themed lighting 'overture' in evidence once again too; last year's 'Wizard of Oz green' was replaced this year with a suitably frosty arctic blue for Santa's grotto!

Buddy's trek to find his real father takes him to New York in search of dastardly businessman Walter Hobbs (Dale Blackburn) who is such a rotter, he's made it onto Santa's Naughty List! Dale played the character just right, hinting at the fact that here was a steel hearted business bully boy who just might be receptive to the spirit of Christmas by the time we arrive at the finale. However, before we can arrive at this warm and fuzzy finale - alas and alack! - Buddy is set to work as a shelf stacker in Macy's department store (due to one of those comical Hollywood movie misunderstandings) where he bumps into fellow employee Jovie, played by Harley Horsfall. The audience is now all set for one of those 'will they, won't they?' romances which, as we fans of the musical know, will have a few ups and downs before settling comfortably into the Act Two finale with the sound of wedding bells in the wings. Harley's performance of 'Never Fall in Love (With an Elf)' was the highlight of the whole show for me; a great song well sung. Its sassy cabaret feel was well expressed and provided a humorous juxtaposition between content and style and was well sung: Harley is definitely one to watch.

Another very strong performance came from Mr Dobbs' secretary, Debs as played by Mollie Thompson. Every inch the briskly efficient aide, Mollie gave the character a real sparkle as she falls for Buddy's innocent charms and they made a comical pairing in their scenes together, and George Bailey was a very enthusiastic store manager, giving tremendous value in all his scenes; two young faces worth keeping an eye on for the future here too I think. Caeragh McCloy and Theo Bailey provided hearty support to proceedings in the shape of Mrs Hobbs and Hobbs Jr. with Oliver Cordeaux's nasty Mr Greenway proving that his bark was worse than his bite when the Christmas Spirit flattened all resistance to the vagaries of big business, in the form of Buddy and Santa's wholesome festive sentimentality. The rest of the cast performed with style and confidence in a number of smaller roles and provided strong vocal support with colourful costumes and a number of scenes which benefitted from thoughtful staging and considered choreography. Where the show fell down for me - and only rarely - was when it fell prey to that curse of the modern stage; the racing, mumbled American accent, complete with the popular tendency to accompany it with slouching and shrugging. Something of a bête noir for me I'm afraid and there were several outbreaks of the disease throughout the evening, instances of which always slam the brakes on for a few brief moments for me; but then of course personal taste is a very subjective thing! The music - 'Never Fall in Love With an Elf' excepted - was also rather (if you'll pardon the rather feeble pun) 'one note' but this is obviously a fault of the show rather than this production of it. The rousing conclusion managed to erase all niggling doubts as to the show's shortcomings however, so one shouldn't dwell on such a niggle.

All in all however this was a most enjoyable bit of festive nonsense which suited the cast very well - something which other societies would do well to bear in mind when choosing a show. How many times have we sat before a production which has been staged without any thought to the talents available, or is persevered with thanks to the support of a raft of performers drafted in from hither and yon? Thank goodness for the Youth Theatre's nurturing support for its youthful charges and the real 'society' feeling which emanates from the stage. Director Josh Hindle is to be commended for supporting his cast most admirably and for guiding them so well through the production, providing an evening of pacy, tuneful family fun.

Once again, it proved to be a pleasure to attend the Pendle Hippodrome Theatre and I applaud the commitment to providing both the warmest of welcomes and consistently solid amateur entertainment. I would urge as many societies as possible to take up the challenge of rising to the Hippodrome's very high bar! Once again, my thanks go to everyone at the theatre, on stage, back stage and front of house for a very warm welcome and I wish you well with 'Annie' next year.

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