Elf the Musical

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Supplanting previous Christmas classics like Miracle on 34th Street and Die Hard (kidding about one of those) in holiday popularity, Elf has had a strong cultural run over the past couple decades, once again returning for an ever-expanding shopping season to spread guileless cheer in both its basic-cable and theatrical forms. Will Ferrell originated the titular character Buddy the Elf in a 2003 film about a large man who, while serving as one of Santa’s little helpers at the North Pole, shockingly learns that he’s not biologically one of them, sending him on a quest to New York City to connect with his human dad, a gruff children’s publishing workaholic formerly unaware of Buddy’s existence. Sadly, human mom died a long time ago, when Buddy was a baby, which is a tragic loss the film and the 2010 musical it inspired pretty much let Buddy ignore, because it’s easier to get Santa’s sleigh back in the air through the buried positivity of cynical New Yorkers than grapple with that one.b Martin

While incorporating the film’s most memorable lines and story from David Berenbaum’s screenplay beats into their book, Bob Martin and the late Thomas Meehan also excised what they could to make room for composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin’s brassy score, though it’s not enough to prevent Elf the Musical from being about an hour longer than its cinematic version. Still, fret not accompanying adults, Sklar and Beguelin humorously reward persisting through the added length, with the laugh-inducing cleverness reaching its creative heights in the numbers that respectively kick off Acts I and II: “Happy All The Time,” performed by a ridiculously high-spirited elven chorus line, and “Nobody Cares About Santa,” a hilarious cry for appreciation from a despairing group of professional St. Nicks. Choreographer Liam Steel delightfully enhances the silliness, especially for the former number in which he cuts his impressively adaptable dancers down to an appropriate size.

Ostensibly, Elf the Musical aims to attract audiences hoping to be reminded about the true meaning of Christmas, but what the show thinks that might be seems to have a lot to do with its numerous product mentions (Netflix, Ipad, Chipotle, etc.), as well as adults never questioning the materialistic morality of Santa Claus (a hearty Sean Astin obviously pleased to be out of Mordor) rewarding good behavior with free stuff. Or, the show could simply think the optimism of the holidays is best represented by New Yorkers not mercilessly mocking a guy in an elf suit. Leaving Christmas philosophizing aside, however, Elf the Musical will likely please the fans of its cinematic predecessor–which, yes, you can probably see right now at no charge on some commercial-laden streaming service–since, unlike other screen-to-stage adaptations, it’s not a lazy retread with horrible songs (looking at you, Back to the Future: The Musical).

Of course, it’s impossible to fully replicate the shameless, lovable goofiness of Ferrell as Buddy, but Grey Henson comes very close to accomplishing that formidable function while simultaneously taking on the added responsibilities of singing and dancing. In their recycled roles, other members of the musical’s cast also do not disappoint, even if the characters they portray aren’t carbon copies of the Hollywood originals. For the aspiring believers in the audience, that’s most importantly true of Santa who gets to pull double duty this time around as the narrator, a subtle acknowledgement that the dearly departed Bob Newhart, who performed the same function as Papa Elf in the movie, is irreplaceable in any role.

Substituting for the more sardonic Zooey Deschanel as Buddy’s crush Jovie, Kayla Davion is allowed to make her character’s slow-building attraction to a weirdo more understandable in the song “Never Fall in Love (With an Elf),” in which she piteously admits that all of her failed romantic relationships mean that she must now “grade on a curve.” As for Buddy’s long-lost and perpetually irked father Walter, Michael Hayden doesn’t project the same natural menace as James Caan did in the movie, but that’s probably a good thing for the red-and-green-swathed tykes staring at him from their seats. On the other hand, Walter still has a personality as rough as sandpaper, which his much more pleasant wife Emily (Ashley Brown) and young son Michael (Kai Edgar) necessarily balance out, particularly in their buoyantly credulous duet “There Is a Santa Claus,” which might vanquish the doubts of all the little Virginias within earshot.

Well, that’s only if they don’t pay attention to the crummily digitized Santa’s sleigh in the background, which is unfit for any child’s imagination. It’s the most egregious example of the chintzy video design used throughout the production, perhaps as a budgetary concession to Tim Goodchild’s festively arresting sets and costumes. It’s too bad director Philip Wm. McKinley couldn’t summon his inner Buddy the Elf to poke some meta fun at the show’s only real example of subpar quality. Then again, given the cost of a Broadway ticket these days, it’s understandable if you don’t want to risk the grown-ups in the audience feeling that the joke is on them.

Elf the Musical (through January 4, 2025)

Marquis Theatre, 210 West 46th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.elfonbroadway.com

Running time: two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission