ELF: THE MUSICAL Finds The Joy — Review

Broadway

The Company | Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

By
Joey Sims
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on
November 21, 2024 8:05 PM
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Reviews

Elf: The Musical please save me. Save me Elf: The Musical! 

Okay—perhaps too much to expect from an eight-week run of a holiday musical. But I do have my own personal history with this treacly yet charming Christmas staple, which returns to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre through January 4 following two previous outings on the main stem. My very first job in New York City was on the 2012 encore run of Elf at the beautiful Al Hirschfeld Theatre (where the show also debuted two years prior). I worked mostly as a “hawker,” roving the theater with a bucket of candy strapped to my chest and a Santa hat atop my head. (Yes, I did look cute.)

New to Broadway and not yet totally jaded, I would sneak into the back of the house each night to watch my favorite numbers over and over. The show highlight, in my opinion, was “There Is A Santa Claus,” a sprightly number belted to the heavens each night by the ever-reliable Beth Leavel. 

Returning to the world of Elf last week, I did wonder if I was making a mistake. After all, my fondness for the show stemmed from a very specific moment in my life. Elf is now at the cold, faceless Marquis Theatre, a venue that does not exactly scream festive cheer. And we are living in a moment of existential despair, a grim moment for a country hurtling towards near-certain doom. Was I putting too much pressure on the healing powers of a return visit to Christmastown? 

Early signs were discouraging. I visited the bar, hoping the old favorites would still be on offer. But the world of Elf-themed cocktails was not as I had left it. 

“You know, when I worked concessions at Elf” I informed the bartender, “The drinks were called the “Naughty” and the “Nice!”” He appeared fascinated by this information. 

Prospects grew more worrisome as the show began. Santa’s North Pole living room trundled onstage to muted audience response—perhaps because the set piece resembled a high school scene shop creation. By the time four non-descript tables and a sad backdrop had floated on to vaguely indicate Santa’s Workshop, I became deeply concerned. Exactly how much scenic heavy lifting would be left to Ian William Galloway crude video designs, blown up on a giant screen looming over the sad, bare Marquis stage? 

This iteration of Elf, presumably designed for touring (set and costumes are by Tim Goodchild), is a far cry from David Rockwell’s colorful and sumptuous work at the Hirschfeld. I also felt disappointment with Buddy’s journey to New York City, a cheerful segment which director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw brought to easy, breezy life back in 2010. Under new choreographer Liam Steel’s more serviceable hand, hurtling from the North Pool to Times Square made for a less jubilant trip. 

The Company | Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Had I made a horrible error? Did Elf now reflect rather than distract from a moment of horrible American decline, its cheapened and diminished form a reminder of the corporate soullessness rapidly sucking what little joy remained in our increasingly artless world?  

In dark times, though, hope remains. And there are still good people out there, putting in the work. 

As my Buddy’s Maple Old Fashioned began to settle in, I started to find the joy. The joy in Grey Henson’s delightfully sassy take on Buddy himself, an expert mix of warmth and dry deadpan. Or in Henson’s enjoyably cutting repartee with Kayla Davion’s Jovie—somehow, probably for the first time in this show’s history, the pair’s romance feels almost plausible. Or in Sean Astin’s surprise double-duty as both Santa and heartless executive Mr. Greenaway, the latter role forcing an admirably game Astin to attempt a few dance moves. The man cannot dance to save his life, but what an endearing delight to watch him try. 

The adults-only throwaway gags also started to hit for me. Like the embittered Jovie announcing that her favorite Billy Crystal movie is Throw Momma From the Train, or an exasperated Emily Hobbs (Ashley Brown) quieting her precocious son Michael (Kai Edgar) with, “Settle down, Brené Brown.” Also, Buddy greeting Jovie with the romantic opener. “I’d like to stick you on top of the Christmas tree,” one of several filthy come-ons which Henson goes out of his way to deliver with an inappropriate degree of sexual confidence. 

A couple seated behind me were also wasted by this point, which only added to my own enjoyment. “YAAAAS SEAN ASTIN,” they screamed as Samwise pulled out his unfortunate dance moves. Later, the two rightly lost their shit for show highlight “Nobody Cares About Santa,” a sharp ensemble number that sends a dozen out-of-work Santas twirling miserably as they bemoan our cynical times.

And then, finally, we came to my own personal favorite: “There Is A Santa Claus.” After witnessing certain evidence of the big man’s existence, Emily and Michael belted to the heavens of their renewed faith in all things Christmas: “There is…aaaaaa...Saaanta..Claaaaus!!!” Brown and Edgar hit that note, gloriously. I was transported back to a happier time. (“GIVE THAT BOY A TONY!” the drunk couple screamed.) 

Look. Times are tough. Our world is not, at this moment, all that “Sparkle-jolly-twinkle-jingley” (to reference another low-key banger of a number). Is this low-budget Elf actually good? I’m not sure. But in the end, it gave me exactly what I wanted: a fleeting flashback to more hopeful times, giddily channeled through overqualified Broadway talent going full-out on a dose of sugary schmaltz. For one brief shining moment, there was a Santa Claus.

Elf: The Musical is now in performance at the Marriott Marquis Theatre through January 4, 2025. For tickets and more information, visit here

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Joey Sims

Joey Sims has written at The Brooklyn Rail, TheaterMania, American Theatre Magazine, Culturebot, Exeunt NYC, New York Theatre Guide, No Proscenium, Broadway’s Best Shows, and Extended Play. He was previously Social Media Editor at Exeunt, and a freelance web producer at TodayTix Group. Joey is an alumnus of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute, and a script reader for The O’Neill and New Dramatists. He runs a theater substack called Transitions.

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