Good morning, and welcome to Broadway News’ Broadway Review by Brittani Samuel — our overview of reactions, recommendations and information tied to last night’s Broadway opening of “Elf.”
RUNDOWN
“Elf” is unavoidable. Since its 2003 debut, the film has wedged its way into the holiday canon. Now, a revival of the 2010 musical adaptation brings the enduring Christmas comedy to the stage, theatricalizing Buddy the Elf’s adventures in two towns that are icy in different ways: the North Pole and New York. The musical is still a glittery, goofy snowpile of holiday mushiness. “Elf” hits the emotional notes of the season without bothering to offer anything novel about it. But measuring it by any standards developed over age 13 would be a disservice. The production is a winner in its most vital pursuit: getting children to laugh.
The plot is a straightforward hero’s journey, an arc as old as Kris Kringle. Buddy ventures to the unfamiliar world of New York City to find his Manhattanite father. Though the metropolis is filled with dark souls, Buddy eventually lights them up with holiday cheer. Grey Henson is our Buddy this go around, an apt choice given his knack for zingy comedy roles. If nothing else, Henson looks like he’s having fun. It’s tiring fun, as he bounces through Chad Beguelin’s wordy libretto and dryly milks the laughs from every other line in Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin’s referential book.
