Paul C. Vogt and James Moye
Photo: Matthew Murphy
Elf , the 2003 film starring Saturday Night Live comedian Will Ferrell as a thirty year old human who was raised by Santa and his helpers to believe he was an elf, if an overgrown one at over six feet tall, has become a cult classic. Adapted as a musical for the stage by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, it ran on Broadway in 2010 ( my review- with song list ) and 2012, each time staying for the duration of the holiday seasons. This New Jersey premiere of a newly envisioned Elf, under the direction of Seattle native Eric Ankrim originated at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle.
Elf may not be one of the best adaptations from film to stage, and it most certainly isn't a great or even a very good musical. However, if you leave the theater without a smile on your face and feeling good for having been there then there is something seriously wrong with you. For whatever reason, almost everything that I perceived was wrong and had rubbed me the wrong way with the show the first time around needs to be reconsidered.
As close to a perfect holiday attraction for the whole family as one can get (barring the obligatory resurrections across the continent of A Christmas Carol, Elf has a story that just doesn't place any value on being credible on any level, but it embraces its aspirations and all of its absurdities to the fullest. I admit to feeling a bit foolish in reversing my first opinion, yet I can see how the current production has worked its joy-filled magic. In every way, this staging and the performances surpass the 2010 show that I reviewed for CurtainUp.To read the rest of the review, please go to http://curtainup.com/elfsnj14.html
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