BWW Reviews: An Enjoyable, Albeit Flawed ELF: THE MUSICAL Plays Two Performances in Riverside

The western tour of ELF: THE MUSICAL (music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, respectively), an adaptation of the nonmusical 2003 hit movie that starred Will Ferrell, played two performances in Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center on December 5th and 6th. Overall, the show is worth seeing, but it has weak spots.

The "elf" in the title is Buddy (Eric Williams), an orphaned human baby whom Santa's elves have raised. Buddy has no idea that he is anything other than a large elf himself until his dismal toymaking "skills" cause someone to blurt out the truth. Santa (Ken Clement) confirms that Buddy's mother died shortly after he was born, and his birth father never knew about his girlfriend's pregnancy. Buddy and Santa decide that it is time for Buddy to introduce himself to his father, Walter Hobbs (Jesse Sharp), who manages a New York City publishing company.

Although his half-brother, Michael (Tyler Altomari alternating with Harper S. Brady) immediately accepts the ersatz elf, and eventually, Buddy's stepmother, Emily (Lexie Dorsett Sharp, Jesse Sharp's real-life wife) comes around, his father wants nothing to do with him. At Macy's, Buddy meets Jovie (Maggie Anderson), a beautiful but jaded former Angeleno with whom he falls in love. Despite his occasional successes, however, Buddy decides he is as ill-suited to New York as to the North Pole, and reluctantly concludes that he must give up on his family and on Jovie and leave town. (The rest of the paragraph is a spoiler, but everyone probably has guessed the ending anyway). But then, he discovers his talent for teaching people the true meaning of Christmas and giving them the gift of happiness. Buddy gets Walter to accept him after helping Walter rescue his career. Jovie falls in love with Buddy and everyone lives happily ever after.

ELF provides a great deal of fun for children and adults looking to include musical theater in their holiday plans. The musical numbers (choreographed by Connor Gallagher) are superb, and the scenic design and lighting (by Christine Peters and Paul Miller, respectively) and the sparkly costumes (by Gregg Barnes) are stunning. The set's assembly is an amazing achievement, especially considering that, according to one of the ushers, set up did not begin till early Friday morning, the first day of the run.

ELF contains numerous jokes, almost all of which are corny - this is after all, a Christmas fantasy. Most of the quips garnered audience laughs, but parents need to be aware that not all the humor is G-rated. Nothing, however, goes far enough to endanger ELF's designation as a family show that all ages can enjoy. For example, misunderstanding the term, Buddy asks a young man to be his "boyfriend." The young man responds that he already has a boyfriend and Buddy answers, "You can never have too many boyfriends."

Several of the actors turned in excellent performances. I specifically enjoyed the non-comic performances of Jesse Sharp as the harassed and overworked New York family man; Lexie Dorsett Sharp as Emily, Buddy's wisecracking but compassionate stepmother; and Tyler Altomari as Buddy's half-brother, Michael. Emily's and Michael's complex duet ("I'll Believe in You"), in which they compose a letter to Santa Claus at Buddy's suggestion, is especially touching. Whitney Hayes also turns in a brilliant performance in the comic role of Mr. Hobbs' long-suffering assistant.

Connor Gallagher's choreography is the most spectacular part of ELF. One of the numbers, "Happy All the Time," which emphasizes the height difference between Buddy and the rest of the elves, requires the performers to dance on their knees, while wearing padded shin guards and fake elf shoes. The numbers with Macy's employees ("Sparklejollytwinklejingley") and Walter's employees ("In the Way"), rushing around chaotically were also especially skillful.

Yet, despite the overall enjoyability of the show, ELF suffers from missed opportunities. Although Eric Williams successfully avoided playing the titular character as a hyperactive lunatic, I would have preferred to see more of a comic touch in his facial expressions and body language. Jerrial T. Young as the harried store manager did not take advantage of the opportunities for whimsy in expressing his bewilderment about Buddy, and Joel Stigliano as Walter's boss, the closest character in the show to a "bad guy," should, in my opinion, also have played his scenes more comically. Additionally, I question director Sam Scalamoni's choices in having tough girl Jovie, a former Angeleno, speak with New York intonations and in having the innocent Buddy initiate his and Jovie's first kiss.

The most serious weakness is Thomas Meehan's and Bob Martin's preposterous book. Theatergoers are willing to suspend belief to watch a fantasy musical about an elf, but the plot must not strain credulity. ELF implicitly acknowledges the need to ground a fantasy in reality by placing the action in actual New York City locations - Macy's, the Empire State Building, and Central Park. The song "Nobody Cares About Santa," which takes place in a Chinese restaurant frequented by disillusioned department store Santas, is hilarious largely because the audience can sympathize with the tough guy Santas who have to work hard to make a buck. Yet, the book expects the audience members to accept department store employees setting up Christmas decorations two or three days before the holiday.

Even more confounding are the events involving the publishing house where Walter Hobbs works. Mr. Greenway, the owner, needs a best-selling children's book about Christmas, so he orders Walter to find a top-notch story no later than the night of Christmas Eve. Requiring Walter and the other employees to find a suitable story by Christmas Eve and to work on Christmas to produce it makes no sense, especially because Mr. Greenway would have had to pay holiday overtime when it was too late to rescue sales for that Christmas season. Mr. Greenway's edits should have taken place earlier to be believable, for example by ruining the employees' Thanksgiving to rush the book into print for the Christmas shopping season. The time discrepancy is only one of many glaring holes in the plot.

Nevertheless, the flaws will probably not stop most people from loving ELF: THE MUSICAL. The show is an enjoyable way to spend a few family hours during the Christmas season.

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