A rather cynical Santa (who thinks Christmas is OK, but if we’re being honest, the Purdue game is the real the event of the season) serves as the perfect narrator to welcome audiences to “Elf the Musical.”
His been-there-done-that quips set the stage for a show whose best quality is having a little festive fun without taking the holiday schmaltz too seriously.
(Happy to give his performance more credit, by the way, but Santa Claus is credited in the playbill as playing himself.)
Based on the non-musical movie, “Elf” tells the story of an irrepressibly optimistic young toy-maker who discovers he isn’t who he thought he was. A giant among the little people of the North Pole, Buddy the Elf learns he isn’t one of Santa’s magical helpers, just a human reared by Santa after being placed in his sleigh as a baby. And so, the show begins with Buddy heading to New York City in hopes of finding his father (a man who — gasp! — has stopped believing in Santa) and, along the way, himself.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
As Buddy in the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre production, Dan Bob Higgins has big shoes to fill. The role was originated by Will Ferrell, but Higgins does his best to embody his predecessor’s exuberance and comes darn close.
As jaded love interest Jovie, Emily Grace Tucker has some of the best lines, especially as she fights the urge to warm to Buddy’s, at times, suffocating peppiness. Her cheeky “Never Fall in Love With an Elf” will leave you wishing Tucker’s vocal talent was on display more often. The songs in this show don’t add much, but they do keep the plot moving and give some talented folks like Tucker a chance to show off every once in a while.
Like its movie counterpart, “Elf” is playful, start to finish, making you forgive a script that doesn’t dig deep. But don’t go expecting an exact replica of the movie. The musical omits a few notable characters, including Papa Elf, played patiently and lovingly by Bob Newhart in the movie.
This is a show you can bring the family to that has enough kid-friendly humor to entertain the little ones while tucking in some wisecracks to keep the grown-ups chucking.
An ensemble cast transitions easily from a crew of wee elves (thanks to some cleverly placed knee pads) to the bustling citizens of New York City. Keep an eye out for the out-of-work Santa Clauses in Act II — they’re incredibly spry, given the cumbersome Jolly Old Elf costumes, and have some nice harmony to boot.
“Elf” runs now through Dec. 31 at Beef & Boards, 9301 N. Michigan St., Indianapolis.
