Elf the Musical
Encyclopedia
Elf the Musical is a musical with a score by Matthew Sklar
and Chad Beguelin
. The book is adapted by Bob Martin
and Thomas Meehan
from the 2003 Jon Favreau
-directed film Elf
.
in search of his father.
He finds him, but Walter doesn't believe in the spirit of Christmas, nor do many other New Yorkers. This is a problem, because Santa's sleigh is powered by the people's belief in Christmas.
Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and his little brother Michael doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his birth family and help New York
remember the true meaning of Christmas.
about Michael's disbelief in Santa.
Act II
on Broadway
on November 14, 2010, following previews from November 2, 2010, directed by Casey Nicholaw
. The creative team includes choreography by Nicholaw, set design by David Rockwell
, costumes by Gregg Barnes
, lighting by Natasha Katz
, projections by Zachary Borovay
and orchestrations by Douglas Besterman. The show played on Broadway for a limited engagement until January 2, 2011. A Broadway cast recording was released on November 1, 2011.
Elf received mostly mixed to negative reviews from New York critics. The New York Times
said the show was "generic, true, but it is also polished . . . Instead of sewing button eyes on dolls and fiddling with the circuitry of game consoles, a small but dedicated cadre of Santa’s tireless helpers are manufacturing splashy, peppy, sugar-sprinkled holiday entertainments destined for Broadway."
Matthew Murray, in Talkin' Broadway, mentioned that "even corporate-driven musicals ought to offer more . . . Film-to-theatre adaptations, such as these, that work do so because their authors see in them something that can be transformed, thus bringing greater glory to the old and new versions alike. But above all else, they convince you that their stories aren’t just worth telling, but worth telling well. That, more than anything else, is where Elf falls considerably short."
weekend, behind Wicked
and The Lion King
.
Matthew Sklar
Matthew Sklar is a Broadway composer. He was nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Best Original Score for the musical The Wedding Singer for which he wrote the music and Chad Beguelin wrote the lyrics...
and Chad Beguelin
Chad Beguelin
Chad Beguelin is an American playwright who wrote the lyrics and co-book for the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer. He was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on the musical, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics...
. The book is adapted by Bob Martin
Bob Martin (comedian)
Bob Martin is a writer, actor, and comedian from Toronto, Ontario, Canada born in England circa 1963. He has both performed in and written many TV shows. He also provides the voice of Cuddles the comfort doll on the Canadian TV show Puppets Who Kill, aired on The Comedy Network.He starred in the...
and Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan (writer)
Thomas Meehan is an American writer, best known for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray.-Life and career:Meehan grew up in Suffern, New York, and graduated from Hamilton College...
from the 2003 Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau
Jonathan Kolia "Jon" Favreau is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and comedian. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Rudy, Swingers , Very Bad Things, and The Break-Up. His notable directorial efforts include Elf, Iron Man and its sequel, and Cowboys & Aliens...
-directed film Elf
Elf (film)
Elf is a 2003 comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, written by David Berenbaum and starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 and grossed over $220,400,000 worldwide.-Plot:A baby crawls into Santa Claus' sack while he is...
.
Synopsis
William "Buddy" Hobbs, a young orphan child, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Years later, Buddy, eventually finds out that he's a regular human being and heads off to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in search of his father.
He finds him, but Walter doesn't believe in the spirit of Christmas, nor do many other New Yorkers. This is a problem, because Santa's sleigh is powered by the people's belief in Christmas.
Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and his little brother Michael doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his birth family and help New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Differences from the film
The story is narrated by Santa Claus rather than Papa Elf. The story in the musical is said to have begun three years ago - rather than thirty years ago, like in the movie - so that there's no age limit on the actor playing Buddy. Buddy's real name is revealed to be William early in the film, while his real name is not revealed in the musical until Buddy meets Walter, Emily, and Michael. The musical also adds a subplotSubplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
about Michael's disbelief in Santa.
Musical numbers
Act I- Overture — The Orchestra
- Christmastown — Santa, Buddy & Company
- World's Greatest Dad — Buddy
- In the Way — Deb, Walter, Emily, Michael & Company
- Sparklejollytwinklejingley — Buddy, Store Manager & Company
- I'll Believe in You — Michael & Emily
- In the Way (Reprise) — Emily & Walter
- Just Like Him — Buddy, Deb & Company
- A Christmas Song — Buddy, Jovie & Company
- World's Greatest Dad (Reprise) — Buddy & Company
Act II
- Entr'Acte — The Orchestra
- Nobody Cares About Santa — Fake Santas, Store Manager & Buddy
- Never Fall in Love — Jovie
- There Is a Santa Clause — Michael & Emily
- The Story of Buddy the Elf — Buddy, Michael, Walter & Company
- Nobody Cares About Santa (Reprise) — Santa
- A Christmas Song (Reprise) — Jovie, Buddy, Emily, Michael, Walter & Company
- Finale — Company
Original Broadway cast
| Character | Original Broadway Cast |
|---|---|
| William "Buddy" Hobbs | Sebastian Arcelus Sebastian Arcelus Sebastian Arcelus is an American actor. He has made a career in theatre on Broadway, regionally, and internationally. He made his Broadway debut in Rent, first as a swing, covering the male ensemble roles as well as Mark and Roger, and then as Roger... |
| Jovie | Amy Spanger Amy Spanger -Biography:A graduate of Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Massachusetts, Spanger made her Broadway debut in 1995 in the musical Sunset Boulevard, following a half-year run in the pre-Broadway national tour of Jekyll & Hyde... |
| Emily Hobbs | Beth Leavel Beth Leavel -Biography:Leavel was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended Meredith College, earning a degree in social work. She completed a graduate theatre degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1980. She acted during college, appearing in productions such as Cabaret and Hello,... |
| Walter Hobbs | Mark Jacoby Mark Jacoby Mark Jacoby is a Broadway performer. He has achieved fame from his leading roles in Show Boat, The Phantom of the Opera and Ragtime... |
| Santa Claus Santa Claus Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus... |
George Wendt George Wendt George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:... |
| Michael Hobbs | Matthew Gumley Matthew Gumley Matthew David Gumley is a child actor.-Broadway productions: *Elf Original Cast *Addams Family Original Cast... |
| Deborah "Deb" | Valerie Wright |
| Mr. Greenway | Michael McCormick |
| Store Manager | Michael Mandell |
Productions
After a 2009 workshop, the musical officially opened at the Al Hirschfeld TheatreAl Hirschfeld Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 302 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect G. Albert Lansburgh for vaudeville promoter Martin Beck, the theatre opened as the Martin Beck Theatre with a production of Madame Pompadour on November 11, 1924. It...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on November 14, 2010, following previews from November 2, 2010, directed by Casey Nicholaw
Casey Nicholaw
Casey Nicholaw is an American theatre director, choreographer and performer. He has been nominated for Tony Awards for directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone , for choreographing Monty Python's Spamalot , and choreographing The Book of Mormon , as well as winning for his co-direction...
. The creative team includes choreography by Nicholaw, set design by David Rockwell
David Rockwell
David Rockwell is an American architect and designer, who is the founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, based in New York with satellite offices in Madrid and Dubai. Rockwell has long been fascinated with immersive environments.-Early life and education:...
, costumes by Gregg Barnes
Gregg Barnes
Gregg Barnes is an American costume designer for stage and film. Barnes won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design and the Outer Critics Circle Award for his work on the 2006 production of The Drowsy Chaperone.-Career:Barnes grew up in the San...
, lighting by Natasha Katz
Natasha Katz
Natasha Katz is a lighting designer for the theatre, dance, and opera. She was educated at Oberlin College and did an internship with Roger Morgan....
, projections by Zachary Borovay
Zachary Borovay
Zachary Borovay is a projection and multi-media designer working primarily in Broadway, Off Broadway, US regional and international performance venues....
and orchestrations by Douglas Besterman. The show played on Broadway for a limited engagement until January 2, 2011. A Broadway cast recording was released on November 1, 2011.
Critical reception
Mark Kennedy called the production "a tight, polished, expensive-looking affair that has enough jokes for adults and enough special effects for kids." However, the Back Stage reviewer said the show was "too sweet and a big mess. Even the most fantastic cast possible couldn't rescue this mediocre show." Many reviews mentioned that the show is great for kids.Elf received mostly mixed to negative reviews from New York critics. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said the show was "generic, true, but it is also polished . . . Instead of sewing button eyes on dolls and fiddling with the circuitry of game consoles, a small but dedicated cadre of Santa’s tireless helpers are manufacturing splashy, peppy, sugar-sprinkled holiday entertainments destined for Broadway."
Matthew Murray, in Talkin' Broadway, mentioned that "even corporate-driven musicals ought to offer more . . . Film-to-theatre adaptations, such as these, that work do so because their authors see in them something that can be transformed, thus bringing greater glory to the old and new versions alike. But above all else, they convince you that their stories aren’t just worth telling, but worth telling well. That, more than anything else, is where Elf falls considerably short."
Box office
Despite negative reviews, the musical broke records at the Hirschfeld box office three times, grossing over a million dollars in one week, and being the third best-grossing show in the 2010 ThanksgivingThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
weekend, behind Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
and The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Outcome | ||
| 2011 Drama League Award Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing... s |
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of a Musical |
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External links
- Official website
- Elf the Musical at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- ELF Discussion Thread at Musicals.net