Review Roundup: ELF THE MUSICAL Embarks on Holiday Season Tour

Performances are now underway for the brand-new tour of Elf The Musical, following the limited holiday Broadway engagement at The Marquis Theatre last year. The tour is coming to 10 cities this holiday season, including Chicago, Atlanta, and San Antonio. 

The tour is led by Jack Ducat as Buddy, Felicia Martis as Jovie, Jeff Brooks as Walter Hobbs, Yara Martin as Emily Hobbs, Ryan Duck and Camden Kwok as Michael Hobbs / Little Boy, Andrew Hendrick as Santa Claus / Mr. Greenway, Katelyn Lauria as Deb, Darius J. Manuel as Macy’s Manager/Hot Dog Vendor. They will be joined by Connor Barton, Calista Case, Derick Donato, Adam Furgal, Kabir Gandhi, Tanner Gleeson, Patrick Johnson, Vanessa Mitchell, Clark Anton Rulon, Emma Sucato, Mikayla Thrasher, Alysia Varstardis, Annie Wogisch, and Keila Sue Wong.

Elf The Musical, inspired by the hit film, is the tale of Buddy, a young orphan child whose life changes forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve. When he discovers he is human, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and, in turn, helps the Big Apple rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.

Read the reviews here!

Brandy McDonnell, The Oklahoman: Although it doesn't quite capture the distinctly quirky humor of the beloved Christmas movie, you'd have to be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins — or at least a real Scrooge — not to at least smile at the seasonal antics of "Elf the Musical."

Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune: Ducat makes an endearing Buddy, with childlike enthusiasm that comes off as more believable than Ferrell’s performance, thanks in part to his youthful look and mannerisms. Buddy’s complete oblivion to innuendo adds a note of adult humor to this overall family-

Mike Davis, WBEZ Chicago: The musical follows the same beats as the film, which doesn’t leave room for the plot itself to be the primary driver of capturing the audience’s attention. Under direction by Philip Wm. McKinley (restaged for tour by Dave Solomon) the jokes are plentiful, but they don’t land firmly enough in the hands of Ducat, who doesn’t have the comedic timing or pleasantly off-kilter stage presence of the role’s originator.

Rachel Weinberg, BroadwayWorld: Ducat’s boundless energy makes ELF extra cheery in this national tour. On the whole, I thought Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin’s book was more distinctive than Matthew Skylar and Chad Beguelin’s songs. Meehan and Martin capture the film’s “sincere with a wink” energy in the spoken dialogue. Beguelin’s lyrics are functional, but mainly forgettable.

Average Rating: 70.0%