BWW Reviews: ELF Brings Sparkle Jolly Twinkle Jingley to DFW

By: Nov. 19, 2014
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I love Christmas movies. I love the snow and excitement and how they put me in the holiday spirit. One thing I have never loved: Will Ferrell. There's something about him and his humor that I just don't like, that being said, I've only seen maybe 30 minutes of Elf the movie. So I went to see ELF THE MUSICAL at Bass Performance Hall with little expectations because like the character Jovie said, "set your expectations low, so you don't get disappointed."

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that ELF THE MUSICAL was funny without being vulgar, and at times, even charming, thanks to Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin's writing. At the beginning, I thought my expectations might have been true: a not-so-jolly Santa comes out yelling about the TV and gripping about the in-laws coming, but then he opens up a book and begins to tell the story of Buddy the Elf.

If you've never seen the movie, it's the story of Buddy who was raised as an elf even though he was clearly not one, towering way over the other elves. When Buddy finds out he is in fact human, he sets off towards New York City to find his real father. Buddy's father, Walter Hobbs, is a children's book publisher, put on the Naughty List because he never spends time with his family and thinks that Christmas is only there to get in the way.

"My favorite part is when Buddy gets to New York and is singing 'World's Greatest Dad,'" said Jerrial T. Young who plays the Macy's store manager. "It's the coolest idea, there's so much going on with everyone on stage." The actors do a great job of using their space to the fullest, making the story feel bigger than just on a stage, due to great direction under Sam Scalamoni.

What I truly enjoyed was the music by Matthew Sklar with lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The music is very catchy and I found myself tapping my foot along, especially during "The Story Of Buddy The Elf."

The cast oozes talent. Eric Williams plays Buddy with an over-the-top exuberance of a small child on Halloween candy. For a character that "doesn't sing," Maggie Anderson sure did amaze on Jovie's "Never Fall in Love" solo. The Hobbs family is one talented bunch: real-life husband and wife, Eric and Lexie Sharp, show their chemistry on stage, and Lexie's voice is the best one of the cast. However, it's Tyler Altomari (Michael Hobbs) that I was most impressed with. While still young, Altomari's voice is already strong, and when he teams up with his on-stage mom to sing "I'll Believe In You," the emotion in his voice proves that his acting is beyond his years as well.

I would greatly suggest that go see ELF and take your whole family with you. "It's fun for the whole family, from kids to grandparents," said Young. "Christmas brings a magical sense to the world and that's what we're trying to do. There's snow on stage, Santa's in it-he even flies-it's magic."

ELF plays at Bass Hall until the 23rd, for tickets go to www.basshall.com or call the box office at 817-212-4280.



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