Elf - The Musical West End Reviews

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 o...

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-

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 ...

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.

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 “si...

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.