Review: ELF THE MUSICAL at Music Theatre Wichita

While the outside temperature was a scorching 92 degrees, the audience inside the Century II Concert Hall enjoyed the cold air conditioning and Music Theatre Wichita’s production of ELF THE MUSICAL.  While the majority of shows this season at Music Theatre Wichita are tired reruns, ELF THE MUSICAL is the only new show for MTW.

MTW’s version, under the direction of MTW Artistic Director Brian Marcum, featured a fun and creative set design by designer Michael Salvatore Commendatore that includes some sleek scenic projections and backdrops.  Costume Designer Brad Musgrove created charming and delightful Christmas attire. Dex O’Neal hair and make-up design was top-notch.  Marcum also served as the show’s choreographer.

The musical is based on the 2003 film “Elf,” which stars comedian Will Ferrell, and has become a contemporary Christmas classic. In the film, Ferrell plays Buddy, a cartoonishly oversized elf, who learns that he’s not really an elf, but a human who crawled into Santa’s sack as an infant orphan one Christmas Eve. Santa sends Buddy to New York City to find his real father, who happens to be on Santa’s naughty list, and on the journey, he meets and falls in love with Jovie and learns the true meaning of Christmas. Ferrell perfectly personifies the offbeat elf who spends the first 30 years of his life as a misfit at the North Pole, then heads to the Big Apple without any concept of what it means to be an adult.

In many ways, it seems actor Chris Stevens, who plays Buddy in the MTW musical, never really stood a chance. While this wasn’t the first time Stevens had played the oversized Elf, he had tremendous shoes to fill in a role so well-known and beloved by audiences. Many times, during the performance I watched, Stevens’ vocals were really fantastic, especially on “World’s Greatest Dad,” but he seemed to lack energy and momentum. Sofia Macaluso really shined as Jovie.  Her “Never Fall in Love with an Elf” was well done.

Actor Timothy Gulan played Buddy’s real father, Walter Hobbs.  Gulan was perfectly cast in the role and was a delight to watch.  Jennifer Marcum and local youth actor Will Grimmett filled out the rest of the Hobbs family members as wife Emily Hobbs and son Michael Hobbs, respectfully. Grimmett and Marcum have a delightful and fun duet together in “There is a Santa Claus.”

Other standout performances were given by Wichita favorite Timothy Robu as Santa Claus, David Raehpour as Mr. Greenway and Levon Mathis as the Macy’s Store Manager. Robu is a natural as Santa.  His Santa was loving and funny, yet magical while Raehpour’s Mr. Greenway was the bad boss guy that you loved to hate.  Mathis, who played LeFou in 2023’s Beauty and the Beast, was well polished and sparkled in the “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” number.  His scenes with Stevens were hilarious. By far, he was one of my favorites.

“Nobody Cares About Santa,” the opening song in Act Two was a complete joy to watch. A group of out-of-work department store Santas enjoying a late-night meal of Chinese food and singing about misbehaved children and the utter disappearance of real holiday cheer was a showstopper. It earned several chuckles from the audience eat and Marcum’s rousing choreography number was the highlight of the show. The closing finale included a tap dance routine from the ensemble that propelled the show to end on a sweet high note and put audience members in the mood for Christmas.

Up next at MTW, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.  It runs July 29 through August 2.