When I first heard about Elf: The Musical , I wasn't sure it was necessary. Did we really need another film-to-musical adaptation? Actually, yes, I think we did. The thing about a lot of holiday musicals is that they are mostly about and for adults. Shows like White Christmas or A Christmas Carol are largely about adult problems, even if there are occasionally children in them, and even though A Christmas Story is about children, it's told through a nostalgic lens that speaks more to adults than current children. Elf stars a grown man, but he experiences things as a child and his problems are problems of a child—he wants to have fun and believe in magic, and the conflict comes from the adults around him who put up boundaries and have their priorities mixed up. It's got to be easier for a young theater-goer to step into Buddy the Elf's perspective than Ebenezer Scrooge, for example. Not to mention that Elf has a lot more roles for young actors (beyond Tiny Tim and
Reviewing community theater shows in the Twin Cities