Ashland Spreads Christmas Cheer with Elf: The Musical

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 "Boy who says what day it is"). So I wouldn't be surprised or at all upset if Elf becomes part of the regular rotation of holiday shows.

Elf is the story of Buddy, a human who as a baby wound up at the North Pole, where he was raised as an elf. As an adult, he sets out to find his unsuspecting father, a New York City curmudgeon and businessman who doesn't make time for his family or for the holidays. Buddy crashes into their lives and helps them all find a sense of wonder and connection; he does the same for grumpy retail employee Jovie. The hardest to charm is Buddy's father, Walter; will he finally choose family over work? Meanwhile, Christmas spirit is at an all-time low and Santa's mission might be in danger. Can Buddy help save Christmas??

At Ashland Productions, Elf was directed by Rob Sutherland and assistant directed by Quinn Forest Masterson. Sutherland found lots of interesting ways to use the ensemble, and his New York City felt vibrant and lived-in. Personally, I would have loved to have live music for this show. I understand any group's reasons for using recorded music, but the connection between the orchestra, conductor, and actors would have brought a little something extra to quiet songs like "I'll Believe in You"—and I would have loved the brassiness of live trumpets in "The Story of Buddy." In any case, under vocal director Aaron VanDanton, the actors made good choices, and the ensemble sounded strong and well-balanced. Meg Gronau provided choreography that played well with the cuteness of Santa's elves and brought a lot of fun to big group numbers like "Sparklejollytwinklejingley," but the real standout was "Nobody Cares About Santa," a surprising second act jazz number performed by a chorus of grumpy dancing Santas. The Santas were a treat to watch, but when the smallest group of children (representing those who had stopped caring about Santa) jumped into the jazz along with them, it was absolutely delightful.

Michael Haas designed the set, which made good use of Ashland's fly system. I particularly liked the slightly exaggerated feel of the backdrop and suspended street lights of New York. Anna Pikiben's costumes played up the cuteness of the elves (both the North Pole elves and the retail worker elves), and the finale of Christmas outfits was very sweet. My only complaint was having one Santa in the scene full of Santas not wearing the iconic red pants; I thought it might be to help the character stand out, but within her storyline I just feel like the character would have sourced some red pants by then. Jacob Lee Hofer's lighting was fun and colorful, especially in "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" and "Nobody Cares About Santa" (appropriately, very red). Born Into Royalty provided effective and problem-free sound design.

As Buddy, Joseph Brueske had just the right level of energy; Buddy is an elevated character, but not a cartoon, and Brueske's exuberance and silliness was entertaining while not clashing with the mostly realistic setting of the show. Brueske's physical work was very good, from his first scene struggling to fit in with the other (much smaller) elves, to some very funny chair acting when trying to fit in in his father's office environment. Courtney Klein brought out the sweetness in retail employee and romantic interest Jovie, who gets an expanded backstory in the musical compared to the film. Jovie's a cynic, but she secretly has big dreams and wants so badly to believe that they could come true. Klein has an impressive belt and was very funny dancing grumpily in "Sparklejollytwinklejingley." Bryan Smith was effective as the unlikable Walter, while still making Walter's epiphany and decision to change feel natural and earned. Marcae Woodward and Aiden Gross played Walter's family, Buddy's step-mother and step-brother. Woodward and Gross were sweet together in their duets and scenes, and it was a treat to watch their characters expand and embrace joy as Buddy (and Christmas) won them over.

Pat Mogren had a great look as (the original) Santa and had some big laughs from the audience. Maddie Dinndorf played Jovie's store manager boss, and she brought a fun sense of intrigue to her scenes. I really enjoyed her character and the way she adapted to whichever role she thought would get her ahead with corporate. As Walter's assistant, Mack Armbruster was delightful, especially when drunk. Alex Link and Hannah Pantano were entertaining as Walter's employees, and Tom Prestin brought a nice intimidating energy as company boss Greenway.

Besides the named roles, there were a lot of great performances from the ensemble as short-term characters. In the first scene, two younger actors were entertaining as the elf floor managers; later, a struggling store Santa and a demanding child on his lap were a fun combo. Two funny cops were accidentally aided by a malfunctioning mustache, which, what can I say, that's always hilarious. I also enjoyed the strong characterization of the reporter in the last big scene. All of the large scenes had a good balance of engagement from the background actors that helped the settings feel realistic and full without distracting from the focus of the story.

I always love to see a show with a strong ensemble, and Ashland really delivered that in this show. Elf was a nice surprise for me and an enjoyable night at the theater.