Two and a half hours is kind of long for a glorified children’s show, even one with a few adult words and innuendoes. However, the Marquis Theatre’s revival of Elf, the spirited musical comedy adaptation of the 2003 Christmas movie of that name, which starred Will Ferrell, whizzes by as fast as Santa in his supercharged sleigh on Christmas Eve. Partly, it’s because of the glowingly hilarious presence of the multitalented Grey Henson in the title role, and partly it’s because of the persistent joyfulness of the show itself, spreading holiday cheer about like the snow storm that blankets the auditorium at the end.
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| Sean Astin. All photos: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. |
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| Grey Henson. |
Elf, in case you’ve never seen the movie, is the
story of Buddy Hobbs (Henson), an orphan accidentally taken to the North Pole
by Santa Claus when, after the baby’s unwed mother died, he crawled into Santa’s
toy sack. Raised among Santa’s helper elves, Buddy grows up to tower over them,
but only as a 30-year-old does he overhear that he’s not an elf but human. He
also learns that his father, Walter Hobbs (Michael Hayden), is a publishing
executive working for a company in the Empire State Building.
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| Grey Henson, Sean Astin. |
With the blessing of Santa (Sean Astin), who periodically
shows up in an easy chair to narrate the tale from a huge book, Buddy travels
by foot to New York, finds his grumpy father (on Santa’s “naughty” list because
he doesn’t believe in Santa), charms everyone he meets, wins the affection and
support of Walter’s wife, Emily (Ashely Brown), and his pre-teen stepbrother,
Michael (Kai Edgar), and has an ultimately successful romance with Jovie (Kayla
Davion), a pretty fellow worker in Macy’s toy department, where he gets a job
as a Christmas elf.
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| Grey Henson, Kayla Davion, and company. |
His biggest task is to win his reluctant, hardheaded father’s
acceptance, and to convince him that Santa does exist. Of course, these
missions are successfully accomplished, especially after Santa’s sleigh is
forced to land in Central Park when New York City’s lack of Christmas spirit diminishes
its power. But Buddy steps in, of course, in a scene reminding me of Peter
Pan when Peter, to save Tinker Bell, asks the audience if they believe in
fairies. Buddy never does ask us if we believe in Santa, but the thought is there
as he convinces the city to sing out with Christmas cheer.
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| Jennifer Sanchez, Sean Astin, Grey Henson, Michael Hayden, Ashley Brown, and company. |
Santa, his nonelectric sleigh now charged by the holiday
spirit, takes off successfully (no reindeer, by the way, because of PETA’s
objections), and, in a memorably spectacular Broadway moment, flies out over the
Marquis orchestra as a veritable blizzard spreads tiny flakes on one and all.
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| Kalen Allen, Grey Henson, and company. |
Elf is a traditional feel-good show, with cartoon characters
acted, sung, and danced with enough conviction to suspend your disbelief, and
with a consistently clever book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin filled with
funny lines, some of them just this side of naughtiness (there are several
references, for example, to going to bed with someone). Although you may not walk
out singing any song in particular, there’s not one among the 13 by Matthew
Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics) that isn’t worth a listen, from “Happy
All the Time,” to “Never Fall in Love (With an Elf).”
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| Grey Henson and company. |
A buoyant spirit keeps the show bubbling, even during scenes
when characters are angry or frustrated, largely because of the optimistic,
happy-go-lucky naivete of Buddy the elf, played with adorable panache by the irrepressible
Grey Henson. He captures Buddy’s farcical innocence, nails his more poignant moments,
and displays considerable chops as a song and dance man.
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| Kai Edgar, Grey Henson. |
Michael Hayden is on the mark as Walter, Buddy’s perpetually
irritated dad; Ashley Brown brings great warmth and a top-notch voice to Emily;
Sean Astin scores smartly as both Santa and Walter’s obnoxious boss; Jennifer Sánchez
makes a feisty but warmhearted Latina secretary; Kai Edgar is another of those preternaturally
talented Broadway kids; Kayla Davion is a perfect love interest for Buddy, and
Kalen Allen stands out as both a hot dog vendor and, especially, a snake-hipped
Macy’s store manager.
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| Michael Hayden, Ashley Brown, Kai Edgar, Grey Henson, Kayla Davion. |
Video projections by Ian William Galloway and Mesmer Studios,
many of them moving, are a major element of Tim Goodchild’s scene design, with
its many flying and sliding units, while Patricia Woodroffe’s lighting makes a
potent contribution to the holiday ebullience. Goodchild’s cheery costumes are terrific,
including those that make the elves, played by full-sized actors on their knees,
look to be around three feet tall, and Sam Cox’s wig and hair
designs add considerably to the fun.
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| Company of Elf. |
Elf will be here only for a limited seasonal engagement. If you want Santa’s sleigh to take off this year, you might want to add some fuel to the Christmas spirit by visiting the Marquis Theatre to see Elf before it flies away for good.
Marquis Theatre
210 W. 46th Street, NYC
Through January 4