Sydney Opera House and John Frost for Crossroads Live present. Presented in association with Shake & Stir Theatre Co.
Sugar coated fun is sure to delight the young Elves this Christmas, as it tries to melt even the Grinchiest of hearts
Reviewed by Justin Clarke
The Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
Until 29th December, 2024
Tickets: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/musical-theatre-cabaret/elf-musical
Follow the candy cane scented trail wafting out of the Sydney Opera House and you may just find yourself inside the sugar coated setting of the concert hall where Buddy the Elf is causing Christmas mischief and delight, with the biggest smile south of the North Pole.
Elf: The Musical is sure to delight your little Elves and those of us whose heart is two sizes larger than the Grinch’s. Though if you’re perfectly happy settled in your cave north of Whoville away from all the festivities, you may find the Christmas cheer of Elf just too sweet to swallow.
The success of Elf depends on your enjoyment of the 2003 Warner Bros film on which it’s based, starring Will Ferrell as the human-sized Elf. In Elf we follow Buddy (Gareth Isaac), a human,who is raised amongst elves at the North Pole. When he discovers that he is not an elf, he travels to New York in search of his biological father, Walter Hobbs (Simon Burke). But much to Buddy’s horror he realises that not only is his father on the naughty list (GASP!) but that the city of New York has lost all its belief in the big man himself in the jolly red suit (Lara Mulcahy).
John Frost’s Crossroads Live (Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as the recently announced Back to the Future in 2025) and the Sydney Opera House team up with Shake & Stir Theatre Co (Frankenstein: Live! and Sister Act) to harness the visual finesse they have displayed in recent productions. David Bergman’s video design transports us from the North Pole to Manhattan, the Empire State Building and Central Park all in the blink of a kaleidoscopic eye.
The video design at play that surrounds the all singing, all dancing Christmas-filled musical direction (Vanessa Scammell) is sometimes overwhelming in its scale. The cartoonish design, reminiscent of video console point and shoot adventure games, is nonetheless beautifully rendered here, often drowning out Trent Suidgeest’s lighting design.
Donning the green and yellow trappings of Buddy the Elf, Isaac has an infectious energy as he carries the hefty task of making Elf a palpable musical tale for all ages. Somehow traversing the stage in curved elf shoes throughout, courtesy of Josh Mcintosh’s gorgeously put together costume design, Isaac is the sugar-coated glue that holds the production together. He is thankfully not taking on a Will Ferrell impersonation here, but instead takes Buddy on his own journey, traversing the obnoxiously infectious joy he brings to all, whilst also imbuing the Christmas spirit in the threads of Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin’s book.
Elf: The Musical has enough sweetness imbued that it requires an immediate visit to the Dentist.
For the young ones, they’ll love the bright colours and suitably harnessed energy of Mulcahy’s Santa Clause, as well her suitably grumpy Store Manager who battles through yet another Christmas in retail. Grownups will savour the more adult humour sparingly dropped throughout, like those moments of solitary relief you find on Christmas day once all the kids are finally put to bed.
Eric Giancola’s direction leans into the humour of shouting stereotyped characters to skim through the middling pieces of the plot. Yes we understand, shouting character equals nasty character, so the balance of the quieter moments is sorely needed. Burke’s distantly Christmas-jaded Walter is left with the role of being Mr. Grumpy throughout. Despite being the plot to device to bring Buddy to New York, his eventual switch to Mr. Nice is sudden and doesn’t feel it’s been earned. After Burke’s glorious take on Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! it would have done well for Giancola to let Burke loose when he learns the lesson of the Christmas spirit.
Brianna Bishop’s Jovie (self referred to as a “bitch” here, though showing no evidence, reason nor necessity of being one) is given a knockout song ‘Never Fall in Love with an Elf’, whilst Katrina Retallick’s Emily Hobbs and Oscar Bridges’ Michael Hobbs sing plot duets. Meanwhile, the brotherly relationship of Oscar and Buddy is sadly mostly erased from the story here.
Highlights of Mitchell Woodcock’s choreography are found in ‘Sparklejollytwinklejingley’, despite an oddly overpowering balance on the tap number, and ‘Nobody Cares About Santa’ where seeing a kickline chorus of wriggling, jiggling Santa Clauses is an actual delight. Inspired moments of imaginative Christmas solutions are also found in the Shrek–the-Musical-esque utility of the chorus on their knees in all-black whilst they switch puppeting the legs and hands of the elves of the North Pole, faces gleefully poking through the ruse.
Elf: The Musical has enough sweetness imbued that it requires an immediate visit to the Dentist. Whilst perhaps too long for the tiny elves to sit still for, the young audience it is aimed for will find delight and humour to fill their stockings with just in time for Christmas. Whilst Mum and Dad may require an Irish Hot Chocolate to help it go down easy, the Christmas spirit is undeniably infused throughout the bones of Elf. Much like those Buddy interacts with, you’ll at some point be smitten by the infectious joy it brings.
CREATIVES
Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Based upon the New Line Cinema film written by David Berenbaum
Originally produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Venture, in association with Unique Features
Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia)
Director: Eric Giancola
Musical Director: Vanessa Scammell
Choreographer: Mitchell Woodcock
Set & Costumes: Josh Mcintosh
Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest
Video Designer: David Bergman
Sound Designer: Deborah Dourneau
CAST
Gareth Isaac BuddySimon Burke Walter Hobbs
Brianna Bishop Jovie
Lara Mulcahy Santa/Store Manager
Katrina Retallick Emily Hobbs
Oscar Bridges Michael Hobbs
Andrew Dunne Mr Greenway
Madeleine Mackenzie Deb
Sarah Bakker Ensemble
John Rex Berry Ensemble
Olivia Carniato Ensemble
Nakita Clarke Ensemble
James Macalpine Ensemble
David Ouch Ensemble
Rose Shannon-Duhigg Ensemble
Lewis Shilvock Ensemble
Nicole Vella Ensemble
