I
expected good entertainment when I took my seat at The 5th AvenueTheatre to see ELF—the Musical,
but no one warned me that it would include time travel. As if swept away by a
Christmas blizzard, I suddenly found myself back in childhood. And I liked
it.
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| L-R Santa (Seán G. Griffin) and Buddy (Matt Owen), with the company of ELF – The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Mark Kitaoka |
If I
could have pulled my eyes away from the dazzling sets long enough to glance
around, I might have seen others in my generation showing signs of the same
childish delight. I probably embarrassed myself with my gawks and grins and
unsuppressed laughter. And it wasn’t even the same nostalgia we’ve all felt as
our children or grandchildren discovered the sights, sounds, colors, and symbols of the
secular version of Christmas. It was better. It was real. It was my own, a
thrill almost forgotten but then exactly as first experienced, once ELF brought it all back to me.
The fact that the story takes place in
modern times, complete with modern technology—Santa’s list exists on an iPad
and the humor is of the 2012 New York variety—did nothing to lessen the
sensation of childish joy. It made me wonder why growing up too often means giving
up our sense of magical excitement.
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| Buddy (Matt Owen) and the company of ELF – the Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Mark Kitaoka |
So what if it uses the familiar theme of
Scrooge, as workaholic Hobbs comes to finally prioritize his family and the joy
of Christmas? Owen freed the free-wheeling kid still hidden inside me, and for
a couple of hours, the world of adult logic and cynicism ceased to matter. A
lesser actor might have just looked foolish playing a goofy elf in middle of
New York, but not Owen. My admiration for the job he did goes beyond words.
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| L-R Jovie (Kendra Kassebaum) and Buddy (Matt Owen) from ELF – The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Tracy Martin |
Seán G. Griffin, as the perfect Santa and the first character
on stage, set the tone of the show and the fresh, truly funny humor to follow,
humor suitable for children but worthy of adult appreciation. Kendra Kassebaum’s dry delivery
of one-liners had me laughing and balanced the poignant side of her character,
that of Buddy’s girlfriend, Jovie. Cynthia
Jones as the Macy’s store manager added sparkle and energy to
all her scenes as did Jessica
Skerritt as the delightful Deb, Hobb’s secretary. Nick DeSantis as Hobb’s boss,
Mr. Greenway, was the boss you hope never to have, only funnier.
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| L-R Buddy (Matt Owen), Santa (Seán G. Griffin), Michael (Grayson Smith), Walter (Allen Fitzpatrick), and Emily (Kim Huber) from ELF – The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Mark Kitaoka |
I
thought both Allen
Fitzpatrick and Kim
Huber (as Walter and Emily Hobbs, respectively) in addition to
delivering witty lines with style, managed to give their characters depth and
believable personalities, even in this unbelievable story. Noah Barr as their son, Michael
Hobbs, impressed me not only with his confidence and acting ability but also
his voice. I’ll be watching for future appearances by this young talent.
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| L-R The Store Manager (Cynthia Jones) and Buddy (Matt Owen), with the company of ELF – The Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Mark Kitaoka |
I’m
not a reviewer who feels obligated to find at least some little fault, but I
don’t know that I’ve ever been able to state that I loved every single aspect of a musical. With this one, I honestly did.
And it goes beyond praising this talented cast or the keen sensibilities of
their director, Eric
Ankrim, an outstanding actor himself, and proudly claimed as a
native son by other residents of Tacoma.(See this feature story by Matt Nagle of the Tacoma Weekly) It goes beyond the book, music,
choreography, hilarious lyrics, or delightful interpretation of David Berenbaum’s film by the
same name. Throughout the entire show, my mind kept going back to the respect I
have for the almost incredible amount of talent and teamwork at The 5th Avenue. In addition to
admiring the work of those whose names end up shown boldly in the program, I
thought of every single person behind the scenes who helped to make this such a
success.
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| Buddy (Matt Owen) and the company of ELF – the Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo: Mark Kitaoka |
I could
never overstate the visual appeal of this production. It zings. The first thing that delighted me was simply the colors. Make that the colors and the lighting. Matthew
Smucker’s stunning—and I mean stunning—set
designs deserve awards. I always appreciate the work of Lighting Designer Tom
Sturge, and the gorgeous hues popped and sparkled thanks to him. Clever costumes, like those of the
elves especially, with their shoes projecting from the actors’ bended knees,
added to the fun, as did the tasty servings of tap dancing. As usual, Music
DirectorAndy Grobengieser’s fabulous orchestra—too easily taken for
granted—served up a flawless musical backdrop to all the action on the stage.
In the
letter Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong wrote
for the program, his words about holiday productions acknowledge their
importance to the theater’s fiscal health and all that, but at the same time he
said this show was “a gift to our 5th Avenue family.” It’s a gift I accepted with gratitude and glee.
Congratulations to everyone involved
and to anyone considering whether or not they should go see ELF
I say, “Get those tickets before they're gone!” And take a child with you. I guarantee you will be giving the gift of happy holiday memories.
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