Elf The Broadway Musical:: Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Yeah I know it’s Saturday, and I usually only blog on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but I just had to tell you about the play we saw last night: Elf The Musical on Tour at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul. I attended with my oldest son, but the entire family would have enjoyed it. In fact, families of all ages would have loved it.
It was truly a perfect night to see a Christmas play. Rice Park (directly across from the Ordway) was lit with white twinkle lights and a colorful Christmas tree, and snow was lightly floating down adding a wondrous ambiance to the evening. The magical scene continued inside the Ordway with piano music, a Christmas tree, and colorful cut-out snowflakes, all setting the tone for the play.
The show begins at the North Pole with a humorous prologue by Santa, then scene one explodes with exuberant singing and bright colored costumes and backdrops. I was smiling from the very first line.
Matt Kopec, who played Buddy the Elf, was perfectly cast with his childlike exuberance and innocence and his crystal-clear singing voice. Also perfectly cast was Michael (Connor Barth), Buddy’s much younger half brother. I was amazed by the maturity of his singing voice.
Perhaps the most touching musical number was “I’ll Believe in You” performed by Michael (Connor Barth) and Emily (Julia Louis Hosack), Buddy’s step-mom. The song is their letter to Santa saying all they want is one day with Walter (Drew Pulver)–Buddy’s father. If they get that, then they’ll believe in Santa again. It’s a song that pulls nicely on the heart strings.
Admittedly, the second act lacked the luster of the first. The sets were grayer, the story line darker, even some of the language was inappropriate for small children. But the ending number, “A Christmas Song”, returned the sparkle to the play.
If you’d love to treat your family, tickets are still available. To order, click on https://bit.ly/QWBcY8 or call 651.224.4222. The show runs until December 30. Tickets start at $35 plus fees.
Comments 3
Really? You thought this show was family friendly? Eight of us attended the December 6th show at 2pm and there was a lot of foul language and a couple of sexual gestures. The show was not appropriate for our children. I contacted the Ordway via FB and they called me immediately. They, too, were trying to convince the cast to change some of the show. Were they successful?
Thanks for weighing in, Becky.
I attended on Friday night, so maybe they changed some things by then. I don’t recall any sexual gestures, but there was some innuendo that small children wouldn’t catch–yeah, that was complete unnecessary. And, as I said above, there was some foul language in the second act that was completely unwarranted.
As for family fare, if you allow your children to watch the Will Ferrell movie, it was comparable, or if you let your children watch Shrek, they could watch this.
To clarify, would I recommend it for very young children? With the 2nd act, probably not. I wish it would have maintained the innocence & magic of the first act.
Again, thanks for expressing your opinion not only here, but to the Ordway as well.
Interesting. The First Act was the worst when we attended. They must have made changes. Good to know.