‘Elf The Musical’ @ CenterStage Theatre Works
Photos courtesy of CenterStage Theatre Works
—Carol M. Rice
It’s hard to believe that the perennial holiday classic Elf—the movie—has been around since 2003. It seems like only yesterday we first saw Will Ferrell scarfing down enough sugar and syrup to make an entire fifth grade class hyper. And then came the popular musical with score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book was adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the film, and it gave Broadway a sugar high in 2010. The show has been revived on Broadway twice and seen in the West End thrice, in addition to touring extensively. It’s also produced by regional and area theatres of all sizes during the holidays.
The story of Elf The Musical is simple enough: Santa Claus finally decides it’s time for Buddy the Elf to know the truth: he’s NOT really an elf! When Buddy was a baby, his mother died and shortly afterwards, unbeknownst to Santa, baby Buddy crawled into his sack. When the error was discovered back at the North Pole, the elves begged Santa to let them raise Buddy as one of their own instead of returning him to the orphanage. When Santa tells Buddy that he’s actually human, he also reveals that his father, Walter Hobbs, is still alive but doesn’t know he exists—so Buddy sets off to New York City in search of his dad.
At CenterStage Theatre Works, actor Thomas Schnaible doesn’t just play Buddy the Elf, he is Buddy the Elf. This is one of those occasions when a role and an actor are just meant for each other. Schnaible is perfectly cast and brings incredible energy to the part of this fish-out-of-water human. His amazing physical comedy skills are on full display as he darts and bounces around the stage, yet he keeps his performance from being cloying or annoying, and handles the more serious moments with true honesty. In addition to his brilliant, multi-layered acting, he has a soaring tenor voice that suits Buddy beautifully, and he’s a solid dancer.
As Buddy’s love interest Jovie, Lauren Rodriguez has reallly great facial expressions. Her overall performance is somewhat subdued, especially compared with Schnaible’s high energy—but of course, it’s hard to compete with an Elf who’s found his groove!
Normally, the role of Buddy’s dad Walter Hobbs is played by Eric Levy, but due to illness, music director Joey O’Reilly stepped into the role for opening weekend (with little rehearsal) and did a bang -up job. Katie Purdin portrays Buddy’s stepmom Emily Hobbs with understated charm, and her relationship with Kambryn Ransom as daughter Michael is believable and sweet. (Zoey Burden plays Michael for some performances.)
Alidor Lefere and Vivian Reed are completely engaging as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Micaela Workman is adorable as Deb, and Brandon Carnes has fun with his transformation from grouchy Macy’s store manager to cheery guy. The rest of the talented ensemble cast gives it their all, whether playing multiple roles or singing and dancing their hearts out—and as costumed by Alison Kingwell and Ellie Nunemaker, the small cast seems like an army thanks to all the costume changes.
Choreographer Kyra Jacobs has utilized the thrust stage at the Frisco Discovery Center very well, and her entertaining choreography is enthusiastic and well-suited to the performers. Joey O’Reilly’s music direction also makes good use of the talented cast, as they hit all the right notes and harmonize well. There were a few sound and microphone issues at the performance I saw, but those should be ironed out soon.
CenterStage TheatreWorks’ artistic director Charlotte Taylor has put together the perfect holiday musical: it will make you laugh and have you leaving with a smile, which is really the point when it comes to Elf The Musical. It’s great for date night or a family outing, and I have to mention that the children in the audience were completely entranced throughout the show. The cast loved taking photos with them afterwards and hearing about their favorite parts. Kudos to the more popular cast members for continuing to entertain these young, impressionable audience members well after the final bows, especially on a two-show day.
If you like the movie, you’ll love the musical—go check it out!
WHEN: December 5-15, 2024
WHERE: Black Box Theater @ Frisco Discovery Center, 8004 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco TX
WEB: cstheatreworks.com
