Elf The Musical

 We are drawing close to the Holiday season, and with all the snow, shopping, and general merriment and there are a few musicals set during this festive time. Some are original and few based on some movies that will be playing on repeat everywhere until January, mid-January in some places. Elf was given a musical adaptation. The tale of Buddy the Elf or so he was told, a child who snuck into Santa's bag who then goes on a quest to find his father. Is this musical adaptation of the holiday comedy a pleasant surprise or something I hope came with a receipt, let's get into the holiday mood all while in song and find out. 

As there are not many productions going on around where I reside, let alone productions of this show I will be relying on the Broadway cast album. There is a animated film version with songs from this show but it is much shorter and since I have seen the film plenty of times so I can tell where most of the songs fit in the story. 

The plot follows the film just with songs being added so if someone saw this at a civic theater as it has long since closed or made a comeback with a tour that is what you get. If you enjoy the film and would not mind some singing and dancing added. The songs are your usual fare of songs about family, and Christmas cheer which should be sung loud for all the hear. The songs are good, and enjoyable, there are a couple stand outs, but most do feel like you have heard them in other shows.

The subjects, melodies and themes all feel familiar and can be found in other shows. Movie musicals sometimes all sound the same and have that feel good, relatable collections of songs that may have a hidden gem or two but may be hard to stand out. There will be songs about being parents, songs about being a kid, songs about being a family, what you want in life and so on. This show has so many melodies and themes similar to a show I saw live a few years ago. The tracks included reminded me of that show, a movie that was adapted that I watch every year, with some stand out songs which was " A Christmas Story The Musical".

Both shows had a couple songs that I found myself listening to after an initial run through of the show. This show if I saw it live seems it would be like that, fun, enjoyable, and have a couple of fun songs in them. Some of the songs in this show are heartwarming and make great songs to listen to as part of the season "I'll Believe In You", "Sparklejollytwinklejingly" and "The Story Of Buddy The Elf" are some of the stand outs to me. The show has the warm and welcoming feel that captures the season much like the film with songs following suit, most of the time. Some of the songs in this show were either forgettable or just not a good listen for me. I would say half of the album was good, twenty five percent was okay but nothing special, and the final piece were songs I will not be going back to.  

Overall, much like "A Christmas Story The Musical" this could make for a fun afternoon if I saw it live, especially during the holidays. It is the film you know with some fun songs included, some that you may find yourself listening to later. Fun and warm melodies that capture the feeling of the season both are a standout and detriment, but overall could make for a fun way to ring in the season. This show is like getting a movie for Christmas that isn't your all-time favorite but one you still watch more than once, a pleasant surprise with enough good in it to warrant at least a listen of the cast album.