“Elf: The Musical”
Sullivan Theater
Baton Rouge
Through Dec. 21
A lot can be said about living in Baton Rouge, but no one can say that they don’t commit to the bit when it comes to Christmas celebrations and holiday-themed events. It seems that every cultural institution in the city is doing a festive event, and the Sullivan Theater is no exception.
“Elf: The Musical,” directed by Amy Himel Gomez, is a lighthearted and seasonally appropriate choice for the end of the Sullivan Theater’s 2025 season. The beginning of next season will be a complete 180, opening with “Sweeney Todd,” but for now, the holiday spirit is going strong.
In case you need a refresher, “Elf” is the story of Buddy, a human who was raised by elves as one of their own. When he accidentally finds out about his origins, he journeys from the North Pole to New York City to meet his father, who works in children’s book publishing. Chaos ensues. His father is in danger of losing his job if he doesn’t come up with a new and innovative children’s book idea by Christmas. Buddy doesn’t know how to be a human and commits a ton of social faux pas while simultaneously wooing Jovie. The movie version, featuring Will Ferrell’s breakout role, has become a staple in the holiday movie canon.
The musical, book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, is much the same, but the adaptation has to work within the constraints of the theater. Santa’s sleigh is powered by Christmas cheer alone (no bulky reindeer). The sets (by Dave Freneaux) have a delightful storybook-like design which is lightweight and transitions easily between scenes. Buddy and Jovie go ice skating using inline roller skates in a small rink fenced off by boxes on wheels in the middle of the stage. The set design was all together extremely inventive, and it helped bring the story to life.
The musical successfully writes around the part of the movie’s 2003 plot which didn’t age well. This version also cast Daniel Brandenburg, a first year in college at LSU, as Buddy. Ferrell was 36 when he played the same character, and having a younger face play Buddy made the whole situation feel less cringe. More coming of age and finding oneself and less man in his 30s is weird to women and doesn’t understand social norms. Brandenburg brings enthusiasm and joy to the role.
Another standout performer was Molly Picard, who plays Michael, Buddy’s younger brother. She is sassy, a strong singer and actor, and made the audience want to believe in Christmas again. Her performance more than justifies the genderbent casting of this role.
Despite all this, there’s no getting around the fact that “Elf: the musical” is a 150-minute adaptation of a 97-minute movie. I feel like the Grinch for writing this, but at several points I found myself asking, “Did it really have to be a musical?”
The worst offenders of this are part of the original movie and not the fault of the adapters or anyone involved in this particular production. But those who have never seen the source material or don’t remember will be shocked at the amount of talk-singing narrating what is literally happening which does not further the plot. (“I’m in a store and I’m singing”) At the same time, it felt like certain things happened only because of the original source material.
The over-the-top musical number “The Story of Buddy” could have been a great ending for the musical and would have cut the second act run time by almost half. But there was more plot in the movie. So instead, the fakeout ending transitions into a showgirl-style tune about how Santas are underappreciated and meanders into the real ending featuring a spontaneous group caroling event re-powering Santa’s sleigh.
Adaptations – musical or not – are nostalgic. They also must have something to offer to those who are new to the material. The writers of “Elf: The Musical” already changed things around in terms of plot. They might as well have gone all the way to make their final product more condensed. It's the story of Buddy the Elf with or without the Santa detour.
Still, “Elf: The Musical” does manage to amplify the cast’s holiday cheer, and it is contagious. Even the Scrooges of the audience might leave humming “The Story of Buddy.”
