Holiday! Schmoliday!
John Tartaglia’s production of “Elf: The Musical” for New Hope’s Bucks County Playhouse is so exhilaratingly perfect, it can run anywhere anytime and entertain grandly with wit, sparkle, and a great big dollop of theatrical delight.
Tartaglia just knows how to put on a show. A bit can range from savvy to corny, and it fits the theatrical occasion with pinpoint precision and knack for providing smart, unbridled fun.
Tartaglia and company not only tell the story of Buddy the Elf, popular since first seen in the 2003 Jon Favreau movie written by David Berenbaum, they elevate it. They give it extra oomph in so many ways, you want to see every performance you can of this shrewdly conceived, marvel-filled production that in somehow straightforward, sophisticated, hilarious, and moving all at once.
Every ounce of potential in a script by two of the best of all book writers, Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, and a score from a composing team, Matthew Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics) whose songs defy the cookie-cutter nature of most 21st century musical fare, particularly that derived from movies, is mined with invention and care that show Tartaglia and choreographer Shannon Lewis not only know their business but can coach countless others in how to make familiar material fresh and special.
The avalanche of creativity Tartaglia and Lewis provide is matched by the performances of a flawless cast led by the irrepressibly ebullient Chris Stevens (Buddy) who exudes naughtily naive charm and nicely developed talent and carried through to the most anonymous of dancers.
Not to mention the puppets. John Tartaglia earned his first Broadway acclaim as the star of the puppet-laden “Avenue Q” (produced by the Playhouse’s Robyn Goodman) and now works with the Jim Henson Company. He cast the elves of “Elf” with Henson-like puppets, voiced by Matthew Blasio, Sabrina Kalman, and Ian Liberto, that not only elicit non-stop, wall-to-wall smiles every second they’re onstage but cleverly make clear the difference between elves that are elves and the ineluctably human Buddy, who’s been posing as one for 30 years.
Not only are the “elves” made of cloth while Buddy is well-toned flesh-and-blood, but they, behind their various staging areas, are less than a foot tall while Chris Stevens’ Buddy measures in at about 6’4’’.
The contrast becomes incidental compared to the kick the puppets give this “Elf,” the way Lewis choreographs them, and the giddy warmth they provide.
Really, this a production in which every gambit, gimmick, and gamble works, all meshing into a show that keeps you interested and laughing while organically nailing every comic line, finding the sarcastic bite in comebacks, offering adults some humor kids might miss, letting Stevens’ boundless energy soar, and leaving room for honest sentiment made more poignant because the comedy that leads to it is so deftly broad.
The Playhouse’s “Elf” does something else that sets it apart from other productions of the same show and from practically all of the recent musicals that were first movies
It approaches “Elf” as if it were a new piece, allowing its internal elements to drive the show rather than falling into the common trap of trying to make a theater piece look and sound like its cinematic model.
This is significant.
So many theater directors have their productions follow and re-create what audiences have liked from the screen. The same week I saw “Elf,” I saw the touring production of “Back to the Future: The Musical” at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music.
Individual performances and really cool use of the DeLorean Doc Brown uses for his time travel keep that show afloat, but it is truly a thoughtless piece of trash that panders to the audience who are looking for the film. Performances are too broad, the comedy is sillier than it is funny, and the story has no punch.
I’ve seen productions of “The Lion King” that do the same thing. Beyond Julie Taymor’s magnificent animal scenes, dialog and tone leave reality behind and become a cartoon.
John Tartaglia, Shannon Lewis, and Chris Stevens, all avoid that.
Entirely.
They put on an “Elf” that has heart and a core of reality in spite of being a fantasy. They can go wild with hijinks while keeping humanity and even the pathos in Buddy’s story part of “Elf’s” proceedings. It is its own entity, designed for the theater and definitely not a pandering imitation or knockoff of Favreau’s film. Or, for that matter, any other production of “Elf.”
Chris Stevens, in an interview for a different publication, told me one thing he liked about Tartaglia’s production was the way he kept most of the characters grounded, even to the point of being typical New Yorkers who barely noticed a guy dressed like an elf walking among them, while letting him act out in the natural, unsophisticated way Buddy, who knows only the North Pole and the shelter of Santa Claus’ protection, would.
Seeing the production, I knew exactly what Stevens meant and how Tartaglia accomplished it.
He had everyone but Stevens play their roles straight.
John Bolton, who plays a busy executive who doesn’t make time for the 11-year-old son he has let alone a 30-year-old elf who announced their kinship out of the blue, is hangdog and grumpy but in a way that suits his character. He doesn’t overdo or turn his gruff hardness into an exaggerated cartoon. Bolton remains the harried businessman whose job happens to be in jeopardy and whose aim is to support the family he ignores while worrying about work.
Even when characters launch into bits that are more a part of musical theater than everyday reality, it has a touch of truth to it, something that shows the absence of what might be right and wrong that Buddy has.
Jenny Lee Stern’s brilliant turn as Bolton’s administrative assistant is a case in point. Stern does everything an assistant would, but she does it with panache and a flair for dancing.
Stern’s admin is the brash, loud New Yorker and reliable professional who can handle any situation. Stern also entertains up a storm, with spot-on line delivery and hips that don’t stop moving as she makes Lewis’ choreography look easier and integral to her character.
It’s a joy to watch her and savor Stern’s wealth of talent and theatrical savvy. (I also had the thought someone should write a Judy Garland piece for Stern. As wigged and made up in “Elf,” she has the look of La Garland as well as the abundant dance ability.)
Chris Stevens is a revelation. He can have you roaring at Buddy’s naïveté one second, then make up sad that Buddy, in New York, is a different kind of babe in the woods, one who doesn’t know his way, has few people who can help him, and needs a hand.
Stevens has no trouble finding bits that make Buddy lively and lovable. He can also break hearts when Buddy understand that New York does not mirror the camaraderie of the North Pole.
Brian Ray Norris finds the humor and humanity in Santa Claus. His turns in “Elf” and an earlier Playhouse production, “She Loves Me,” shows Norris to be a versatile character actor who brings out the best in any role.
Ann Sanders exemplifies common sense and the ability to accept a new reality as Bolton’s wife and Buddy’s stepmother. Savy Jackson is another who finds the exact right notes are the dismissive yet curious Jovie, who sees the potential in Buddy. Juson J. Williams conveys authority and a ability to let oneself go as Buddy’s manager in Macy’s “Santaland.” Michael Hurst has a great voice and a veteran actor’s ease as Buddy’s 11-year-old stepbrother. William Ryall adds another excellent performance to his resume as the head of children’s book company that needs a hit. Danielle Kelly is a doting, gently demanding Mrs. Claus.
Craig Napoliello and Anna Louizos combine on a set that changes on a dime from a living room to a factory floor and from an office to Central Park. Robin McGee has fun with turn-of-the-century look and movement. Bart Fassbender’s sound design enhances the production. Katie Whittimore’s lighting design keys you into the main action.
Elf: The Musical, Bucks County Playhouse, 70 South Main Street, New Hope, Pennsylvania. Through Sunday, January 4. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. (Check for extra matinees near Christmas.) $32 to $72, with prices rising to $140 on holiday eves. www.bcptheater.org or 215-862-2121.
