(Pictured above: the program for the musical, taken by me)
I saw Elf: the Musical at the Virden Aud Theatre on Sunday, November 24th. I saw it with my mom Kathy, sister Morgan, friend Brittany, and her mom Krista. We all enjoyed the show - it was a great way to spread Christmas joy! From the beginning, I knew the show was going to be a great one because the man playing Buddy the Elf looked quite like Will Ferrel in the original movie (Dare I say he was better!). The songs added to the story made it seem like it was originally that way in the movie - very much a good addition!
I was very impressed by the extremely detailed, immaculate sets. I have been in a few productions and we had one set, that looked like a simple living room. These sets were above and beyond that - countless Christmas decorations, house settings, the streets of New York City, a Macy’s Department Store, and an office in the Empire State Building (and more!). I was also impressed with how quickly the cast and crew switched out the scenes. At the end of the show, Santa’s sleigh even rose higher and moved across the stage - I was shocked!
(Pictured above: The entrance to the Virden Aud Theatre, taken by me)
Another aspect of the show that I was pleasantly surprised by was all the excellent choreography. I have been in four musical theatre productions and know from experience that memorizing choreography is very difficult. Add on to that lines, blocking (where the actor is supposed to be sitting/standing/moving during a scene), song lyrics, that is a lot to memorize! But the cast did it very, very well.
(Pictured above: the crowd inside the theatre before the show started, taken by me)
In conclusion, I very much enjoyed the show - it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon and to get into the Christmas spirit! I would very much recommend seeing the show in a future production, and would always recommend a rewatch of the movie. Remember, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!