Ben Forster in Elf the Musical at the Dominion Theatre, London. Picture: Roy Tan
Elf the Musical continues at the Dominion Theatre, London until 2 January 2016.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Before it opened at the Dominion, Elf – based on the 2003 comedy movie starring Will Ferrell – was already making headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons. Its top price tickets, advertised at a whopping £267.50, are reportedly the highest ever in the West End. Although the cheapest seats are selling at £30, you’d still expect one heck of a show for that kind of money. And while this family-friendly toe-tapper is a jolly alternative to the panto, it’s lacking that enchanting element that turns a competent show into a magical experience.
That said, the performances are pretty much spot on, and the central roles are well filled. Ben Forster – winner of TV talent search Superstar in 2012 – is the bright, indefatigable Buddy, the titular ‘elf’ who discovers that he’s actually a human and heads off from the North Pole to New York in search of his real father. Forster has big curled shoes to fill – it’s not easy following in Will Ferrell’s footsteps – but he pulls it off with his manic comedy acting and big-voiced presence. His charming innocence makes him very likeable, and the stage lights up when he’s at his elfin best.
Sharing the top billing – and receiving the biggest applause at the curtain – is Kimberley Walsh, another survivor from reality TV, this time Popstars: The Rivals (and subsequently Girls Aloud). Although not given much to work with, she’s convincing as the cynical love interest Jovie, whose heart melts when Buddy asks her to be the fairy on top of his christmas tree. We have to wait until Act II for her one solo number, ‘Never Fall in Love (with an Elf)’, but when it comes, she proves herself more than up to the task of being a West End leading lady. Hers is one of the more memorable of the otherwise largely unforgettable songs.
TV regulars Joe McGann and Jessica Martin also take top billing as Buddy’s father Walter and stepmother Emily. McGann at times seems outside of his comfort zone, and he’s not the strongest of voices, although this may be down to his character’s sneering miserliness. Martin, on the other hand, is a lovely bit of casting as the warm, homely matron. Her duet ‘There is a Santa Claus’ with son Michael – played on opening night by the excellent Ilan Galkoff from Sylvia Young Theatre School – is delightful.
Rounding off the main players is the outstanding Jennie Dale as Walter’s secretary Deb, and the equally notable Graham Lappin as the manager of the department store where Buddy finds himself roped into the Christmas preparations. And I can’t not mention Mark McKerracher as the perfect Santa Claus. The ensemble, too, is faultless – hilarious as elves in Santa’s polar workshop, and step-perfect in director/choreographer Morgan Young’s glitzy-if-safe big dance routines.
The songs – by Wedding Singer writers Matthew Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics) – keep your toes tapping and cockles warmed but are bland and forgettable. I was struggling to hum any of the tunes an hour or so after the show, but they certainly do their job in the moment. Luckily, the fantastic 16-piece orchestra, led by Stuart Morley (doubling as a narwhal early in the show!), helps beef out the numbers and goes a long way to justifying those ticket prices.
On the whole, Elf is a slick, well-polished West End show with a book (by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin) that pleases the kids and gives the adults just enough to enjoy. A few of the US-specific jokes fall flat – little effort has been made to adapt the book to UK audiences – but a straw poll I took with some of the kids after the show garnered a 10 out of 10 score from every one of them. I can’t deny that it has a lovely, festive charm, but for fear of sounding like a humbug, I found it all rather robotic and perfunctory, and suspect that if these kids had forked out the ticket money themselves, they’d be less cavalier with their scoring.
Craig Glenday
Book tickets for ELF: www.musicaltheatrereview.entstix.com/tickets/elf-the-musical
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