Elf (musical)

• Subsequent productions including the Broadway revival and West End production replaced "Christmastown" with "Happy All the Time" and "I'll Believe in You (Reprise)" with "World's Greatest Dad (Reprise)".[4][5]

After a 2009 workshop, the musical officially opened for a limited holiday engagement at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway on November 14, 2010, following previews from November 2, 2010. Casey Nicholaw directed.[7][8][9][10] The final performance took place January 2, 2011 after a run of 15 preview and 57 regular performances.[11] A Broadway cast recording was released on November 1, 2011.[12] Leading the original cast was Wicked and Jersey Boys star Sebastian Arcelus, who was joined by Broadway alums Amy Spanger and Beth Leavel.[13]

Presented by NETworks, a mini-tour of the musical played several cities across North America in the 2012 holiday season. Two separate tours, running simultaneously, began in 2013, and the musical toured again in the holiday seasons in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

A limited US/Canadian tour in 2017 featured Erik Gratton as Buddy, with direction by Sam Scalamoni and choreography by Connor Gallagher.[14][15] It stopped at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City[16][17][18] with George Wendt playing Santa.[19] TimeOut said it was one of the best Christmas shows in New York that year.[20]

Following the success of the 2010 production, the musical returned to the Al Hirschfeld for a second holiday season beginning November 9, 2012, on a run through January 6, 2013.[21] This new production featured a revised book and a brand new opening number "Happy All the Time."

A production of the musical opened at the Dominion Theatre on October 24, 2015, for a 10-week run until January 2, 2016, after brief runs with substantially the same cast at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, in December 2014[22]) and at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin from December 2014 to January 2015[23]). The West End production featured Ben Forster as Buddy and Kimberley Walsh as Jovie.[24] It received mixed reviews.[25][26][27][28] In 2015 it was reported that the production was the fastest selling show since the Dominion Theatre opened in 1929.[29]

A production ran at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington, from November 30 to December 31, 2012.[30] A Canadian production ran from November 20, 2012, to January 6, 2013, at Neptune Theatre (Halifax), Nova Scotia.[31] A 2013 touring production ran under the name Elf the Musical.[32][33] A regional production ran at the Paper Mill Playhouse from November 26, 2014 until January 4, 2015.

There was a late 2017 UK tour ending January 14, 2018 in The Lowry theatre in Salford, England, with Ben Forster as Buddy.[34] On December 24, 2017, a film of the production aired on Channel 5, after being recorded live at The Lowry.[35]

An arena tour in December 2018 stopped at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Resorts World Arena in Birmingham and Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. The tour returned in December 2019 to M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Wembley Arena and Dublin's 3 Arena. This production had three stages. The audience decorated a giant 30 foot-tall Christmas tree and took part in a giant snowball fight. The production included a flying sleigh among other stunts and effects. Enormous TV screens relayed the action and added CGI scenery. In both productions, Tam Ryan played Buddy the Elf, Kym Marsh played Jovie, and Shaun Williamson played Walter Hobbs. The cast included over 100 performers.[36]

The musical is planned to be presented in UK arenas again in December 2022 by World's Biggest Panto[37] at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, P&J Live Arena in Aberdeen, OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. The show will also have a stint in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, at the Opera House.[38]

Elf was revived at the Dominion Theatre, with previews beginning November 14, 2022, and an official opening on November 24; it closed on January 7, 2023. The cast included Simon Lipkin as Buddy and Georgina Castle as Jovie.[39] The show is scheduled to return to the Dominion Theatre for a second run from November 15, 2023 until January 6, 2024.[40]

Mark Kennedy of ABC News called the production "a tight, polished, expensive-looking affair that has enough jokes for adults and enough special effects for kids."[43] In 2013, The Washington Post said the musical made the movie look "nuanced."[32] The show in 2015 received mixed[44] reviews from professional critics at publications such as The Guardian. The Guardian didn't much like the 2015 performance, but did praise Ben Forster as Buddy for his "anarchic glee."[25] The New York Times critic described the original Broadway production as "tinseled in synthetic sentiment, performed with a cheer that borders on mania, and instantly forgettable."[45]

The performance in late 2017 in Aurora received a mostly positive review in the Chicago Sun Times, who said the "immense energy" of the show could be overwhelming, with Kyle Adams as Buddy.[46] The Salt Lake City performance received a mixed to positive review from the Deseret News.[47] A BroadwayWorld critic praised it in 2017 in Boston, and observed that children in the audience seemed to love the production and pay rapt attention, with Erik Gratton in the title role praised for his performance as Buddy.[48] The English production was well-reviewed by the Manchester Evening News in 2017.[34]

The original production of the musical broke records at the Hirschfeld box office three times,[49][50][51] grossing over a million dollars in one week. It was the third best-grossing show for the 2010 Thanksgiving weekend, behind Wicked and The Lion King.[52][53]