BWW TV: Sneak Peek at ELF on Broadway!

[Rob]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:18pm

Click Here to Read BWW TV: Sneak Peek at ELF on Broadway!

[Almira]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:39pm

Gave me flashbacks to BIG: THE MUSICAL.

*shudders*

[ABB2357]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:42pm

Holy mother of God. This looks like death warmed over.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:46pm

Well, I think it looks cute.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:49pm

I only really liked Beth & Matthew's number.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:53pm

I agree. Beth Leavel was woefully underserved in MINSKY'S too, also choreographed and directed by Nicholaw. I'd really love to see her in a role that deserves her immense talent.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:53pm

The joy of this show is certainly not captured properly in those clips. It really is such a fun show!

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:55pm

Yeah these clips are just a little gross.

Anyone else notice that they so blatantly ripped off the "performing on your knees" bit from Shrek?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:57pm

^ Yeah, because Shrek was the first time anyone ever did that.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:58pm

Yes. It looks like a bland, cynical cash grab to me. I find the WEDDING SINGER score underrated, but these tunes sound like repetitive knock-offs of those gems from the old Rankin-Bass Christmas specials.

Why do you compare it to BIG, Almira? I never got the chance to see it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 7:59pm

Shrek was a boring, laborious affair. Elf was fun and uplifting.

I love how the show is being bashed by people who haven't seen it and are basing their opinions on a 5 minute montage.

[THDavis]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:01pm

Eh, I think it looks like a fun, silly night at the theatre. It will definitely capture the audience it seems they're trying to appeal to (families), but I don't think the story is, overall, very hardhitting or interesting in the first place. It's too bad they gave Spanger such stinkers to sing though.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:02pm

It looks like a bland, cynical cash grab to me.

Isn't that kind of the point of limited holiday runs? (Minus the bland and cynical part.) If any of you were expecting a show of any kind of substance, you're crazy anyway. This looks pretty much like what we should have expected: fluff, fluff, and nothing but fluff. It's a Christmas show, you guys.
Updated On: 11/12/10 at 08:02 PM

[wendilin622]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:04pm

I think it looks absolutely adorable. The montage brought a smile to my face.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:07pm

If any of you were expected a show of any kind of substance, you're crazy anyway. This looks pretty much like what we should have expected: fluff, fluff, and nothing but fluff. It's a Christmas show, you guys.

Exactly. 100% correct.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:07pm

I don't mean to sound like I'm against the show, I'm just calling it like I see it based on the clip reel. And isn't that the point? To present highlights in order to entice ticket buyers? Why put it out there if not to get people talking about it?

Fluff is awesome. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE was great fluff. But this looks like the kind of fluff that gives you a stomach ache by intermission.

[Almira]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:14pm

ABB2357,


I've never seen ELF the film so I don't know much about the plot.

To answer your question:

Both BIG and ELF seem to have an adult male/inner child on steroids central character.

Both have a fish out of water in New York (?)scenario. Both have an office/ business world setting figuring in the plot.

The kid in the clip looks like the kid playing the second banana in BIG. Beth Leavel looks like the mom from BIG as well. The girl looks like Christa Moore.

The both have the same "family" audience as targets. Both have a cheesy visual veneer, generic forced cheeriness and overall blandness

Both have the letter single word title: BIG/ ELF.

Both based on similar types of Hollywood fare.

The BIG score is superior to the snippets I heard from the clip.

Just some of the reasons I had BIG flashbacks.

Updated On: 11/12/10 at 08:14 PM

[[e-mail]]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:50pm

i saw elf last night, and im a teenager, so i went in there thinking "this is gonna be soooo cheesy" and parts were, but they were addorable! the sets and costumes where vibrant and lifelike, and the acting was really sweet. sebastian attended my middle and elementary school so it was nice seeing him up there; holly and beth were great in the extremely small roles that they had, and matt gummley was charming as micheal. my favorite actor in the show was michael maddell who played the macys store manager. he was funny and everyone smiled when he spoke. some numbers where great and all the actors had great enthusiasm and sprit. the ensemble cast was great and shined in certain small roles. overall, i really enjoyed it. there were a bunch of jokes that flew over little kids heads and went straight to the teens and adults, which was really great. and overall i had a nice, fluffy, silly time at a really nice family show. if you want something nice to do on a christmas trip to the city with family, go see elf. i had an awsome time

[Almira]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 8:58pm

Oh.. part of the story takes place at Macy's?

Interesting... BIG had a unending sequence that took place at FAO Schwartz...

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 10:37pm

Good to know Amy Spanger still sounds like ****.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/12/10 at 11:15pm

I think this looks like a great Christmas musical. The sets look fantastic and the music sounds fun and upbeat. I don't see how people thinks this looks "gross." It is not meant to be a revolutionary piece of theatre, it is supposed to be a fun Christmas show!

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/13/10 at 4:42pm

I guess we were hoping that it would be more than just another glittery, grating Christmas entertainment with overly repetitive lyrics? Especially considering the pedigree of the creative team.

I mean, I hate to judge by these clips, but it seems as if they've completely thrown out the acerbic and witty tone of the movie and replaced it with...what? Giant set pieces? George Wendt? Lyrical gems like "it's the story of BUDDY THE ELF/it's the story of BUDDY THE ELF/it's the story of BUDDY THE ELF/it's the story of BUDDY THE ELF!"

At least I was hoping the performers would seem to be doing their best. Amy Spanger seems utterly joyless, Beth Leavel seems to be once again playing Beth Leavel, and watching Arcelus mug around the stage in these clips makes me think that Ferrell really may be irreplaceable.

But again, this is all going by clips. Maybe I'll see the show and fall in love, but this thread is commenting on the clips.

Updated On: 11/13/10 at 04:42 PM

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 11/13/10 at 5:37pm

In the show's defense:
This was taped on just the 5th preview. The cast will definitely grow stronger in their creative choices as they get comfortable with the material (that they only rehearsed in 3 weeks).

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 11/13/10 at 7:47pm

wow Amy Spanger's voice is just ruined, what a shame.

As for the show it looks like fluffy holiday fun... that was put on by a high school with a big budget. As a general rule sets on broadway really shouldn't shake. The practical sets look cheesy (the rockafeller center tree looks terribly 2 dimentional) and the video screen looks like... well a video screen.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 11/13/10 at 7:52pm

...but there is no video screen.......