Variety's review is Positive:
"Tuner is happy enough for families, savvy enough for city kids and plenty smart for adults. Nicholaw's staging successfully retains the many charms of the movie, and his choreography is filled with delightful touches, starting with the very first number, when he cleverly manages to make his 6-foot-plus leading man, Sebastian Arcelus, look twice the size of his dancing elves. Librettists Thomas Meehan ("The Producers") and Bob Martin ("The Drowsy Chaperone") retain the spirit and cheer of the film while cannily punching it up: Their Santa travels with an iPad tucked in his belt, which not only earns big laughs but illustrates that "Elf," which is only seven years old, has been given a knowing brush-up for Broadway.
The show seemingly has learned lessons from the overpowering screen-to-stage adaptations of "Shrek" and "The Little Mermaid," whose producers tried to overwhelm audiences with super-sized effects that all but drained their wares of magic. Here, the creators invite the audience to use its imagination --and auds are sure to respond. In fact, "Elf" is the antithesis of "Big: The Musical": Just about everything that went wrong with that big-budget fiasco goes right here."
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117944045?refcatid=33&printerfriendly=true
Updated On: 11/14/10 at 10:47 PM
