Elf The Musical London theatre reviews

“Who needs Will Ferrell? This show is a real cracker”

“Verdict: Slick festive fun”

“The 2003 film Elf is an established seasonal favourite and, inevitably, audiences will have Will Ferrell lodged in their heads when they think of Santa’s hapless ‘little’ helper Buddy. Thankfully, Simon Lipkin in Elf The Musical overcomes any comparisons (and a dreadful wig) to make a convincing lead.”

“Philip McKinley’s classy revival — the scenes in Macy’s look particularly gorgeous in Tim Goodchild’s design — has some rousing song-and-dance numbers”

“There are a couple of lulls and some of the gags are for adults only — have fun on the way home explaining to your wee ones how Buddy’s ‘special hug, twice!’ for Jovie (Georgina Castle) resulted in a little Buddy — but the message that we all need to believe in the true meaning of Christmas shines through.”

“Buddy’s back with some syrupy showtunes”

“Choreographed candy cane twirling and funny moments from the Will Ferrell film don’t save this show from being a bland corporate Christmas experience”

“Son of a nutcracker, what did they do to Elf? Back for a second stint in the West End, this musical version of the effervescent Will Ferrell film is an often flat night out. Despite some appealing performances and a tight candy-cane-twirling ensemble, it comes close to the blandly corporate Christmas experience it sets out to satirise and doesn’t muster a lot more joy than the kind of department store grotto in its story.”

“The eccentric spirit of that set design by Tim Goodchild is not matched by composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin’s songs, mostly vanilla diversions and syrupy ballads, whose humour never matches the original screenplay.”

“If the storytelling never feels fleet-footed, there are some amusing moments, mostly taken straight from the movie.”

“With a hero devoted to bringing Christmas cheer by “singing loud for all to hear” this musical could have been a sweet festive treat but is altogether too stodgy.”

“Not good for the elf”

“A disappointing start to London’s Christmas theatre season”

“This is an Elf warning: Elf the Musical isn’t very good. It jettisons most of what is sly and subtle about the sublime 2003 Christmas film on which it’s based, in favour of sappy sentiment and bland songs.”

“Writers Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin offer a pale imitation of the story written for the screen by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau, rather than convincingly reimagining Elf for the stage.”

“Lipkin has bags of energy and wide-eyed zest but also a disturbingly Trumpish dollop of sculpted orange hair. Buddy’s attempts to connect to his irascible publisher dad (Tom Chambers, wooden) and his stepmom and stepbrother are skimpy and lacking in pathos.”

“A functional family Christmas treat”

“… functional family seasonal treats on this scale don’t grow on Christmas trees. And, within its terms, Philip William McKinley’s production does a good job. It’s professional, propulsive, well played.”

“If Simon Lipkin as Buddy the Elf is almost too close physically to Will Ferrell, star of the film, he is a skilful clown and an accomplished song-and-dance man. Only Ferrell, though, can do that overgrown-kid routine and keep the character free of suspicions of mental illness rather than disarming naivety. And, to be fair, Rebecca Lock (terrific) as his new stepmother Emily asks that very question of the boobyishly bumptious Buddy…”

“Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin’s effervescent book strips out some nuance from the screenplay. Still, it’s gently amusing and easy to consume as Buddy capers clumsily around his new home.”

“This is no night out for unaccompanied adults, but there is skill and finally heart to this fitfully funny spectacular.”