If you find yourself short on cheer just think about that special year (no, not 2019 that was a different year…same story) that Tidewater Players reached up on their shelf…and put up on their stage a musical called Elf! It’s sparkle-jolly-jingle-twinkly! Or however it goes (this Christmas Grinch over here still hasn’t finished writing out her Christmas cards…) but however it goes— it goes with lots of razzle-dazzle seasonal pizzazz! Elf at Tidewater Players is a heart-warming, family-friendly holiday story that is cute and fun and made for everyone! Directed by Mark Briner with Musical Direction by Julie Parish and Choreography by Tigga Smaller, this fun-filled holiday show is the perfect outing for the young ones and those young at heart!
We’ve got a lot of moving pieces in play with this show (quite literally) when it comes to lighting, scenery, and costumes! Brad Paulsen, Dickie Mahoney, and Mark Briner (lights, set, costumes, respectively) get that holiday feeling into play for this one. Mahoney’s set features a lot of brightly painted backdrops, which create the illusion of various spaces and places all around New York City while Briner’s costumes are festively festooned in all those red and green— definitely green— accents and color splashes that just scream Christmas. And there’s some fun lighting cues that Paulsen has crafted into the show— my favorite is the rainbow swirly bits that are featured during “Buddy The Elf.” Some scenic change-pacing issues aside (it was final, invited dress, so hopefully by the show’s sold-out opening things will run smoother) the show keeps its pacing, shifting from the North Pole to New York City and back. You get rolling desks, a shredder that actually shreds and creates ‘snow’, and a bunch of other fun little secrets that I don’t want to give away— like the décor in the Chinese restaurant scene— oops. Did I just give that away? Appreciate it anyway!
Musically the show is sound. While Julie Parish may not have a live orchestra at her disposal, she’s got live singers and makes them sound glorious when they’re bouncing their way through this lively score. This is particularly true of the opening elf-number, “Christmastown” which features our little Elf ensemble (Jadelyn Ash, Sofia Chardon-Muneses, Connor Cunningham, John Cunningham, Zuri Goetz, Riley Harrison, Lacey Harrison, Kaitlyn Winner, Violet Smith,) and their merry-bright voices. You get to hear a lot of Parish’s vocal instruction coming into play all throughout the performance, almost as much as you see Choreographer Tigga Smaller’s work on display all throughout the show. There’s a tap routine, a lot of box-stepping-good-time style routines, and even a kickline in there! All audiences love a good kickline, especially at Christmas time and Smaller does not disappoint with this feature.
In addition to the adorable elf ensemble, you’ve got a team of Fake Santas (John Cunningham, Killian Rash, Donnie Lewis, Denise McNew, Paula Smith, Krisi Spencer) who also get to put some of Smaller’s choreography to good use during “Nobody Cares About Santa.” It’s a super fun, dark-styled jazzy number that really captures the anti-spirit of Christmas. Think “Dreamer has to Go” from Joseph meets disgruntled mall employees and you’ll get the picture. Special shout-out to Kaitlyn Winner, Dance Captain and featured dancer, who gets to show-off in a tap-off with Jovie towards the end of the performance. There’s also Donnie Lewis, who in addition to being an ensemble member doubles up as the wise-talking Macy’s Manager, squaring off in scenes with Buddy that result in some good chuckles of which Santa would most certainly approve.
Doing a little scene-stealing magic of her own, Elizabeth Hamill as the snappy secretary Deb, is quite the pip when it comes to things happening in the office of Walter Hobbs. She gets two vocal features, one in “Just Like Him” and the other in “In The Way” and she’s one of those scene-chewing side-characters that is really fun to watch. She’s the polar opposite of the grumbling, bombastic Walter Hobbs (Bobby Mahoney) who is truly explosive when it comes to erupting his corporate-based anger all over the office and all over his newfound son, Buddy the Elf. What’s lovely about Mahoney’s performance is the character-arc-transformation that the audience gets to see when he truly finds the meaning and spirit of Christmas. There is a distinctive difference between Mahoney at the start of the show and Mahoney by the end of the show and it’s a real Christmas miracle to behold.
The epitome of a tyrannical corporate nightmare, Leonard Gilbert is the perfect selection for Mr. Greenway, so much so that he’s actually pretty frightening when he storms into Hobbs’ Loaded with that ire that only a corporate cottonheaded-ninnymuggins can have, Gilbert really nails this half of his role. They also double Gilbert up as Santa Claus at the beginning and the end of the show, alongside Paula Smith as Mrs. Claus.
Graduating from her 2019 role of Deb to the 2023 role of Emily Hobbs, Lisa Standish has a delightfully warm and maternal chemistry that she shares with Michael Hobbs (Jude Mahoney) whenever they’re together on stage. Standish finds the perfect balance between ‘annoyed-with-her-husband’ and ‘protectively-nurturing-to-her-son’ and it’s really a lovely character choice. Getting to hear her voice, even though she only sings two feature numbers, is also a delight. She’s got perfect harmonizing pitches for both of her duets, shared with Jude Mahoney, first “I’ll Believe In You” and then “There is a Santa Claus.”
Jude Mahoney is the scene-stealer and the show-stopper, right next to the titular character, of course. He’s bright and has a glorious voice, which is both pitch-perfect and delivered with articulate enunciation, especially when he’s pattering through some of the quicker verses in his moments of song. Effervescent and really trying to get his dad to engage with him (Easter Egg: Bobby Mahoney, playing Walter Hobbs the Hobbs Family father, is Jude Mahoney’s actual father), Mahoney-the-younger is precious and priceless on stage. “The Story of Buddy” is a perfect culmination of the friendship that he develops with his big-brother Buddy and the camaraderie the pair share on stage, even though their actual scene-time together is limited, is really powerful.
Of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without a mushy-gooey love story smooshed into the libretto. Enter Jovie (Caitlin McLauchlin.) With a sweet voice, McLauchlin lends an air of reserved Christmas spirit to the production— her character takes a lot of convincing to come around to the idea of singing and enjoying Christmas. A bit more brusque and rude than ‘movie Jovie’, you get a lot of agitated sarcasm and disinterest from McLauchlin’s Jovie when she initially encounters Buddy, but the chemistry that blossoms between them, particularly during “A Christmas Song” is really very sweet. And McLauchlin gets on roller blades for the iconic ‘ice-skating’ scene. Win-win!
As for the title elf himself, Mr. Austin Barnes, you get this delightful balance of giddy childlike naivete bubbling out of him in a way that just feels natural. It’s not schmacty and over-the-top like Will Ferrell in the movie; it feels honest, like a real child trying to understand that everything he thought he ever knew about the world was wrong and different. Barnes has a powerhouse tenor sound that’s warm and inviting as he leads the cast through a whole bunch of exciting up-tempo numbers like “Happy All the Time”, “Sparklejollytwinklejingley”, “Just Like Him”, and “The Story of Buddy.” There’s also some very sincere moments in song where you get to hear the emotional connection that Barnes makes with the character’s journey, like during “Not Happy All the Time” and “World’s Greatest Dad (Reprise).” There’s a lot to be said for the energy and glee that Barnes brings to the role; he’s making it his own and the story is that much the better for it. And he dances; so you’ve got to watch out for that true-triple-threat in Buddy-the-Elf-Barnes.
If you need your holiday season to be a little more Sparklejollytwinklejingley— you’d better call the box office and see if you can get on the wait list…a little Elf told us that Elf is sold out for the remainder of the run! But if you’re really good, Santa might just find a ticket for you!
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
Elf plays through December 18th 2023 with Tidewater Players in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.
As of noon on Saturday 12/9/2023, Elf at Tidewater Players is sold out for the duration of the run. Please call the box office at 667-225-8433 to inquire about a wait list option.
