Elf the Offbeat 2010 Broadway Musical, Now Through
Sunday at DPAC, Celebrates the Joys of the Holidays

The National Tour of Elf the Musical at DPAC will star Mark Fishback as Santa and Cody Garcia as Buddy (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

This week, the Durham Performing Arts Center ushers in the holiday season with eight performances of the national tour of Elf the Musical, produced by NETworks Presentations LLC of Columbia, MD, directed by Sam Scalamoni, and choreographed by Connor Gallagher. The 2010 Broadway and 2015 West End musical features music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, based on the New Line Cinema film Elf, written by David Berenbaum.

Cody Garcia and Tieisha Thomas star as Buddy and Jovie in Elf the Musical (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

The Story:

An orphaned baby crawls into Santa's sack and is transported to the North Pole, where he is raised to become an oversized elf. But he doesn't fit in there, so he heads to New York to seek his father. He doesn't fit in there either. He meets a girl. He saves Christmas. They live happily ever after.

If you enjoyed the film, and if you are primed for a musical that celebrates the joys of the holidays along with offering offbeat humor (including sight gags), well-executed song-and-dance numbers (with superb orchestral accompaniment), imaginative costumes and sets, and the occasional topical reference, Elf the Musical could very well be your cup of tea.

Elf the Musical at DPAC Nov. 29-Dec. 4 stars Jaxon James as Michael Hobbs and Cody Garcia as Buddy (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

The Acting/Dancing/Singing:

The entire cast is on point in all departments. As Buddy the Elf, Cody Garcia captures the character's requisite gangly physicality and innocent optimism. As Walter Hobbs, Christopher Robert Smith is appropriately Scrooge-ish in his both initial and his "reformed" attitudes.

Caitlin Lester-Sams (as Emily Hobbs) and Jaxon James (as Michael Hobbs) complement Smith well, rounding out the family into which Buddy tries to settle. And Mark Fishback makes a great Santa as both storyteller and character-in-the-story.

On Nov. 29-Dec. 4, Cody Garcia (left) stars as Buddy in Elf the Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

The Highlights:

The show's high points include:

• The elves in the opening number, which is spectacularly imagined and flawlessly performed!
• The mother-and-son duets sung by Caitlin Lester-Sams and Jaxon James, as Emily and Michael, struck me as especially pleasing.
• Jovie's solo in the second act (sung by Tieisha Thomas).
• The scenic design by Christine Peters -- the scenes are great, and the set-changes are remarkable.
• The costumes (designed by Gregg Barnes) for both humans and elves are great. Color choices are top-notch.
• The music -- kudos to conductor/keyboardist Michael Gilden and his team.
• The audience -- yes, the audience is a highlight -- there were several young people wearing costumes -- elfish and otherwise.

Elf the Musical stars Cody Garcia (top center) and Jerquintez Alonzo Gipson as Buddy and the Store Manager (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

The sentimentality of the piece borders on the "sappy," and the themes are kind of commonplace. That said, as their promo says: "This modern-day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner ELF."

Mark Fishback (center) stars as Santa Claus in Elf the Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center (photo by Jeremy Daniel)

Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin, Thomas Meehan, and Bob Martin's ELF THE MUSICAL (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 4), directed by Sam Scalamoni, choreographed by Connor Gallagher, presented as part of WRAL Greatest Hits of Broadway at DPAC, and starring Cody Garcia as Buddy, Mark Fishback as Santa, Jerquintez Alonzo Gipson as the Store Manager, Jaxon James as Michael Hobbs, Caitlin Lester-Sams as Emily, Bobby Montaniz as Mr. Greenway, Nakiya Peterkin as Deb, Christopher Robert Smith as Walter Hobbs, and Tieisha Thomas as Jovie, plus (in alphabetical order) Shannon Conboy, David Couter, Will Daly, dance captain Joy Davis, Nico DiPrimio, Justin Glass, Evan Hussey, TJ Kubler, Juliana Lamia, Ryan Mulvaney, assistant dance captain Daniel Pahl, Emily Ann Stys, Emilee Theno, Nicole Zelka. and Cait Zuckerman (Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/dpac0/docs/dpac_elf_digital. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKLvt_pYg38&t=1s. WRAL GREATEST HITS OF BROADWAY AT DPAC: https://www.dpacnc.com/events/category/broadway. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.dpacnc.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC, https://www.instagram.com/DPACNC/, https://twitter.com/DPAC, and https://www.youtube.com/user/DPACLive. DIRECTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/directions. PARKING: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/parking. DPAC COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS: https://www.dpacnc.com/events/vaccination-and-covid-19-test-requirements. THE TOUR: https://elfmusicaltour.com/, http://www.networkstours.com/show/elf-the-musical/, https://www.facebook.com/elfthemusicalontour/, https://www.instagram.com/elfthemusical/, and https://twitter.com/ElfTheTour. TOUR CAST & CREATIVE TEAM: https://elfthemusicaltour.com/#cast. THE MUSICAL: https://www.mtishows.com/elf-the-musical, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/elf-488283, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf_(musical). TICKETS: $28.50 and up, plus taxes and ticket fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-680-2787 or CustomerService@DPACnc.com. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review.

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