The latest Christmas fluff to open is "Elf", playing at the Fox. A full contingent of kiddos was on hand for opening night, including at least one babe in arms, and one can never complain about them being introduced to live theater. They surely were familiar with the movie on which the musical is based. (Having only seen about ten minutes of the original film, I speak as a relative newcomer to the tale.)
Buddy, the elf in question, lives in the North Pole and just vaguely realizes he lives with a disability – he's six feet tall and a tad clumsy. Turns out he's a foundling and when someone blows the secret of his orphanage origins, he's resolved to go find his pa. Daddy-o manages a publishing company in the Empire State Building, and setting the majority of the play in Manhattan gives rise to lots of New Yorky jokes like walking through the Lincoln Tunnel. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but they pass with minimal laughter. On the other hand, Santa's I-Pad creates mass giggles.
For adults, there's a surprising amount of things to like here. The music is good, the lyrics – at least when you can understand them, a chronic problem at the Fox, although this time, it may be enunciation in the chorus – often funny, even imaginative. As my pal said, "How often do you hear a song about DNA?" Charming choreography highlights the show. More people dance on their knees than ever seen at the Fox. And the scene on Christmas Eve in a Chinese restaurant with off-duty Santas having moo goo gai pan and a fast drink or two is wonderful stuff, what the guys who came up with the Dancing Itos could only dream of. And, hooray, there's a live orchestra. (Kids welcome to peer over into the orchestra pit, by the way.)
Matt Kopec's Buddy brings to mind the late Danny Kaye, with his rubber face and limber limbs. (The red hair helps, too.) It's a role in which it's impossible to overact, and he's steadfast in his dedication. His new stepmother (Mom is dead), a warm woman with a wide range of acquaintances in true Manhattan style, feels easy in the role and so does Tyler Altomari, the newfound kid brother. It's dad who's the problem. Played on opening night by Kevin Rockower, the stand-in, it's clear that he was mentored by the Grinch and interned with Scrooge. Rockower blusters and occasionally blunders in grand style, except when his boss arrives, and we see he's found the perfect employer. Jovie, a long-stemmed but very thorny rose in dad's office, draws the eye as played by Kate Hennies, but it's her voice that stuns, an improbable belter of song.
Santa Claus, like live theater, requires the willing suspension of disbelief. Bear that in mind to find there's more in "Elf" than expected.
Elf
Fox Theatre
527 N. Grand Ave.
314-534-1111
through Dec. 29