Elf Reviews

Stage-lover from Suburban Philly, Pennsylvania

CHRISTOPHER SUTTON IS SENSATIONAL IN ELF

I loved Chris in The Buddy Holly Story and now he's Buddy again in Elf. Chris possesses a character with body movements and facial expressions that convince us that we're privileged to get to share in the story and make it part of our own legacy. I honestly didn't know what to expect with this show...and in fact were prepared to be ho-hummed as we were with the movie Elf. But we loved it because of the energy and sheer joy that is on stage. It's a holiday show that delivers and will endure, I'm sure. I'm planning to see it again and will bring a few fairy-tale loving friends with me.

Diane Cunningham from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

FUNNY AND COLORFUL .

Enjoyed this so much , a huge thank you to our son and Dau- in -law for this wonderful show. !!

Betsy Mcgrew from Glencoe Illinois

THE BEST

The entire cast, the staging, the choreography, the voices, orchestrations and so on and so on ....outstanding and a thrill to watch. I work at a library and told s o many patrons to drop everything and get tickets pronto! !. I still can'tt get over Buddy and the exquisite cast who backed him up. ...Kevin , Roger, Cam, Dara ....all of you...congratulations! I'm seeing you guys again. Talent and laughter abounds. And, James, I'm still laughing

Gary Peters from Hampshire Illinois

GREAT PERFORMANCE BY ALL!

New Year’s Eve in Oak Brook was such a great night.We weren’t sure what to expect but that was fun!Everyone showed great acting and musical skills Thanks to all who made that night a pure blast!Happy New Year !!!You Rock!!!

Ruby Turner from Vancouver, British Columbia

ELF

Excellent performance by all cast members

Ami DePierro from Raleigh, North Carolina

SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER WITH EVERY NOTE

"Elf: The Musical" is a joyous spectacle that earns its five stars with ease. Max Chernin shines as Buddy the Elf, infusing the stage with infectious energy. Jim Bray's dual roles as Mr. Greenway/Santa are doubly delightful, and Sean Allen Krill's standout performance as Walter Hobbs adds to the brilliance. The entire cast's talent, coupled with charming choreography, creates an unforgettable holiday experience. A magical escapade filled with laughter, heartwarming moments, and festive spirit - a must-see for a perfect dose of seasonal cheer!

Leslie from Richmond, Virginia

THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE

Loved it! Loved the music, dancing and fun. Definitely different from the film, but refreshingly so. Special kudos to the vocals of the young man who played Michael. His voice was incredible! The actor who played Buddy was perfect for the role. Deb was a hoot (and quite a dancer!) and Jovy also had some dynamite pipes. Enjoy and don't take it too seriously. It is light hearted fun and you will walk away smiling. What more could you ask for? Would have given 5 stars but felt the main Santa was rather bland and a bit of a disappointment and I found Emily's character in the play odd.

Linda Bishop from Jacksonville, Florida

ENJOYABLE

This actor for the elf does a better job than Will Ferrell in my opinion.

from Leaf River, Illinois

RATED PG

First of all, I would like to say that the Drury Theatre is very classy and beautiful!. We had never been there, and we were pleasantly surprised and pleased! We brought our granddaughters (age 7 and 9) to the play for an enriching evening out. Overall, the play was very entertaining and it kept the kids’ attention, but some of the sexual innuendos were not needed or appreciated. Buddy the Elf should be entertainment for children. I just don’t understand why the writers needed to add unnecessary language, smoking, and sexual comments to a kid-friendly play. Let’s let kids be kids.

Anonymous from Detroit, Michigan

IT WAS OK. NOT SPECTACULAR BUT NOT AWFUL EITHER.

This is something you should take your children to see if you want to share a theatre experience with them...NOT a date night for adults. It did not compare on any level to the movie and left us wondering what happened. It is not that the cast did a bad job...but elf was such a hysterical movie the musical just did not meet our expectations. This would be a nice family play to watch with your kids if you have young children but would recommend something else for a more adult crowd or for those looking for a proper rendition of the Elf movie with Will Ferrell.

Disappointed grandmother from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CHILDREN'S PLAY ????

So disappointed by the adult language and sexual innuendos in a "children's theme play" . Not appropriate for young children on so many levels,especially the whole "not believing " story line.

Anonymous from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

DISAPPOINTED MOM

The show was funny and entertaining at times, but my husband and I were disappointed with the unnecessary use of foul language, adult humor and sexual innuendos. We wanted to enjoy a Christmas show with our 3 children without having to explain sexual content on the drive home!! We'll stick to the movie version with Will Ferrell......

Jason from Detroit, Michigan

BORING, BUT PERFORMANCES WERE GOOD

This is a tricky one to rate. On one hand, the scenery and costumes were quite fun and well done. Production did a good job. The actors (especially the leading actor) were all quite talented. Strong performances all around. The issue was the content. The songs are basic, and the plot was boring. The overall plot deviates quite a bit from the movie (I'd say it was 35% based on the movie). It's like it was rewritten for children, but then with occasional adult humor thrown into the mix. Honestly, most of it will go over any kid's head, so don't sweat it. It just seems out of place given everything else. Definitely not a play I would see on a date night. It's better for family.

Cathleen from Chicago, Illinois

DISAPPOINTED

I love the theater itself …classy and great seating. The actors were great, but I was very disappointed with some of the language, adult humor and sexual innuendos. It was not necessary or appropriate. I felt a woke agenda was pushed on the audience, stick to entertainment please.

Jay Sullivan from , Illinois

PARENT REVIEW - NOT FOR VERY YOUNG KIDS

My family and In-Laws love the move Elf so we were very excited to see this production. The plot follows about 20% of the movie plot and they had a very good production and acting.. The disappointment is they made some plot and dialogue changes that made it not kid friendly. Elf yells "screw you", the store manager talks to Elf about getting the Jovie character home and into bed, they say "Hell" in various ways and stress the questioning of a belief in Santa very frequently with the reporter at one point saying "nobody believes in Santa!". Looking around the theater, they majority of people had young kids who presumably wanted an Elf themed show in a "G" environment and to enjoy a theater experience. If they remove this teen themed additions, I could recommend it. I would not see it again or recommend it based on how it is.

from Toronto, Ontario

INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT

I was so disappointed by this Musical. First I found it kind of boring and all the funny charming scenes from the movie are left out. The jokes weren't funny and there was no need for the foul language after all this is kids movie. Also the sexual connotations weren't necessary at all again a kids movie and just plain not necessary as they didn't add anything except make parents cringe. The cast was great though just had bad material to work with. Wouldn't recommend it. Best to stay home watch the movie and buy something that will last with the money you would have spent...:)

Wiarton Willy from Toronto, Ontario

AVERAGE

The set design was execellent.... performers were exceptional to say the least.... overall a lack luster production.... it seems the US producrion was superior.

Kathleen from New jersey

JOE BONAMASSA

UNENJOYABLE: It was a contest of who could play louder then the other. I blame the sound engineers they should be fired. The sound was setup for Madison Square Garden they didn’t realize they were in Count Basic Theater. It was painfully disappointing.

Suzanne Rockwell from Detroit, Michigan

WORST SHOW EVER!! COULDN'T HEAR AT ALL

I brought 6 of us as a girls family night. We all looked so forward to it. Spent close to 400.00 between tickets and parking. We could hardly hear the program. It started late, then was suddenly stopped and delayed. I love the Fox, but we were completely disappointed. Will never go on a 1st night again. Way too many bugs to iron out. We ended up leaving at break!! So sad.

Deb Dudek from Glen Ellyn, Illinois

ELF

I was thoroughly disappointed at Drury lane’s performance of Elf. If you are using an adaptation of a children’s musical which is actually an adult version 1) it’s wrong 2) a caveat must be given when purchasing tickets. I am so glad I did not bring my granddaughter. If this were the first time I visited Drury Lane I would not go back. Very poor christmas production!! Not Drury Lane quality at all.

Mark Marshalek from Columbus, Ohio

DELAYS ~ PRODUCTION WAS NOT PREPARED

This was a disappointing opening night. Production started over 30 minutes late and stopped completely at the beginning due to "technical difficulties" which were another 30-40 minutes. I felt horribly for the young theatre goers that stayed until 10:45 and others who wisely went home before the end of the production.

from Chicago, Illinois

JUST MEH. NOT FOR KIDS. INNUENDO. BORING.

The show very loosely followed the movie. Definitely nowhere near as funny. A decent amount of unnecessary sexual innuendo considering it’s promoted to be family friendly. I found myself bored during the first half. I did enjoy Jovie- she has a beautiful voice.

Erika from Naperville, Illinois

ELF

Save your money!!! The Chicago-Sun Times review is spot on. Lack of magic, inappropriate additions, missing classic scenes, sexual comments and sexual dancing that is not needed for Elf the musical. Felt like I took my child to see Chicago the Musical with the Santa dancing scene - disgusting. Call this woke Elf and you've got it right. Normal Elf - find another theater!

Ingalls from Indianapolis, Indiana

"DAD! IT WAS LIKE TWO HOURS!"

As we were leaving, a kid tells his dad... "Dad! It was like two hours! Two Hours!" I laughed but that about sums it up. Elf was... Ok at best. But for $70 a pop? I expect more. There were only a few times the youngest of kids laughed. The band was awesome. Singing, acting, and music was pretty good but it seemed more like something you'd see in a High School play. (And yes, I've been to may plays oriented at children that were a thousand times better.) I was kind of shocked at this "family friendly" show by how much innuendo, cussing, and other unnecessary shoutouts, jabs, promotions it had of various "cultures". The words "Cringe" and "Cash Grab" describe this play. The highest compliment I heard while in the lounge was one mom describing it as "cute" in a submissive sort of tone. I'm not sure I can even say that. I would give the actors 3.5 stars, the casting a 2 star, but the play itsself???? One is harsh. 1.5?

from Denver, Colorado

VERY DISAPPOINTED- NOT FOR KIDS AND NOT VERY GOOD

This is the first time I’ve left Online review for anything. We were very disappointed with the language, sexual innuendo, and general inappropriateness for kids. We would’ve left in the middle of the show if that would have not caused more difficulty for children then just staying and sticking it out. Our eight-year-old was very sad about some of the language that he heard in the show. We’re also left to wonder whether the sexual innuendo is something that we will have to explain to the children. Regardless, it wasn’t particularly good show, but we had gone for the kids anyway who, along with their parents, love the movie. My advice: stick to the movie, or, at the very least, don’t take kids.

Brittnee from Columbus, Ohio

A NON-STARTER

The venue was the Primary issue. We often buy tickets for the Balcony at the Ohio Theater but had never seen a show at The Palace Theater. We arrived atleast 20 minutes before show time but the line was wrapped around the building and we didn't make it inside until 10 minutes after the show was supposed to start. We heard that doors weren't opened until 15 minutes before. The seats in the balcony of the Palace Theater are unreasonably small. I am only 5' 4" and I had no room to move. My sister and my mother are taller than me and the seats in front of them dug into their knees. The show started 30 minutes late. It was difficult to see but what we did see was just bizarre and not particularly funny. We love the movie but this was nothing like it. It was people dancing on their knees and a very bland Buddy the Elf. To be fair, we only saw like 2 songs because they had to pause the show for technical difficulties. We were an hour in and just gave up and went home.

MZ from Chicago, Illinois

NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY - SEXUAL INNUENDO

Terrible adaptation, must've been choreographed by someone working on Chicago, every dance sequence was burlesque/cabaret style. Drunk Santa was awful, just a horrible experience, I'm shocked it sold out and shocked that Drury lane would put this garbage out.

from Chicago, Illinois

BIGGEST FAMILY DISAPPOINTMENT EVER

PC and woke are fine. But not when messing with a family classic. Totally embarrassed to take my group there. Let elf be elf. PC, sex and woke should be disclosed. I’d enjoy it but I’d want to know ahead of time. Acting was great. But the PC, woke BS…. Doubt I’d ever take my family or friends to Drury again wothout checking. Parents if you live your kids….see the movie. It’s cheaper and it won’t poison them. No reason to worry with the movie. Biggest regret if 2022. Can’t get this Time or money back

Michele from St. Louis, Missouri

WORST MUSICAL

I would not recommend Elf to anyone. The 14 of us left at intermission. That should tell you everything you need to know. We kept waiting for it to get better but never did for an hour and a half. The main characters lacked chemistry. Unnecessary foul language and unsubtle adult commentary were used. The play did not follow the original movie/screenplay. None of the funny scenes or original music were included. Neither the children or adults in our party were entertained as it was slow and boring. We have seen several plays/musicals over the years at the Fox Theater and have always been impressed. Elf was the exception. The Fox Theater is a beautiful venue. It was decorated for the holidays which put us in the spirit of the season. If you can see a different production there, I would highly recommend that. I would recommend The Curtain Call Lounge next door. We had good cocktails and hot chocolate. The service was fabulous!

Josh from Nashville, Tennessee

TERRIBLE

It was unfunny and also inappropriate for children. It was so bad that we left at intermission.

Anonymus from Wilmington, North Carolina

DISAPPOINTED

We went for opening night of Elf. The whole overall set and musical was like attending a high school play. Whoever was in charge of this should look at the Elf play that was put on at Thalian Hall around 2018. Where are the costumes? Who made the set?, middle-schoolers? Embarrasment for Wilmington. I would not waste my time again. The talent was okay. Very amateur overall. We saw several folks leave before the play was over. We left about 10 minutes early. Could not take it anymore.

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