|
|
|
|
|
|
Barry Bloxham as as the gruff Walter Hobbs, left, and Jordan Conway as Buddy the Elf Elf -The Musical Wolverhampton Grand *** On a ridiculously stormy night, it was a pleasure to be out of the torrential rain, as Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre played host to the opening night of Elf the musical. A big fan of the iconic Christmas film, I was interested to see how it translated to the stage. The results are a bit of a mixed bag. The obvious omission is Will Ferrell’s energy and innocence as Buddy but to be fair, Jordan Conway does an excellent job of bringing his own style and energy to the piece. The audience really connected to him and he has a talent for slapstick. This should come as no great surprise given that his dad, Jon Conway, used to write and produce the Chuckle Brothers shows. Indeed the father and son are co-producers for this production, the seventh run for Elf the Musical. This showbiz lineage is perhaps why someone so young manages to forge such a comfortable connection with his audience. The story itself is tweaked and truncated so it is more a cousin of the movie than a direct lift. There is enough source material to tick some boxes and the cast works hard to keep the energy levels high and bring their own charm to the proceedings.
Barry Bloxham does a good job as the gruff Walter Hobbs whilst Nikita Coulon and Karis Lomax are an excellent wife and daughter (no son in this production and no Papa Elf either). Philip Day is a gentle and kind Santa Claus and TV and Panto legend Sam Kane played Greenway with soft malice. Love interest, Kelly Banlaki as Jovie, has a quirkiness which harks back to Zooey Deschanel but she displays a little bit more spark than her movie counterpart, a good thing in my opinion. She also has an excellent singing voice. The sets were imaginative but as an older audience member I’m not a fan of digital backdrops as I find them distracting – there are doubtless plenty who disagree with me but, in my opinion, a real set wins every time and is just that bit more creative and immersive. The songs are inventive without being infectious – the only shame being that the final number does not present the chance for the audience to join in with a Christmas song – as you could tell they were itching to. Whilst the production is an American tale, there is doubtless a healthy dose of English Panto involved. There is audience participation (and even audience invasion!), local gags, plenty of breaking the fourth wall and even a massive snowball fight. This being the first night, there were occasional mishaps but all were overcome and often with humour and excellent ad libbing. For me, the production is a good companion piece to the film and fans of the film should have enough to enjoy whilst those who don’t know the film will still enjoy it as a standalone piece. As an adult I’d say it is solid entertainment but the youngsters in the audience absolutely loved it so I would recommend this for any kids under 10, as all those present had an absolute blast. Elf is playing to the 16th and there are both offers for families and also access performances: see below. Tickets start at £20 and can be bought HERE. There is limited availability for some performances, so it is worth buying your ticket now to avoid disappointment. If you’ve got any spare change after buying your ticket then please bring it along as at the end of every performance the dancers hold collection buckets for Jordan Conway’s charity – Laughter is the Best Medicine – which aims to take underprivileged families on days out, a noble cause indeed as in these trying times - fun days out are often the first to go but can be the fondest memories. Overall it is an enjoyable way to welcome in those Christmas vibes – so don’t be a cottonheaded ninnymuggins – go see Elf. Theo Clarke 11-11-25 Meanwhile, a teen view **** I thought this musical was good for kids aged 3-8 but I’m not 100 percent sure it hit the spot for many older kids and adults. Barry Bloxham played Walter Hobbs excellently and really captured the essence of the character portrayed in the movie. Another standout performance for me was that of Philip Day as Santa as I thought he was funny and played the role extremely well.
The props in the production while being fairly minimal were still good without being over the top and distracting from the overall performance. One thing I wasn’t so sure about was the projected backgrounds as I thought they didn’t add much and were a bit intrusive. Overall though I thought that the design was good and set the play up well The story was fine and entertaining especially for kids but did stray a bit too far from the original story for my preference. Jordan Conway did a very good job in the role of Buddy the elf, he was funny entertaining and very good with the audience and really elevated the show with his performance. Overall Elf is a fine show and perfect for a good night out for anyone with young children. Hallam Clarke Access Performances Audio Described Performance – Saturday 15 November 2025 at 2pm, Captioned Performance – Saturday 15 November 2025 at 2pm, Relaxed Performance – Sunday 16 November 2025 at 2pm BSL Interpreted Performance – Sunday 16 November 2025 at 2pm, Access Information: Wheelchair positions can be booked by calling the Box Office on weekdays between 2pm-5.30pm – 01902 42 92 12
|
|
|
|
