The Enmax Centre and New West Theatre’s winter production of Elf: The Musical features some familiar faces doing something a little different for the long standing theatre troupe’s annual holiday show.
The cast including New West mainstays Erica Hunt, Scott Carpenter, Katie Fellger, to name a few, join familiar faces from the local theatre community like Ash Thomson, Jillian Bracken, Chris Kyle Peterson,
Jesse Thibert and Dave Mikuliak and veteran actors like Jeff Carlson, to put on the holiday show of the season. It is not just about Christmas, it is about the longing for family and connection.
Elf: The Musical is about Buddy, a baby who hitched a ride in Santa’s bag , went to the North Pole and was raised by Elves. When he grows up and realizes he is in fact a human and not an elf, hilarity ensues as his childlike enthusiasm and naïveté leads him into all kinds of adventures as he travels to New York to meet his real father and brings everybody a whole lot of much needed fun and Christmas spirit in the process as he discovers what it is like to live as a human.
Elf: The Musical pretty much perfectly apes Elf the modern day Christmas classic movie, scene for scene. There is a more music than the movie of course and a few scenes and special effects from the movie are absent.
New West welcomes back Kevin Owen Clarke ( who performed in New West productions of Million Dollar Quartet and Next to Normal) to play Buddy the Elf and his crush Jovie, played by Alexa Elser who had performed in many New West productions before moving to Calgary.
Clarke‘s natural exuberance and enthusiasm shines through and is a beautiful contrast to Alexa Elser’s world wearied, cynical New Yorker Jovie.
Erica Hunt is alternately hilarious and touching as she plays mom Emily.
She sings a couple beautiful duets with her “son” Ben Vassell, but also gets to cut loose on a couple other soulful numbers.
They also have a talented young cast including Ben Vassell who plays Buddy’s half brother Michael.