Broadway cast to put own spin on 'Elf the Musical' while giving nod to Ferrell film

“Elf the Musical” aims to build on its brand-name film source for seasonal, family-friendly entertainment.The national tour of the Broadway show, visiting Columbus for the first time, will run Dec. 13-18 at the Palace Theatre.

“It’s a celebration of the holiday spirit," director Sam Scalamoni said. "'Elf the Musical' pays homage to the great funny movie that we all know, but it also has a great heart about Christmas,”

What inspired the musical?

"Elf the Musical” was adapted from the popular 2003 film about Buddy, a childlike human who seeks his father in New York after growing up with Santa’s elves at the North Pole.

“People are pleasantly surprised that we go deeper than the film. Even those who watch the movie every year feel this is a new Christmas experience,” Scalamoni said.

The 2 1/2-hour, two-act musical is suitable for nearly all ages, including children as young as 5 or 6 years old, Scalamoni said.

“Buddy’s a silly guy, so there’s something for everybody, but it’s aimed at families because it’s about bringing families together,” he said.

Composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin, a Tony-nominated team (“The Wedding Singer,” “The Prom”), wrote the score, while writers Thomas Meehan (“Annie,” “Hairspray”) and Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) wrote the musical’s book.

“What I love about the ‘Elf’ score is its contemporary, jazzy appeal, with a big brass section and snazzy swing numbers that capture the energy of the storytelling and the cheery feeling of the holidays,” Scalamoni said.

Will the musical be familiar to film fans?

Scalamoni promised that many moments onstage will be familiar, from scenes at the Empire State Building, Macy’s department store and ice skating at Rockefeller Center, to Buddy’s delighted spin when he goes through his first revolving door.

“We needed to include that to show Buddy is a fish-out-of-water guy from the North Pole who shows up in New York,” he said.

Yet the stage version also enhances several characters and the romantic subplot with Jovie, a young woman Buddy meets in Manhattan.

“Buddy grows up a bit more, falls in love and becomes more self-aware. That helps Buddy, after growing up thinking he’s an elf, understand more about what being human is,” Scalamoni said.

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Among the enhanced characters are Buddy’s father Walter, a gruff children’s book editor; Buddy’s mother and brother.

“We show more how the family is missing their dad and how Buddy brings the family together,” Scalamoni said.

How does the lead actor view Buddy?

Cody Garcia plays the title role.

“Buddy is a very charismatic, Christmas-loving human — generally happy all the time, very optimistic, youthful, passionate and charming,” Garcia said.

Raised by Santa’s elves after finding his way into Santa’s sack as a baby, Buddy believes he’s an outsized elf until he’s 30, when Santa tells him he’s human.

Shocked by the revelation, Buddy leaves the North Pole for New York to find his father.

“Finding out that he has an extended human family is a big deal," Garcia said. "His biggest crisis is that his father didn’t know about him and doesn’t necessarily want him after he knows about him."

Garcia also said the father-son relationship touches a lot of people.

"The moral of the story is that it’s never too late to grow."

How much of Will Ferrell is in Buddy?

Will Ferrell starred as Buddy in the beloved film, opposite James Caan as his birth father and Zooey Deschanel as Buddy’s friend Jovie. But the actors playing Buddy on the show’s annual holiday-season tours were asked to make the title role their own.

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“I don’t try to do what Will Ferrell does," Garcia said. "There are some nods I do toward Ferrell, but I’m not trying to emulate him at all. ... Buddy goes through this whole rainbow of emotions as he discovers life outside the North Pole – and goes from being happy all the time to experiencing other emotions."

The director agreed.

“No one wants to come see an impersonation," Scalamoni said. "Our musical offers a fresh take. We want our Buddys to bring as much of themselves as possible. ... Cody, hysterically funny, is a great singer and actor who brings his own unique comedy to it."

How different is the tour from Broadway?

The Broadway musical, which ran for two holiday seasons in 2010-2011 and 2012-2013, has been restaged as it’s toured the country since 2012.

“We’ve worked with the creators to update the script every year to make the humor more relevant and contemporary,” Scalamoni said.

“For its 10th anniversary, they came back with fresh eyes to update it. ... With our beautiful, scenic design, the musical becomes a magical pop-up book inside a snow globe that Santa’s reading.”

Even fans familiar with the movie will find some surprises, including a new final scene.

“Buddy feels all hope is lost, nobody believes he’s from the North Pole or believes in Santa Claus anymore. He says you can’t ruin Christmas and it starts to snow onstage, a magical moment,” Scalamoni said. “That scene reminds me why I love the holidays.”

[email protected]@mgrossberg1

At a glance

Broadway in Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present “Elf the Musical” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. Tickets start at $31. (cbusarts.com)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Elf the Musical' to be performed Dec. 13-18 at the Palace Theatre