Elf (musical) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elf
Broadway Playbill
Music	Matthew Sklar
Lyrics	Chad Beguelin
Book	Bob Martin Thomas Meehan
Basis	Elf by David Berenbaum
Productions	2010 Broadway 2012 Broadway revival 2013 US tour 2015 West End 2022 West End revival 2023 West End revival 2024 Broadway revival

Elf is a fun musical based on the popular 2003 movie of the same name. It tells the story of Buddy, a human raised as an elf at the North Pole. The music was written by Matthew Sklar, and the song lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan wrote the story for the stage.

The musical first opened on Broadway in New York City during the Christmas season of 2010. It was so popular that it came back to Broadway in 2012 and again in 2024. Elf also played in London's West End in 2015, 2022, and 2023. It has traveled to many English-speaking countries, especially around the holidays.

The Story of Elf the Musical

Act 1: Buddy's Big Adventure

The musical begins with Santa Claus reading a story from a big pop-up book. He tells us about Buddy, who is the happiest and tallest elf in Christmastown. But there's a secret: Buddy is actually a human! Santa explains that Buddy's mother passed away. As a baby, Buddy crawled into Santa's toy sack by accident. He ended up at the North Pole and was raised by elves.

Santa encourages Buddy to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. Walter is on Santa's "naughty list" because he doesn't believe in Santa. Even so, Buddy hopes Walter will be the "World's Greatest Dad."

Walter Hobbs works very long hours as a book publisher. His office is in the famous Empire State Building. He is often too busy to spend time with his son, Michael, and wife, Emily. They feel that Christmas often "In the Way" of their family time.

Buddy arrives at Walter's office, still dressed in his elf clothes. People think he is a singing telegram performer. But Buddy sings that Walter is his father! Walter doesn't believe him. He has security take Buddy to the Macy's Department Store nearby. At Macy's, Buddy's happy Christmas spirit makes the employees feel "Sparklejollytwinklejingley." Buddy quickly likes Jovie, a Macy's elf who is very practical. He convinces her to go on a date with him.

The next day, Buddy sees the Macy's Santa. He declares that this Santa is not the real one, causing a big fuss. The police then take Buddy to the Hobbs family's home.

At home, Michael and Emily are having trouble with a science project. Buddy helps them finish it. In return, he asks them to send a letter to Santa. The letter asks for more quality time with Walter. This is called "I'll Believe in You." Walter comes home, and they convince him to let Buddy stay the night.

In the morning, they get the results of a DNA test Emily arranged. It proves Buddy is Walter's son! Walter is not happy, but he takes Buddy to his office. Emily has a meeting. Buddy wears a new suit, just like his dad's. He hopes to be "Just Like Him."

Walter's boss, Mr. Greenway, tells Walter he must publish a hit children's book by Christmas Eve. If not, Walter will lose his job. Walter is under a lot of pressure. Buddy's cheerful energy often distracts him, making Walter even more frustrated.

Buddy takes Jovie on their date. They have a good time together. He plans to take her to dinner at Tavern on the Green. Jovie enjoys Buddy's excitement. He encourages her to spread Christmas cheer by singing "A Christmas Song" loudly. Buddy is excited to tell Walter he is in love. He decides to cheer up his dad by making it snow in his office. He shreds some paper, which turns out to be the manuscript for Walter's important children's book! Walter gets very angry. He tells Buddy to leave and never come back. Buddy feels very sad, singing a reprise of "World's Greatest Dad."

Act 2: Saving Christmas Spirit

Santa explains that Buddy left a goodbye message for the Hobbs family. It's Christmas Eve, and Buddy is hungry and alone in New York. He finds a Chinese restaurant. There, he meets unhappy fake Santas who have lost their jobs. They complain that "Nobody Cares About Santa."

Buddy is two hours late for his date with Jovie. She is waiting angrily outside Tavern on the Green. She vows, "Never Fall in Love (With an Elf)." When Buddy finally arrives, he gives her a snow globe Santa gave him. But Jovie is too disappointed and leaves.

Emily and Michael find Buddy's letter. They want to find him. From their apartment window, they see Santa's sleigh land! They realize they were wrong and that "There Is a Santa Claus." They go to the Empire State Building. Buddy also arrives there. Walter is stressed, trying to pitch a book idea to his boss. Buddy suggests "The Story of Buddy the Elf." Mr. Greenway likes the idea but says the book should be about a horse, not an elf. He demands Walter work through Christmas to finish the book.

However, Mr. Greenway goes too far. He rudely criticizes Walter's sons. Walter gets angry and quits his job! Michael then shares that he and his mother saw Santa's sleigh land. This worries Buddy. He knows it means the sleigh lost power because there isn't enough Christmas spirit in New York City. The Hobbs family rushes to Central Park.

Buddy has an idea. He sees a news crew reporting on what they think is a UFO. Buddy grabs the reporter's microphone. He encourages all New Yorkers to spread Christmas spirit. This will help power the sleigh and get Santa on his way. Jovie appears and starts to sing "A Christmas Song" again. Other New Yorkers join in. Their combined Christmas cheer works! Santa invites Buddy to come home to the North Pole. But Buddy finally feels like he belongs in New York. He can keep making everyone happy there.

On Christmas Day, Santa closes his big book at home. There's a knock at his door. It's Buddy, Jovie, their new baby, Buddy Jr., and the rest of the Hobbs family! They have come to celebrate Christmas with Santa. This becomes their yearly tradition.

How the Musical is Different from the Movie

The musical has some changes from the 2003 movie.

• In the movie, Papa Elf tells the story, but he is not in the musical.
• Santa Claus uses an iPhone in the musical instead of a list of names.
• Buddy and Jovie have a baby boy in the musical, but a girl in the movie.
• The department store scenes happen at Macy's in the musical, not Gimbels.
• Buddy is taken to the Hobbs house by the police in the musical. In the movie, Walter bails him out of jail.
• The musical adds a part where Michael and Emily Hobbs don't believe in Santa.
• The elf named Ming Ming in the movie is changed to Charlie, and a girl elf named Shwanda is added.

Some scenes from the movie are not in the musical. For example, Buddy does not visit the mail room. Also, Buddy does not rescue Michael from bullies in a snowball fight. The character Miles Finch is not in the musical. In the musical, Walter's writers find a special Christmas story manuscript. Buddy shreds it by mistake. This is when Walter gets angry and says he wishes Buddy wasn't his son.

Walter's character is also a bit different. In the movie, he is very focused on work and ignores his family. In the musical, he is more forgetful and overworked. Santa says Walter is on the naughty list in the musical because he doesn't believe in Santa. In the movie, it's because Walter is greedy.

Musical Numbers

Here are the songs from the original Broadway show:

Song Changes in Later Shows

In later productions, like the Broadway revival and West End shows, some songs were changed. "Christmastown" was replaced with "Happy All the Time." Also, "I'll Believe in You (Reprise)" was changed to "World's Greatest Dad (Reprise)."

Main Cast Members

Here are some of the main actors who have played roles in major productions:

History of Elf Productions

Broadway Shows

The 2010 Broadway cast of Elf the Musical

After a test run in 2009, Elf officially opened on Broadway on November 14, 2010. It played at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre for a limited time during the holidays. Casey Nicholaw directed the show. The last performance was on January 2, 2011. A recording of the Broadway cast was released on November 1, 2011. The first cast included Sebastian Arcelus as Buddy, Amy Spanger as Jovie, and Beth Leavel as Emily.

Because the 2010 show was so successful, the musical returned to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. It opened again on November 9, 2012, and ran until January 6, 2013. This new show had some changes to the story and a new opening song called "Happy All the Time."

Elf came back to Broadway for another holiday season in 2024. It opened at the Marquis Theatre on November 17, 2024, and closed on January 4, 2025. This production was like the London show from 2022. Grey Henson played Buddy the Elf, and Sean Astin played Santa Claus and Mr. Greenway.

West End Shows in London

A production of Elf opened in London's West End at the Dominion Theatre on October 24, 2015. It ran for 10 weeks until January 2, 2016. Before this, it had short runs in Plymouth, England, and Dublin, Ireland. Ben Forster played Buddy, and Kimberley Walsh played Jovie. The show was very popular. In 2015, it was reported to be the fastest-selling show at the Dominion Theatre since it opened in 1929.

Elf returned to the Dominion Theatre on November 24, 2022, and closed on January 7, 2023. Simon Lipkin played Buddy, and Georgina Castle played Jovie. The musical came back to the Dominion again from November 15, 2023, until January 6, 2024. Matthew Wolfenden played Buddy in this run.

The musical is planned to return to the West End at the Aldwych Theatre from October 28, 2025, until January 3, 2026.

North American Tours

A smaller tour of the musical played in several cities across North America during the 2012 holiday season. Two different tours started in 2013 and ran at the same time. The musical also toured in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

A tour in 2017 traveled across the US and Canada. Erik Gratton played Buddy. It stopped at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City, with George Wendt as Santa.

Other Notable Productions

• A production played in Seattle, Washington, from November 30 to December 31, 2012.
• A Canadian show ran in Nova Scotia from November 20, 2012, to January 6, 2013.
• A regional show played at the Paper Mill Playhouse from November 26, 2014, to January 4, 2015.
• A UK tour in late 2017 ended on January 14, 2018, in Salford, England. Ben Forster was Buddy.
• On December 24, 2017, a film of this production was shown on Channel 5.

In December 2018, an arena tour of Elf visited large venues in the UK. This tour returned in December 2019. These shows had three stages. The audience could decorate a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree and have a giant snowball fight. The production included a flying sleigh and other special effects. Big TV screens showed the action and added CGI scenery. Tam Ryan played Buddy, Kym Marsh played Jovie, and Shaun Williamson played Walter. Over 100 performers were in the cast.

The musical was presented in UK arenas again in December 2022. Elf: The Musical was also performed at the Sydney Opera House in December 2024.

TV Adaptation

On December 16, 2014, NBC showed a stop-motion animated version of the musical. It was called Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas.

• Jim Parsons was the voice of Buddy.
• Mark Hamill was Walter.
• Ed Asner returned as the voice of Santa, just like in the movie.
• Kate Micucci was Jovie.
• Rachael MacFarlane was Emily.
• Max Charles was Michael.
• Gilbert Gottfried was Mr. Greenway.
• Jay Leno was the leader of the fake Santas.

The show included songs from the musical and a new song called "Freezy the Snowman."

Awards and Honors