ELF The Musical
Closed 2h 15m
ELF The Musical
77

ELF The Musical NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(147 Ratings)
Positive
80%
Mixed
16%
Negative
4%
Members say
Funny, Entertaining, Delightful, Quirky, Hilarious

About the Show

This holiday musical inspired by the beloved 2003 film returns to the Theater at Madison Square Garden for a seasonal run.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (147)

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10 Reviews | 0 Followers
95
Cliched, Hilarious, Funny, Delightful, Charming

See it if You like the movie. Are looking for a good musical to get you into the spirit.

Don't see it if If you hate the movie. You’re very much getting the movie onstage.

9 Reviews | 1 Follower
90
Funny, Entertaining, Refreshing, Hilarious, Delightful

See it if Bring the whole family to get everyone into the Christmas Spirit! We all grinned through the whole show...

Don't see it if The show follows the movie, and all of those funny moments are there. Not a show to be analyzed or critiqued... just enjoyed.

10 Reviews | 3 Followers
90
Delightful, Entertaining, Funny, Great staging, Refreshing

See it if you just want to have fun! And you will... thoroughly enjoyed myself. Makes you see Christmas and life through a Big kid's eyes.

Don't see it if you'd rather be miserable. Then you should stay home.

6 Reviews | 0 Followers
80
Funny, Great acting, Delightful, Clever, Absorbing

See it if You love comical storylines and Christmas plots.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy holiday moves or prefer a more serious storyline.

7 Reviews | 3 Followers
75
Entertaining, Great singing, Christmassy underwhelming

See it if You have never seen the movie

Don't see it if You love set designs

7 Reviews | 0 Followers
73
Clever, Entertaining, Funny

See it if You want a funny holiday show and enjoy some great music. The original songs to this show wete great.

Don't see it if You’re expected Will Ferrell type delivery. Could have used less random curse words though... we brought kids.

afh
9 Reviews | 1 Follower
72
Quirky, Refreshing, Delightful, Funny, Entertaining

See it if its around christmas time, even if you've never seen the movie, and if you're with family

Don't see it if youre not looking for a cheery feel good cliche christmas show with slight hints of humor

9 Reviews | 3 Followers
70
Great staging, Fluffy, Entertaining, Enchanting

See it if love elf and christmas, it's a musical to put you in the spirit

Don't see it if the Madison ushers letting kids run around the entire arena

Critic Reviews (24)

DC Theatre Scene
December 23rd, 2013
For a previous production

"'Elf The Musical' isn’t likely to become a Christmas tradition for everyone. The musical numbers are polished and pretty, but not particularly memorable... Buddy’s infectious spirit at the front of the show turns grating as his romp across New York carries on...All told, 'Elf The Musical' is a great piece of theater to share with the little ones around Christmas. But, if you have a touch of the Grinch already, you may want to steel yourself with an eggnog or two before coming out."
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DC Metro Theater Arts
December 21st, 2013
For a previous production

"The stage musical version, directed with a high dosage of energy by Sam Scalamoni, has much of the film’s charm and is geared more heavily toward families by playing up the holiday themes and opting for more family friendly humor...The show features a sugary sweet score of holiday-sounding ditties by Tony nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin that start off a bit bland but steadily improve as the show moves along."
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F
December 26th, 2013
For a previous production

"If you feel like you didn’t get enough Christmas, you need not look any further than this high-energy show that’s running through early January. It’s so full of holiday cheer, it’s coming out its elven ears... A couple jokes seem to fall flat, barely eliciting a chuckle...But there more than plenty to laugh about...'Elf The Musical' is certainly a holiday treat. It just needs to cut back on the sugar."
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Showbiz Chicago
November 30th, 2013
For a previous production

"Thankfully, the material is strong enough to stand on its own as a musical without its associated lead touring the country...Director Sam Scalamoni strikes a nice balance between the fantasy of the piece and the reality of a family being slowly ripped apart. Choreographer Connor Gallagher creates some clever original dances for the height challenged elf’s as well a beautiful ice skating sequence."
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Chicago Splash
November 28th, 2013
For a previous production

"What I do wish was that this musical possessed just a little more silly. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good laughs here. But too much of the play feels like a reshaping of a comedy into a musical...'Elf' is recommended for families this Christmas season. I am not sure couples without kids will enjoy this as much, but if you are looking for a family friendly musical this is the one to go to."
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Newcity Stage
December 1st, 2013
For a previous production

"A high-octane song-and-dance version of the story of Buddy the Elf that has plenty to keep all ages entertained, from small children to seniors. Lacking the wryness and special effects of the film, this musical version nonetheless boasts a witty book which does develop, update and smooth over plot details that compress the story in a more genre-friendly way for the stage."
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Daily Journal
November 29th, 2013
For a previous production

"This is not a perfect translation to stage of the sweet and charming movie that became a holiday classic...You do smile — even as you tamp down the feeling that this movie-to-stage musical was a blatant commercial attempt to cash in on the popularity of Ferrell's wildly popular performance...Still, this is a talented cast."
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O
December 22nd, 2013
For a previous production

"The pacing can be frantic at times, but kids will enjoy 'Elf the Musical's' peppy, upbeat musical numbers. There is plenty of (funny) adult humor that will probably go over the heads of youngsters under a certain age. My only complaint with the musical is that leaves out one of my favorite scenes from the movie."
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