Review: Elf the Musical ushers holiday spirit into Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Did you hear that?

That was the sound of Christmas spirit filling the Paramount Theatre on Monday night.

The weather outside is not yet frightful, but the cast of Elf the Broadway Musical - the latest production in the Broadway at the Paramount lineup - sure had the audience feeling like Christmas is right around the corner.

The nearly sold out crowd - sprinkled with Santa hats and kids in elf pajamas - laughed along from the start of the show when Santa took the stage. He in particular, played for the fourth year in a row by Ken Clement, enjoyed delivering the timely one-liners the writers worked into the show.

Santa quickly introduced the crowd to a very endearing and entertaining Buddy the Elf, played by Sam Hartley. Hartley did a great job - which is not a small feat given the fact that Will Ferrell plays the role of Buddy in the big screen version - of bringing his own comedic talent and stage presence to the role. His delivery of Buddy's spunky and 'sparklejollytwinklejingley” persona was spot on.

Other cast members shined in their roles as well. Mia Weinberger returned as Jovie and did a convincing job as a jaded New Yorker who couldn't help but fall for Buddy. The duo of Emily - Buddy's mom played by Marie Lemon - and Michael - Buddy's brother played by Nicolas Canal - had a couple of very heartwarming numbers together.

Now, being a huge fan of Elf the movie, I was a little anxious before the musical started. But seeing one of my favorite Christmas movies brought to life on the stage was definitely lots of fun. They didn't disappoint Elf experts like my daughter, who joined me for the show and included all of Buddy's best lines from the movie, including 'Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?”

While the storyline deviated slightly from the movie, the new songs - which had more of a big band feel than traditional Christmas music - made this Broadway musical production a great booster of Christmas spirit indeed. The orchestra was spot on.

And as any Christmas good story should include, the costumes and sets were very colorful and impressive. My daughter, Lucy, really enjoyed the show and the fact that they made Santa's sleigh fly at the end. Spoiler alert: Buddy saves Christmas.

One of my favorite lines of Buddy's is 'I just like to smile, smiling is my favorite.” And as the crowd left the Paramount at the end of Elf The Broadway Musical, it was clear that Buddy had done his job, as there were plenty of smiles.