Oh! Okay, good. Yes, it was very cute. It's very Bob Martin. They had something similar in the Drowsy Chaperone (where his phone kept on ringing and ringing to the point where he had a big monologue on how it ruins the moment).
^Agreed, very Bob Martin. Man I loved Drowsy. In Drowsy, though, wasn't that moment a little farther in? It acted more as a comment than a pre-show announcement I would say.
Also can I just say that I loved the lyric "from head to mistletoe." It might be corny, but I was instantly charmed!
Well, yes. The monologue itself comes about 2/3 into the show, just before the cane scene. But throughout the show (just after the first number, if I remember correctly) the phone rings for the first time. He waits it out. A second time later on... and so forth.
And I loved that line too! Again, very cute. I was a fan of the score. SUPER catchy for me.
Tried to get tickets for a few weekends in December to no avail. Guess its selling pretty well, not surprising but I'm a little disappointed I don't think I'll be able to see it!
Yeah we tried the 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th. Matinee and evening performances. There were some $137 tickets left, but I can't afford that. We couldn't even find any $97 seats....
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Just got home from seeing "Elf." I absolutely LOVED IT!!!! Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan were both there tonight too. It was a great holiday show with a good heart, really catchy songs...."A Christmas Song" being the standout hit. Sebastian Arcelus was awesome as Elf!!!
Yeah Kirby, I tried broadwaybox, theatremania, playbill, and even telecharge. There were $137 tickets...just nothing in the $50 range and most discounts expire before Thanksgiving (makes sense).
I'm not suprised that weekend tix are sold out...there are only so many of those to go around. I bet you could get weekday tix relatively easily.
I'm not trying, I have no desire to see this. Nor do my children--I would have taken them if they wanted.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
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Saw this Saturday. LOVED it! So much fun. Great score, fun book, wonderful performances. Arcelus and Leavel are marvelous. Spanger and Jacoby are doing what they can.
The useless bulimia joke and the few curse words should most definitely be done away with.
"Yeah we tried the 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th. Matinee and evening performances. There were some $137 tickets left, but I can't afford that. We couldn't even find any $97 seats...."
I bought our tickets literally as soon as they were available to the general public. We were hoping for the cheaper tickets, but we didn't want to be stuck in the rear left corner. So we went up a price range, but they're apparently all sold out now for the night we chose (December 10).
By the way... have you guys seen the website for the show? It looks about as cheap as the show does. I don't do web design but I think even I could have made a better looking website.
Jesus, are you guys THAT hard up for something Christmas-y?
I went last night, and guys, there's no other classification for this than 'crap.' I'll admit, it's somewhat above the level of "The Grinch," but it's just a totally uninspired, soulless cash-in with forgettable songs and a book that's nearly a carbon copy of the movie, almost entirely filled with verbatim dialogue/jokes lifted right from the screenplay, only without Will Ferrell's timing/energy/delivery.
It wasn't absolutely painful to watch, but it's pure lazy, generic tedium that entirely wastes its cast (Beth Leavel, most of all). AVOID.
how come now one has talked about George Wendt!? he's terrible. He's glassy eyed and looks drunk and is obviously there for the good paycheck. he plays santa clause and turns it into a useless lack luster role! How is that possible! He. Was. Awful. The worst part of the show. The ensemble is having a great time and doing the best with the material given to them. I got student rush tickets that were still $42 dollars and they gave me a hassle about it being valid and out of date and stuff.... REALLY!?
As of last Sunday the word from the merch sellers was that they're still waiting to hear on whether or not a cast recording will be done. I wouldn't be surprised if they did one, but if they haven't even recorded one at this time, I think it would be hard to get one produced and ready for sale by Thanksgiving when sales really pick up.
They should have had one ready. Like I said, this is def. the kind of show where people will impulse buy. They aren't going to sell a lot of "Elf: the musical" recordings come April, so why not have them ready at the theater?
My bet is that they'll record a cast recording even if the show doesn't last long enough to sell it at the theater.
Why? Regionals. Elf is a show that is gonna kill in regionals, mark my words. Will it be great? No, it's not that kind of show. But small professional theaters and community groups are going to love doing Elf around the holidays, and small-town America will eat it up.
I saw it on Friday night and it was as entertaining as I expected it to be. The production itself wasn't really worth the $200 I spent for my wife and I to see it but because we're big fans of the movie and pretty much every member of the Broadway cast we walked away very content.
But I couldn't help but think throughout the entire show that the high school in my town could put on an equally impressive performance. As someone who goes to Broadway and off-Broadway shows frequently, I feel as though nothing (sets, choreography, acting, score) lived up to the standards that most shows have.
But I don't feel as though any of that is necessarily a bad thing. For the audience it is going for, I think it is a very entertaining night of theatre.
I feel as though, with the cast and the production team being as successful and esteemed as it is, people are searching for something bigger and better than what The Grinch or White Christmas or any other holiday limited-run in the past has had to offer. But it is the same cheesy, corny, night of entertainment that will attract people coming to the city for the holidays. And for that audience, I think it delivers perfectly. Everyone in the theatre seemed to enjoy themselves.
On a side note, I would see Beth Leavel in anything and she makes the most of what she can here. I wanted to like Michael Mandell as the Store Manager but I found it very difficult to understand anything he said, and after watching the BWW TV preview I think it's safe to say that it wasn't just one performance where he had this problem.