UK Cast Recording - Elf The Musical

57 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Elf The Musical Soundtrack here (Amazon UK)

"ELF is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas."

I have to preface this review by saying that I am already a MAHOOSIVE fan of Elf The Musical. I was fortunate enough to see the touring version in America, was smitten with the claymation television version that aired last Christmas and was first in line when the Dominion Theatre run was announced earlier this year. I'm already passionate about the glorious music that this stage spectacular brings, so have been eager to see what the UK version could offer up. Starring Ben Forster, Kimberley Walsh, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin they (and the rest of the electifying cast) bring fully rounded characters to the vibrant score. In fact, they absolutely become the characters they play on the stage and ably convey the emotions that each song requires - the results are utterly intoxicating and leave you with a glorious sense of exhilaration. Much of this comes from the exquisite storytelling of Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin who have really focused on the themes of cynicism, lack of faith, despair, hope and uplifting inspiration. Each character goes through the gamut of these emotions in different ways - some, like Ben's Elf, begin with joyful and contagious optimism before being tested by the cruel harsh realities of the world around them; others like Kimberley's Jovie, start off cynical. All of them find their way to happiness by letting the Christmas spirit into their hearts, ensuring that this really is a soundtrack that leaves you smiling from ear to ear.

Equally as important, of course, are those wonderfully addictive songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (all performed here with radiant orchestration of the music that feels like the band were powered by the sparkle of every triumphant Christmas song ever written and sung). From the scene setting enthusiasm of Christmas Town (I'm glad they stuck to the original opening to the Broadway production rather than Happy All The Time which later replaced it) through to the rousing finale singalong of A Christmas Song, every piece of music here is pure mellifluous, memorable gold (frankincense and myrrh). As mentioned, the cast embody every nuanced emotion that the songs demand and deserve making it glorious journey for the listener (whether they are lucky enough to see the show or not). World's Greatest Dad sees Ben give full on child like wonder as he sets out on his quest to find his father. This makes his reprise of the song all the more devastating and sorrowful - his ability to channel the lyrics is a gift that can't be underrated. Buddy's father is the antithesis of Buddy with an almost Scrooge like approach to the season. In The Way sees Walter Hobbs (Joe McGann) and his employees battle it out with how Christmas can be perceived in the workplace. Sparklejollytwinklejingly may be the most giddy sensation the soundtrack gives - an entirely gleeful song that wins the cast over as it progresses in the same way it wins the listener over. It may also be the best invented word since supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Family issues are tenderly explored, particularly via the mum and son team on I'll Believe In You (where they sing of their desire to really WANT to believe in Santa) and There Is A Santa Claus (where that desire becomes reality in a fantastically thrilling realisation - "it's hard to be sedate or keep your head on straight/when fairy tales come true" is a deliciously evocative and relatable couplet). It's one of the many moments that tugs on your heartstrings and makes you think of the moments in your own life (admittedly with some regret) where you allowed the rigours of everyday life to interfere with the magical experiences we too often miss.

I was very excited to hear Kimberley become Jovie and she's done an outstanding job. She absolutely osmoses the pathos and melancholy that the torch song Never Fall In Love With An Elf requires, yet keeps an element of independence and surprise at her burgeoning feelings. She takes you through all her conflicted feelings within a three minute time period and it's exquisite to witness. When she becomes the one to bring Buddy out of his doldrums on a reprise of A Christmas Song, her new found sense of belief is tangible and makes a believer out of anyone fortunate enough to be listening. It's all about the redemption - heck, even Santa has his own moment of doubt (Nobody Cares About Santa) in a bluesy tinged number that perfectly encapsulates the growing sense of commercialism dominance that now threatens to mask the true meaning of Christmas. I don't get into the Christmas spirit from November because I'm ready to shop til I drop - it's because I want to get that sense of magic and anything-is-possible bon vivance back into my life for as long as possible :) And by the time you reach the end of the UK Cast Recording of Elf The Musical, you'll feel as seasonally satisfied from this festive endorphin rush as I do. Now you'll have to excuse me if I weep with unabashed joy when I see this on December 2nd because it's the feel good smash of the year.

Ghosts of Christmas past:

• October 29th 2014 ~ Michael W Smith & Friends, The Spirit Of Christmas
• 29th October 2013 ~ Erasure, Gaudete