The musical, starring Grey Henson, has gotten Buddy delightfully, entirely right. But he is trapped inside a creaky adaptation.

Elf The Musical, the cheery – very, very cheery – revival opening tonight for a limited holiday run on Broadway, is an entirely suitable gift from a hard-working cast for fans of the well-liked 2003 Will Ferrell Christmas perennial.

Elf: The Musical (Marquis Theatre, to Jan. 4) passes an important test of a seasonal Broadway show. It passes the wide smile/slightly moistened eyes/ridiculous amount of falling snow test, and—more significantly—passes the far more difficult actually-not-annoying-for-kids-and-adults test.

Elf the Musical, directed by Philip Wm. McKinley and choreographed by Liam Steel, with book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin and songs by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin opened on Broadway tonight. See what the critics have to say here!

New York, United States - November 17, 2024 Kayla Davion and Grey Henson attending Elf the Musical opening night at the Marquis Theatre in New York, NY on November 17, 2024. Ingrid Michaelson attending Elf the Musical opening night at the Marquis Theatre in New York,