Overview
Synopsis
In this heart-warming musical, Santa narrates the story of Buddy, an apparently oversized elf who has been raised in the North Pole. During the lead up to Christmas, Buddy overhears the other elves discussing how he is really a human but hasn’t realized. He is devastated and Santa must reveal to his wannabe elf that baby Buddy mistakenly crawled into Santa's bag of gifts on Christmas Eve many years ago and was transported to the North Pole on Santa’s return home. With Santa's blessing, Buddy decides to travel to New York City to find his real father (who is on the naughty list). Shocked that that his own father could be on the naughty list, he is further astounded that his half-brother doesn't believe in Santa. How can this be? Buddy decides to change the outlook and behavior of his new family and bring the true meaning of Christmas back into New York City. Along the way, he discovers friendship, romance, and his true identity. Elf is a modern day holiday classic that aims to spread Christmas cheer for all to hear!
Editor’s Note: This guide refers to the full musical but there is also a junior version available for license through MTI.
Show Information
- Book
- Thomas Meehan , Bob Martin
- Music
- Matthew Sklar , Chad Beguelin
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Elf, 2003 film
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2010
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance, Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- new york city, north pole, present day
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Early Teen, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Based on the 2003 smash hit movie of the same name, Elf, The Musical hit the Broadway stage during the Christmas season of 2010-2011. Being a holiday hit both on stage and screen, the show was revived on Broadway quickly, just two years later, over the Christmas season of 2012-2013. Elf hopped across the pond to the West End over the 2015-2016 Christmas season. This show has been touring across America over the holidays since 2012 and continues to make appearances regionally and on community
to read the context for Elf and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The show begins with Santa’s arrival home from a long night of Christmas deliveries. He sits down, finally ready to relax with the football game he set to record. Santa realizes that unfortunately the game did not record, so he decides to do something different instead. Santa decides to tell the story of Buddy the Elf!
We first meet Buddy as he gets ready to start another merry day at Santa’s workshop! It is obvious that Buddy is not like the other elves…he’s giant! Buddy loves
to read the plot for Elf and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
|
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
- *Christmastown - Buddy, Ensemble
- World's Greatest Dad - Buddy
- In the Way - Deb, Walter, Emily, Michael, Ensemble
- *Sparklejollytwinklejingley - Buddy, Store Manager, Ensemble
- I'll Believe in You - Michael, Emily
- In the Way [Reprise] - Emily, Walter
- Just Like Him - Buddy, Deb, Ensemble
- *A Christmas Song - Buddy, Jovie, Ensemble
- World's Greatest Dad [Reprise] - Buddy
Act Two
- Nobody Cares About Santa - Buddy, Store Manager, Ensemble
- Never Fall in Love (With an Elf) - Jovie
- There Is a Santa Claus - Michael, Emily
- The Story of Buddy - Buddy, Michael, Walter, Ensemble
- Nobody Cares About Santa [Reprise] - Santa
- *A Christmas Song [Reprise] - Jovie, Buddy, Emily, Michael, Walter, Ensemble
- *Finale - Ensemble
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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