Smiling Will Sure Be Your Favorite After Seeing Buddy the ELF at WST

by Laura and Keith Clattenburg

As we think back to our experience at the Walnut Street Theatre and ELF, a smile is still on our face. It was a raw night, snow/rain, bitter outside and we were not looking forward to the drive into the city. We decided to take the train and it was well worth it.

What a delightful story, brought to life by Santa (Bill Van Horn), Buddy (Christopher Sutton), Emily (Kristine Fraelich), and Walter Hobbs (Charles Pistone) and a wonderful cast. Opening with a storybook read by Santa (Bill Van Horn) all the characters come to life and unfolds this narrative of an elf (Christopher Sutton) who, to put it bluntly, takes this tale to a higher level. Along with the once shy/introvert turned singer/dancer Emily, (Kristine Fraelich) the duo takes the stage with finesse and never lets up their energy until the last note has sounded. The stage is always full of life and the children within the show added greatly to the reality of it. The choreography was very original and we loved those tap numbers. Kudos to Marc Robin.

This is a fun, non-stop musical that should not be missed. The multi-talented, highly energetic Sutton brought tears to our eyes from the laughter he inspired.

If you want to have some fun and be entertained, go see ELF before January 5th. This show is highly recommended for the entire family. However, it should be pointed out that there is an unnecessary “B” word that we were surprised was not reworded for the kids’ sake. Aside from that, the magic on the stage will make the little ones beam with excitement, and there is plenty of humor to keep the adults entertained as well.

ELF
thru January 5, 2014
Walnut Street Theatre
http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org

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