Stage Review - Elf! The Musical (5th Avenue Theatre)
Stage Review - Elf! The Musical
Presented By: 5th Avenue Theatre - Seattle, WA
Show Run: November 28 - December 28, 2025
Date Reviewed: Monday, December 8, 2025
Run Time: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes (including a 20-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Doug Knoop
Hold on to your sleigh bells. Things are about to get “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” in here. Buddy the Elf and his infectious brand of merrymaking have arrived at the 5th Avenue Theatre and Seattle’s holiday spirit is about to hit the stratosphere.
Adapted from the 2003 film, this musical first hit the Broadway stage in 2010 and has been revived and toured multiple times since then.
Our story begins with Buddy, an oversized elf at the North Pole discovering his true parentage. He then travels south to New York City to meet his real father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs works for a publishing company and is the story’s Grinch. He doesn’t care for Christmas, while his wife and son are trying to get him to stop and enjoy the season, with no luck. Then our favorite oversized elf arrives, and as you can probably guess, many lives are changed for the better.
Director/choreographer Denis Jones expertly guides us through this Christmas tale with empathy and pizzaz. Matthew Smucker’s set design and Connie Yuen’s light ng design are a wonder to behold: all gorgeous holiday hued cityscapes full of oversized snowflakes. David C. Woolard’s costumes are in turns lovely holiday pastel and flashy office party surprise.
Matt Smedal’s music direction brings bouncy life to more than a few of the show’s numbers. Just listen to “Sparklejollytwinklejingley,” “A Christmas Song” or the showstopping “Nobody Cares About Santa” and try to not tap your foot or bop your head along.
Tony Lawson is great as the initially grumpy Walter Hobbs. Cayman Ilika is a resourceful yet human Emily Hobbs, and her second act duet (“There is a Santa Claus”) is a perfect example of this. Tori Gresham plays Jovie, the Macy’s employee who falls for Buddy, and her second act song (“Never Fall in Love with an Elf”) is outstanding. Bravos should also go to Richard Ziman’s no nonsense Santa and the multitalented, yet inexhaustible ensemble.
And Eric Ankrim as Buddy brings a delightful mixture of innocent optimism and joyous excitement to the role, which keeps the show chugging along. If you let it, this show might have you exiting the theater with an extra holiday spring in your step.
The 5th Avenue production of Elf! The Musical runs on stage in Seattle through December 28. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.5thavenue.org/.
Photo credit: Michael B. Maine
