Elf – The Musical at The Lowry Manchester Review

Reviewed by Rosemary Knight

Based on the 2003 hit movie starring Will Farrell, Elf – The Musical has been brought to the Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays, Manchester as this year’s must see Christmas show. I took my excited seven-year-old granddaughter, Heidi, as a pre-Christmas treat and we both absolutely loved it.

Elf is the story of Buddy, who had crawled into Santa’s sack as a young orphan and brought up as an elf in the North Pole. Fast forward thirty years and Buddy discovers that he is not really the world’s worst elf but is actually a human, and with Santa’s blessing he travels to New York City to find his real father and discover his own true identity.

Ben Forster is sensational as Buddy, the innocent, warm hearted elf who finds his new family and true love at the same time. He is on stage during almost the entire show and excels with his high energy performance and impressive vocals. Ex Atomic Kitten singer, Liz McClarnon is equally superb as Buddy’s love interest Jovie. Joe McGann excels as gruff talking Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s real father and Jessica Martin is excellent as Emily Hobbs, Buddy’s new stepmother. Louis Emerick plays dual roles as Santa and mean-spirited publisher Mr. Greenway.

This is a fabulous production with lavish dance sequences and joyful songs, guaranteed to delight all ages. The final sequence, when Santa’s sleigh sails into the sky and snow descends onto the audience is magical and will melt the coldest heart.

This quite a long production with a running time of over two and a half hours, but there is never a moment when the audience is not captivated. The true message of the show is one of joy. If you want to see one Christmas show this year, then Elf the Musical is perfect feel good family entertainment.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £23.50 to £108.50 (booking fees may apply).

Elf – The Musical is at The Lowry in Manchester from 24 November 2017 to 14 January 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.thelowry.com or call the box office on 0843 208 6000.

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | 0843 208 6000