Fans of the 2003 Christmas movie “Elf” can now follow the journey of Buddy on Broadway, where “Elf the Musical” is playing for a limited time this holiday season.
Grey Henson takes on the role of Buddy, the elf made famous on the big screen by Will Ferrell as the human boy raised by elves who travels to New York City to find his biological father.
Henson, who was nominated for a Tony for his role as Damian in Tina Fey’s Broadway adaptation of “Mean Girls,” has performed in shows like “The Book of Mormon” and “Shucked.” But the pressure of playing a role that people already know and love proved challenging, he said.
“People come in expecting a certain performance, but I think they’re pleasantly surprised by how different it feels,” Henson said recently. “And immediately, once you see me not in exactly what Will Ferrell wore in the movie, you’re like, ‘OK, this is the same guy I know, but it’s different.’
“I honestly have to stop thinking about the movie for my performance just because I don’t want to try to do an impression of Will Ferrell.”
The actors said they brought their own twists to each role, including that of Jovie, Buddy's grumpy love interest who works as an elf in a department store, played by Broadway alum Kayla Davion. She eventually finds Christmas joy through Buddy.
“In the most blunt terms, I’m Black,” she said. “I like to bring my Chicago side into it, which is a very chill version of myself. And honestly, my sassy side is very direct, which is kind of nice for this role.”
In this adaptation, Santa Claus is played by Sean Astin, known for “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Goonies.” Buddy’s stepmom, Emily Hobbs, is portrayed by Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway in 2006.
The manager of the store where Buddy accidentally gets thrown in as an elf in the Christmas section is played by Kalen Allen, an actor, singer and content creator who regularly appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“I think a piece of me almost felt that maybe I was never going to be able to do stage again,” Allen said about his time on TV. “It felt like I was being called back home.”
Feeling at home is a strong theme as Buddy tries to build a relationship with his estranged father, a high-strung corporate worker on the naughty list portrayed by Michael Hayden, and make it in the human world.
“He’s a fish out of water. He’s a bull in a china shop,” Henson said. “And everything that you love about the movie is really in our show. But obviously we’re singing and dancing, which adds 10 times more holiday cheer.”
Davion said many theatergoers have told her they cried watching “Elf” on Broadway because “the Christmas spirit is so real.”
Allen said the show teaches people that “Christmas is more than just presents and gifts.”
“It’s about connection,” he said. “It’s about families, about friends.”
Henson said that because the stage version is a musical, “it’s a little bit more emotional.”
This is the third time “Elf” has hit the Broadway stage, after debuting in 2011 and playing again in 2012. Its current incarnation runs through Jan. 4.
Fans of the movie might notice a few plot changes and missing scenes, but in their place are big musical numbers, tap dancing, onstage skating and a theater filled with snow.
But it does include one of the most famous scenes from the movie, plates of spaghetti.
“[It’s] always real spaghetti. But instead of syrup, we use honey because it’s better for voices,” said 13-year-old Kai Edgar, who plays Buddy’s little brother, Michael.
As in the movie, the play ends with Santa’s sleigh taking flight after getting enough magic and holiday cheer to fuel it, and the Broadway audience gets to experience that firsthand as the sleigh soars offstage and over the orchestra seats.
“The fact that we are able to bring so much wonderment and magic every single night, it never gets old,” Allen said.
