By Jamie Bullins
Elf The Musical, Nebraska Communities Playhouse, Friday, December 1, 2023, 7:30 pm.
Well, it’s December 1st and the season has officially begun! I know, that depends on who you ask. For our favorite department stores, they often skip Thanksgiving and go straight to the Christmas season immediately following Halloween. But, for me, the 1st of December makes it real. I break out the decorations and the Christmas t-shirts and my favorite Santa hat. And, then there’s the plethora of holiday tunes and classic films available. Did you know that Rankin and Bass made 18 (count ‘em), 18 of those movies we grew up with. It’s not just Rudolph my friends. Now, that brings us loosely and in a roundabout way to Elf, a film that is 20 years old now, can you believe it? Did you know that Chris Farley and Jim Carrey were originally thoughts for Buddy in the movie? Who could imagine anyone but Will Farrell? And now we have Elf the Musical, which you can still get tickets for at Nebraska Communities Playhouse just down the road a bit in Hickman, NE.
If you’ve never seen the stage musical, it’s, of course, based on the film, but with more singing and dancing. So, a win-win, especially for Buddy. It’s a treat, a Christmas treat. So, imagine your mom’s or grandma’s most comforting Christmas cookie or fudge and transform that into an actual experience, with a large space full of other people, also there to share the warmth of the season, many with their families in tow, which makes it even more heartwarming.
If you walk in with any of that Grinchy spirit that we sometimes unwittingly let the stress and strain of daily life put upon us, it will melt away pretty darned quickly. Jacob Vanderford makes sure of that. His performance is Buddy to a ‘t’. Super annoying but suddenly endearing beyond belief. Add Chloe Schwarting’slovely vocals to the ensemble (Jovie) and it’s an event you don’t want to miss. All the performances are first-rate and add their own to the story, not one cotton-headed ninny muggins in the bunch here folks. Everyone should invite Del Casteel to your Christmas parties. Go see the show, you’ll understand why.
The efforts of everyone involved in the production are super evident and each production I see in Hickman adds another layer of polish. The projections and animations are a great add to the story and makes the overall production pretty slick.
I don’t need to say more, you just need to go see it. ‘Nuff said.
Thanks for having me Nebraska Communities Playhouse, keep telling your stories.
If you go: You can catch Elf the Musical December 2, 8 & 9,with 7:30 pm curtain times and December 3 & 9 with 2:00 pm curtain times. Reservations are encouraged and can be made online.
Jamie Bullins is a member of the faculty in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at UNL, since the fall of 2017. He is an Educator, Scenographer, Director, and Playwright and has been at it for nearly 30 years now.
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