by Madelyn Hutchison
The Lewiston Civic Theatre presented another masterpiece. With over 500 tickets sold, the auditorium was packed with people, anxiously awaiting the start of this wonderful musical.
This musical was directed by Larry Goodwin, who also was the director of “The Addams Family: A New Musical,” in 2021.
According to their playbill, Goodwin has wanted to write the story of Buddy the Elf for a long time. Goodwin wrote this musical to bring that special holiday joy that Buddy has, as well as restore the faith we have in those around us.
The Plot: It’s pretty similar to the movie “Elf.” Buddy the Elf grew up in the North Pole and was raised by other elves, until Buddy the Elf realized he was actually a human.
Santa sends Buddy on his way to meet his real father, Walter Hopps, who sells children’s books in New York City. However, Hopps was never told that Buddy was coming, much less that he had a son. The businessman was in for a bit of a nasty shock.
Cue the hilarious and interesting scenes that erupt as Buddy tries to figure out how different our world is from his own, and even starts dating.
Buddy, with all of his Christmas cheer and overwhelming sweet tooth, sadly becomes too much for his new father, mother, and brother, and is disowned after a bad mistake.
Later that night, Buddy has a heart-to-heart with a bunch of mall Santas at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Eve, and he tries to go back to his family.
It’s then that Buddy is accepted, but now, he has to help Santa save Christmas. Together, the family does just that, and Buddy the Elf learns a very important lesson: Christmas isn’t just about presents, but spending time with your loved ones.
In my opinion: I loved this musical, it was fun and lighthearted. It was nice to be able to step into that auditorium and forget about my life for a second, and watch this beloved classic with its own little twists and turns.
It really put me in the holiday spirit. I even went home and watched the original “Elf” just because I could.
