The stage during intermission of the final performance of "Elf the Musical."
No stone was left unturned to make this performance of Elf the Musical the best it could be. Large screens depicted movie-like backgrounds to set the stage without distracting from the detailed performance. Professionally made costumes were rented from Crane River Theater, which added to the appearence of the musical.
Elf the Musical is a challenging show to pull off because of its frequent punch lines and characters in different stages of life than the actors playing them. Additionally, having a Christmas musical in the spring is not easy to perform since it is out of place compared to the actual time of year when it is performed. Despite this, the HHS cast delivered a successful and entertaining show during its three-day run. The audience was not shown these obstacles, only the result of hours of hard work and dedication into delivering an incredible performance.
Junior Ezekiel Verhage, who played Buddy the Elf, stole the spotlight by showing off his energetic personality and humor in this high-energy production portraying an elf raised at the North Pole coming to New York City. He was a natural at playing Buddy and brought a joyful smile to every scene. He shared the humor of Elf in addition to the strong voice of a musical lead. The rest of the cast was just as phenomenal, with each role seeming to have been created to fit each actor and actress.
The pit orchestra supported the performances incredibly, which brought another element into the show, although it overpowered the vocals in a few instances. Lively musical numbers were balanced with more individualized characterization. These scenes led the audience through the plot, while still providing constant entertainment throughout this classic Christmas story. Every scene transition flowed and kept the audience’s attention by always having an entertaining character to focus on. This fast pace was engaging without feeling overwhelming and kept the audience in the show’s world at all times.
After reviewing the facts and reflecting on my experience, I would give Hastings High’s performance of Elf the Musical 4.5 out of 5 stars.
