Jeffrey Shankle as Buddy the Elf, along with phony Santas, sing “Nobody Cares About Santa” in 'Elf: The Musical,' playing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre until Jan. 4. Photo by Jeri Tidwell Photography

• Share

PRINT

The plot of a mythical character encouraging a cynical Macy’s employee to believe again in the magic of Christmas will likely remind many of the holiday film classic Miracle on 34th Street.

But the story of Buddy the Elf, now playing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, is unique, timeless and adorable.

Over the past two decades, Elf, the 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell, has become part of the holiday film canon. The musical adaptation hit the Broadway stage in 2010, returning in 2012 and 2024.

Both the movie and the stage musical follow a boy, Buddy, who crawled into Santa’s sack and was raised as an elf at the North Pole. As he grows up, Buddy cannot help but feel as if he is out of place. He’s a “misfit,” to borrow the phrase from another elf in a popular Christmas feature, “Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer.”

Elf follows Buddy’s travels — often comic, sometimes poignant — from the idealistic world of the North Pole to cynical, modern-day New York City. There he hopes to find his father, his true identity and that simple but hard-to-come-by desire: acceptance.

Buddy the Elf, of course, is not your average elf on the shelf. Toby’s leading man Jeffrey Shankle brings out the naïve and innocent character, who is sheltered but surprisingly wily at the same time. Somehow he is able to bring back a forgotten love of Christmas to his human family.

Along the way, he develops affection for Jovie, a jaded Macy’s worker who is in fact a highly sensitive, vulnerable person — qualities brought out well by MaryKate Brouillet.

A character the audience especially enjoyed was the Macy’s manager, assayed wonderfully by Anwar Thomas. In a subplot, the manager mistakes Buddy for a spy sent by the higher-ups in Macy’s management, and both characters (though for different reasons) comically encourage other employees to get into the Christmas spirit.

As they decorate the store in the bright musical number “Sparklejollytwinklejingley,” displaying the entrancing choreography of Toby’s superb director Mark Minnick, the scene calls to mind “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins. It is surely the mark of an entertaining holiday production that recalls childhood memories from other shows, as Elf consistently does.

Standout performances

A favorite moment of this thoroughly delightful show is the comic lament “Nobody Cares About Santa,” with Buddy, the Macy’s manager, and the fake department-store Santas (the real one, impersonated by Jordan B. Stocksdale, appears more than once in the show, to the glee of children). The song is funny, tuneful, a bit bluesy and just slightly suggestive of Kurt Weill.

The song “The Stor y of Buddy” by Shankle and most of the cast was also a highlight. David Bosley-Reynolds and Janine Sunday come in for high praise in acting their parts as Walter and Emily Hobbs (Buddy’s father and stepmother, respectively), as does David James as the hapless Mr. Greenway of Macy’s management.

Elf has a vital message in a charming package that is just as timely during the holidays as at any time of year. The warmth and merriment of this story remind both young and old that love, compassion and belief in miracles can prevail over the trials, tribulations and cynicism of this world.

The show runs through January 4 at Toby’s. Tickets are available from the box office by calling (410) 730-8311 or online via Ticketmaster (with a service fee).