ELF AT THE ABBEY

Elf the Musical on at the Abbey Theatre, Nuneaton from 16 - 19 October. Performed by Nuneaton Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (NAODS).

Review by Margaret Mather

Is there a Santa? Of course there is. And every home should have an Elf called Buddy!

What a delightful, heart-warming show this is. Full of Christmas cheer, twinkling lights, humour and wonderful songs performed by exceptional singers.

Santa (played by Joe Lawless) was faultless in his portrayal of the big man himself. He was kind and considerate to the elves that helped him all year round. One Elf stood out from the others, his name was Buddy (played by Tony George) and he wasn’t really an elf, he was a human.

Buddy, as a tiny baby, had crawled into Santa’s sack many years ago, unable to return him he’d been brought up as an elf. Now as a fully grown man and taller than all the other elves, Santa thought the time was right to tell Buddy he was human.

Disappointed but excited, Buddy makes his way from the North Pole to New York to find his father. This was an outstanding performance by Tony George.

Once in New York, Buddy finds his very grumpy father (played to perfection by Kevin Benson) a kind step-mother (played beautifully by Jenny Jennings) and a cool step-brother (played superbly by Edward Pinks) but as in all good stories there are ups and downs.

Everything worked out in the end. Buddy found love and was accepted by the family. Santa’s sledge was airborne again and he was able to deliver presents to children all over the world. This was a feel good musical with wonderful songs and great acting by the entire cast.

And it snowed in the theatre – if you believe, you believe.

For tickets call 02476 372325 or visit: www.ticketsource.co.uk/aplisting