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“Elf the Musical” is the theatrical equivalent of pouring maple syrup on spaghetti; kids may love it, but nostalgia aside, it’s too sickly sweet to have broad appeal for adults. Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, the 2010 stage adaptation returned to Broadway last year, directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, and a new national tour based on this production is now playing a limited run at the Auditorium Theatre.

With music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, the Christmas cheer is dialed up to 11 in the familiar story of Buddy, a human raised in the North Pole who travels to New York to find his birth father. The title of the opening number, “Happy All the Time,” pretty much sums up the mood. Performed by Santa Claus (Andrew Hend

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