Actors of all ages frolic in the Rep’s joyous Elf

With a lot of singing and dancing and a heartwarming story, plus a lot of green and red on stage — and kids, even — how could the Arkansas Repertory Theatre go wrong with its choice of Elf for its Christmas show?

Guess what? The Rep did not go wrong! As someone in the show notes: “To thine own elf, be true,” and the Rep certainly has done so.

Thanks to the Rep’s resident director Nicole Capri’s gift for directing, and molding many a young actor into semi-pros on a stage, Elf, which opened a month or so run Friday night, is a hoot. Choreographer Marisa Kirby deserves equal credit for the many creative dances she designed.

The play is, of course, based on the 2003 movie that starred Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, but the Rep’s version is a musical, with book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar, and lyrics by Chad Beguelin.

Ethan Paulini is a terrific Buddy, in search of his human family after leaving the North Pole to travel to New York City. He finds his human father, played deftly by David Hess as a workaholic dad to his other son, Price Clark, at 10 already a skilled actor and singer. Buddy finds a girlfriend upon arrival, and the formerly cynical girl, Jovie, played by Alyssa Gorgone, falls under Buddy’s gentle spell.

The cast of 33 includes 13 children, all of whom looked like they were having a blast, and the costumes (by Shelly Hall) are a treat to behold, both on the kids and the adults.

As a relatively new play, the songs were not familiar to the audience, but several of them were quite catchy, especially “Nobody Cares About Santa,” sung by a coterie of fake Santas and Buddy to open Act 2. “Never Fall in Love (with an elf),” sung by Jovie, is also captivating.

The show, which the Rep announced has already sold out all but its final week, continues through Jan. 4, with performances at 7 p.m. nightly on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays plus matinees at 2 p.m. Sundays (and selected Saturdays) at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Sixth and Main streets, Little Rock. Seating is reserved and tickets range from $30 to $60. For more information, call (501) 378-0405 or see the website therep.org/attend.