Jeremy Daniel
In December 1957, the children’s author known by the name Dr. Seuss released a new book written in rhyming verse about a village where its citizens loved Christmas, and a solitary creature living on the mountain overlooking the town had put up with their noisy celebrations for 53 years and decided now was the time to put a stop to the festivities. That story was adapted into an animated TV special in 1966, and like the book it has become a holiday classic. Of course, the story is Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and it has been adapted again into a live-action movie with Jim Carrey, as well as another feature-length animated film. A stage musical came along in 1998, and the show headed to Broadway for two holiday seasons in 2006 and 2007. Since then, the show has toured many times for the holidays, and was adapted as a TV special in 2020 with Matthew Morrison as The Grinch. Now that it’s that time of year, the Whos of Whoville, The Grinch and his dog Max are hitting the road again to bring Christmas joy to the masses.
Unless you’re as young as little Cindy Lou Who, you should be familiar with the story, although there are a few embellishments here to stretch the run time out to 85 minutes. The Whos of Whoville are all preparing for Christmas Day, with the adult Whos fretting over what to get the children. Grandpa Who suggests just rewrapping last year’s gifts because the kids will never know, but that simply won’t do. The Whos will spare no expense when it comes to gifts, all caught up in the commercialization of the holiday, but countering that by saying it’s not the cost of the gift, it’s the thought that went into it. High above Whoville, a one-of-a-kind, solitary creature known as The Grinch dreads the coming day with the noise and the children’s laughter, and the singing, and the bells ringing, and the holiday feast featuring the Whos’ favorite, roast beast. The Grinch has finally had enough, so this year he plans to stop Christmas from happening by stealing everything in Whoville, from gifts to decorations to the holiday pudding and roast beast. They will have nothing and he will enjoy hearing the crying. Outfitting his dog Max with an antler tied to the top of his head, The Grinch boards his sleigh and Max guides them down the mountain to Whoville. But while cleaning out one house, little Cindy Lou Who wakes up and believes he is Santy Claus, but is confused as to why he’s taking everything. Well, that’s simple, there was a light that wasn’t working on the tree so he’s taking it to the North Pole to fix it. The girl accepts his explanation and he burgles the rest of the town, but the next morning there is no crying. Just singing. Could Mr. Grinch have been wrong about Christmas all along?
Jeremy Daniel
The show adds a few things to the basic Seuss story, showing more of the Whos engaged in frantic shopping, and Papa Who telling the children about the mean old Grinch. There is a scene with The Grinch in disguise getting supplies in Whoville to make his Santa suit, and an almost sweet scene that expands on The Grinch’s encounter with Cindy Lou, which almost shakes him enough right then and there to rethink his plan. Almost. One aspect of the show that is completely different — and may be kind of dark if you think too hard about it (as I did and I have questions), is that the story is being told by Old Max, who is weary and tired, going off somewhere to … that part is left to your imagination (unfortunately, I know a little too much about how animals behave in the wild when they’re old and weary … but maybe he’s just going on a well-deserved vacation, yeah, that’s it). It’s an interesting way to replace the Narrator from the cartoon, but it’s a little confusing at times when Old and Young Max are on stage at the same time, almost interacting. The show also features a collection of songs by Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason, as well as the iconic TV special songs, ‘Welcome Christmas’ and ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch’ by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss. The book by Timothy Mason also does a wonderful job of incorporating Seuss’ rhyming verse into the dialog, and while spoken by the characters it is reminiscent of Boris Karloff’s narration of the TV special. Set Designer John Lee Beatty has done a magnificent job of translating Seuss’ 2D drawings into three-dimensional objects, retaining the black-and-white line drawings from the book, with reds, pinks and white pops of color for the Whos, and green for The Grinch. The costumes by Robert Morgan, accurately recreating the odd shapes of Seuss’ characters, and the lighting by Craig Stelzenmuller also carry through with the color scheme making this show a visual feast, giving the impression that the cartoon itself has come to life right before your eyes, with many moments taken directly from and staged just like they were seen in the cartoon. There is also one really breathtaking moment when The Grinch and Max are flying down the mountain toward Whoville, the Grinch in his sleigh high above the stage, Max flying next to or in front of the sleigh, everything in constant motion. That scene almost rivals the DeLorean flying off the stage in Back to the Future, or the magic carpet in Aladdin. There is some real stage magic going on here and it was so exciting to behold.
Helping make all of this magic come to life is the stellar cast (keep in mind there are at least two companies performing in different cities at the same time). For this company, Ethan James Lynch, Anna Telfer, Alex Perone and Natalie Buster are terrific as the parents and grandparents of Cindy Lou Who. They always have a smile and are constantly upbeat, and even when a situation might be turning a bit dour, they still all manage to find a way to exude excessive cheerfulness. There are alternating Cindy Lou’s, and at the opening night performance Khloe Saclolo took to the stage, and was she ever adorable. She really was the embodiment of total innocence, and her sweet voice meshed perfectly with The Grinch’s in their duet ‘Santa for a Day’. The rest of the ensemble of Whovllians were also terrific, with wonderful voices, chipper personalities and expert dance moves.
Jeremy Daniel
The role of Old Max is played by Nicholas Hambruch, bringing a warmth to the old dog, but always with a twinkle in his eye as he thinks about his younger self. Hambruch also gets to sing the signature song ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch’, doing a nice job matching the deep bass of the cartoon’s singer, Thurl Ravenscroft. There is even a sing-along for the last verse of the song. Andrew Fleming takes on the role of Young Max, desperately trying to be The Grinch’s conscience, trying to talk him out of ruining Christmas (and even for Young Max, his story is kind of dark if you’re an adult and you think about how he’s treated by his master). Nonetheless, Fleming brings the exuberance of a puppy to the role, and no matter how bad things may be he still has a joyful outlook. He also does some amazing work as The Grinch is stealing everything, tossing objects in the air that Fleming has to run to and catch in the sack (I think he only missed one stocking). It was pretty amazing. If I have one nit to pick about Max — the production has strove to accurately reproduce the images from the book and cartoon, so it was a bit odd that the one change they made was to make Young Max black-and-white (Old Max was gray-and-grayer) instead of the traditional light brown with dark brown ears. He looked more like The Cat in the Hat than the Max we all know and love.
And The Grinch — just as he stole the show as Captain Hook in the Peter Pan revival tour in 2024, Cody Garcia is again fabulous as The Grinch. I will say this in the most complimentary way possible, but Garcia gives off some real Tim Curry vibes up on that stage. Garcia has obviously done their homework as well, having studied the animated Grinch, getting the body language down perfectly, the tapping of the fingers at times totally reminiscent of the original animated Grinch. Not to say that they’re just doing an expert imitation. No, Garcia breathes new life into The Grinch, making even his most awful traits funny, their facial expressions almost saying more than words ever could. Garcia seems to be having a ball in the role, especially in the few moments they get to break the forth wall and address the audience. And they make The Grinch’s transformation at the end totally believable, with a nice in-costume effect to show The Grinch’s heart growing three sizes. Garcia also has a powerful voice and manages to hold their own even during a chaotic number with all of the Whos at the top of the show. The Grinch might have stolen and returned Christmas, but Garcia totally steals the show and runs away with it.
If you’re looking for some good, wholesome family entertainment for the holidays, you cannot go wrong with Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. A great cast and a visual feast make this one Christmas gift you’ll always remember.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical runs about 85 minutes with no intermission. Recommended for all ages, although please know your children’s limits before attending. It’s a short show but having to get up midway through is very disruptive to those around you.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical runs through November 30 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the tour include Denver, Cleveland, Memphis, Charlotte, Washington DC and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – National Tour (2025)
Crossroads Live and Running Subway
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
