Starring Mathew Morrison, Amelia Minto, Dennis O'Hare, and Booboo Stewart
Directed by Julia Knowles and Max Webster
Music by Mel Marvin; Lyrics by Timothy Mason
Christmas Story isn't the only familiar holiday property that's been adapted for stage and TV in the last decade. This is the fourth version of Dr. Seuss' beloved story about the green miser who tries to ruin Christmas Day for the holiday-loving Whos. How does this one compare to original animated short and the big-screen live action and animated adaptations? Let's start with an older Max the Dog (O'Hare) as he introduces us to his memories of Whoville long ago and find out...
The Story: All the Whos down in Whoville like Christmas a lot, but the grouchy Grinch (Morrison), who lives on Mount Crumpet, does not. His frisky dog Max (Stewart) thinks the holiday hoopla is wonderful, but all the Grinch hears and sees are Whos buying gifts and their children making too much noise. He's so fed up, he dresses himself as Santa and Max as a reindeer on Christmas Eve and goes down to the valley to steal the Whos' Christmas decorations and presents. It takes sweet little Cindy Lou Who (Minto) and the Whos celebrating the holiday no matter what to make him understand why "Christmas doesn't come from a store. Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
The Song and Dance: Sweetly silly show is jammed full of songs, despite its relatively short running time. Minto is an adorable and funny Cindy Lou, and once again, we have terrifically talented kids having a great time playing with their noisy toys in the chorus. Gary Wilmot and Claire Matchin have a few amusing moments as perky Grandma and cynical Grandpa Who, especially during the "Thought That Counts" shopping sequence and right before the Grinch invades Whoville. And if nothing else, they make the Whos too mean-spirited or go heavily into an unnecessary backstory for the Grinch like the big-screen live-action adaptation did.
Favorite Number: We open and close with "Who Likes Christmas?" as the Whos happily decorate for their favorite holiday. Old and Young Max recall why "This Time of the Year" is so beloved, and how it felt to share it with a grumpy Grinch. The Grinch grumbles about why "I Hate Christmas," first with Max on Mount Crumpet, and then with the kids when they play obnoxiously with their loud toys. The citizens of Whoville remind each other that "It's the Thought that Counts" when they go shopping downtown. The Grinch shows up incognito in cowboy gear, but he doesn't understand why they're having so much fun. Later, Max reminds him why he's "One of a Kind."
Cindy Lou makes that small heart of the Grinch's start to grow with the gentle ballad "Santa for a Day." "Where are You, Christmas?" and "Welcome Christmas" from the live-action and 1966 animated Grinch turn up at the end as songs for the Who family. They lament their lost gifts...then realize they still have each other.
Trivia: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical debuted on Broadway as a limited holiday run in 2006. It's subsequent history is nearly identical to Christmas Story: The Musical. It too showed up at Madison Square Garden the following Christmas, turned up in traveling shows seen during the Christmas season through 2019, and is also popular with regional theaters.
It was supposed to have been filmed live, but was scaled back to two days of filming in England due to the COVID pandemic.
What I Don't Like: Morrison himself is the biggest problem. He's too fey and campy to be the mean and miserly Grinch. The makeup makes him look more like a long-haired green rock star than a character out of Seuss, even with the green face. In fact, the production looks rather cheap for a fantasy. The sets are likely supposed to be based after Seuss' artwork from the original book, but they're really boring onstage, and the colorful costumes more closely resemble a bargain-basement performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Every version of The Grinch that clocks in at longer than a half-hour has trouble with padding. There just isn't enough for this simple story for even an hour-and-a-half musical. The "Thought That Counts" sequence is cute but completely unnecessary to the story, other than introducing the red rocking horse Cindy Lou wants so badly (and that the Grinch will take away). And this is the second live musical in a row I've seen with a narrator it doesn't need. Old Max is more annoying than funny, and his narration doesn't really add much more to the story than the older Ralphie's did.
The Big Finale: In the end, I think Seuss is too whimsical to pull off in live-action, whether onstage or on the screen. I'm not a fan of the Jim Carrey Grinch from 2000, either. That one was too mean-spirited to be fun; this one is too flat, with an inappropriate Grinch and dull production. Only if you're a huge Seuss or Grinch fan or are desperately in need of something to show the kiddes while they wait to open presents on Christmas Eve.
Home Media: Seems to be a Peacock streaming exclusive at the moment.
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