Bursting with costumes and stagecraft that grant a third dimension to the children's author's iconic illustrations, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" thrives on various meta-levels at the same time. It's an adaptation of a 1966 short animated film, which was adapted from the Dr. Seuss' book, which in turn gave way to live-action and animated feature-length films.
Each has a slightly different take on the source material and the backstory voids they've left, and the stage musical fills most of them in with wild aplomb.
The energetic core, of course, is Josh Woodie in the title role. With a hammy roast beast of a performance that might make Jim Carrey blush, Woodie shatters the fourth wall in witty, Deadpool-style heckles, careens up the side of the stage on an elevator and struts and gestures with haughty indifference as the Whos around him sing about his devious exploits. It's Woodie's party, and we are the guests who are just lucky to be there.
Serial scene stealer Emma Rose Marinoff, as Cindy Lou Who, in the wholesome, sweet yin to the Grinch's wretched yang. And in a reverent touch, Old Max W. Scott Stewart), looking back at his days as the Grinch's unwitting canine sidekick, serves as a barely reliable narrator and the baritone stand-in who cover Thurl Ravenscroft's incomparable 1966 theme song.
While the ensemble is saddled with a thankless job of serving as the backdrop to the Grinch's scenery-chewing, their meek choreography, performed in cumbersome cartoon costumes, is just what's needed to set the madcap, nostalgia-oozing tone. The lighting and background filters provide the illusion of cell-shaded scenery that recall nights of fevered Christmas anticipation, glued to the CRT set to watch the TV special with the fam.
While the throughline of togetherness snuffing out holiday commercialism settles for the backseat in the F1 race with the Grinch at the wheel, there's a spirited, community theater-style sense of jubilee to the proceedings. In the final act, when Old Max strikes up an audience sing-along to the title song, it's impossible not to grin and not notice everyone around you is doing the same.
Amid the merriment that is nothing short of magic, the Grinch isn't the only one whose heart grows two sizes.
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" plays through Nov. 16 at Centennial Hall. Buy tickets here.
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