With the Christmas season comes the good guys we’ve come to love so dearly like Charlie Brown, Rudolph, George Bailey and of course Santa Claus, but it’s also the time for holiday nemesis’s such as Ebenezer Scrooge, Mr. Potter, Burgermeister and the Whoville hater himself, The Grinch. Well, the famous Dr. Suess character, along with the Whos, can be seen at Cadillac Palace through December 16th in “How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical”.
Certainly far more suited for children, “The Grinch” is full of cartoon-like humor, silly songs with redundant choruses, rhyming dialogue, colorful costumes that are colorful and of course, a big, furry green Grinch. Bob Lauder narrates the story as “Old Max”, the Grinch’s faithful dog, and gets to display his powerful baritone pipes in the favorite “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”.
Though most songs aren’t very memorable, the couple that were are sure to stick in your head such as the case with “Who Likes Christmas?”. “The Grinch”, played by Stefan Karl, was as boisterous, hateful and conniving as one would expect him to be. An instant attraction once he took the stage, kids faces throughout the crowd lit up, showing awe and excitement, especially during a sequence when The Grinch appeared to be flying on his sled across the snowy banks to snatch Christmas from the Whos.
Though I am not sure which “Cindy-Lou Who” was performing the night I attended since two actors alternate performances, I will mention both names as having been outstanding in the role, Jenna Iacono and Georgia Kay Wise. Kudos of course to Stefan Karl, as well, for the great job he did in bringing The Grinch character to life.
“How The Grinch stole Christmas” is exactly what you would think it is – a big, vibrant show with lots of songs, childish jokes and lovable characters that stays true to the holiday classic that Dr. Suess created. It is a story of change in someone due to an unconditional good that squashes hatefulness.
For more information on “How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical”, visit www.broadwayinchicago.org.
