''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'', or simply ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'', is a seasonal musical adaptation of the 1957

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...

''.

Productions

Minneapolis

Children's Theatre Company The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theater established in 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young. The theater is the largest theater for multigenerational audiences in ...

in Minneapolis first commissioned ''Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' in 1994. In 2022, the production was presented by Children's Theatre Company for the 10^th time.

San Diego

The musical was performed at the Old Globe Theatre, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, where it has run every Christmas season since 1998. The Old Globe production was directed by Jack O'Brien. This version featured songs from the television special, which had music by

Albert Hague Albert Hague (born Albert Marcuse, October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German–born American songwriter and actor. Early life Hague was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist a ...

and lyrics by Seuss. A then-unknown Vanessa Hudgens played

Cindy Lou Who ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by ste ...

(from 1998 to 1999). The original cast also featured Guy Paul as The Grinch, Don Lee Sparks as Old Max, and Rusty Ross as Young Max. Notable subsequent Grinches at the Old Globe include Jay Goede,

Steve Blanchard Steve Blanchard (born December 4, 1958) is an American stage actor and singer best known for his musical theatre roles, being most closely associated with the role of Beast in the musical ''Beauty and the Beast'', which he played on Broadway for e ...

, and Andrew Polec. Notable actors who have played Old Max include

Ken Page Ken Page (born January 20, 1954) is an American actor and singer. Page created the role of "Ken" in the original Broadway production of '' Ain't Misbehavin, and played the role of " Old Deuteronomy" in both the original Broadway and filmed st ...

Steve Gunderson Steven Craig Gunderson (born May 10, 1951) is an American former politician who was a Republican U.S. Representative for representing Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district from 1981 to 1997, when he was succeeded by Democrat Ron Kind. After l ...

, and

John Treacy Egan John Treacy Egan (born July 10, 1962) is an American actor and singer. Early life Egan was born in New York City. He attended the Rye Country Day School and graduated from SUNY Purchase. Career Egan first appeared off-Broadway in '' When Pig ...

. For the 2007 Christmas season, three new songs were added to both this and the subsequent Broadway production. These songs are "This Time of Year", "It's the Thought That Counts" and "Fah Who Doraze" (which was part of the 1966 animated television special).

Broadway

The musical was transferred to Broadway by Running Subway (James Sanna). This version with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason, original score by Mel Marvin, directed by Matt August and created and conceived by Jack O'Brien. The Broadway production debuted on November 8, 2006 at the

Foxwoods Theatre The Lyric Theatre (previously known as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, the Hilton Theatre, and the Foxwoods Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 214 West 43rd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened i ...

(then the Hilton theatre) for the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

season and closed on January 7, 2007. This production is notable for being the first

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical to offer 12 performances a week.Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!: The Musical on BroadwayWorld.co

/ref> In the first week of December 2006, the musical topped the Broadway Box Office grosses, putting an end to '' Wicked (musical), Wickeds top-grossing streak that had lasted 100 weeks. The musical began its second limited run at the St. James Theatre on November 9, 2007 with Patrick Page returning to the title role and starring

John Cullum John Cullum (born circa 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and '' On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Mu ...

as Old Max. It was originally planned that the show would run continuously with up to 15 performances a week until January 6, 2008, but the show was halted before the morning matinee of November 10 as a result of the

2007 Broadway stagehand strike 2007 Broadway Stagehands Strike was a strike action by stagehands represented by Theatrical Protective Union Number One (Local One) of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) against the Shubert, Jujamcyn, and Nederlander ...

. The show remained dark due to failed negotiations. On November 19 the show's general manager, David Waggett, announced that Local One had agreed to continue to work on the show due to the unique contracts with the show's stagehands, but later the same day the owners of St. James Theatre issued a statement that the musical will not reopen until the strike affecting all of Broadway had been settled. The producers of the musical brought the matter to court and were granted an injunction enabling the show to resume on November 23. The musical staged a total of 11 performances for the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

weekend (November 23 to 25), an unusual occurrence for Broadway shows.

2008: US tour

A limited-engagement tour ran during the Christmas season of 2008. The musical started at the Hippodrome in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

from November 11 to 23, and then played the

Citi Performing Arts Center The Boch Center (formerly Citi Performing Arts Center and Wang Center for the Performing Arts) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. It manages the historic Wang and Shubert theatres on Tremont S ...

Wang Theatre The Wang Theatre is a theatre in Boston. It originally opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre and was later renamed the Music Hall. It was designed by Clarence Blackall and is located at 252–272 Tremont Street in the Boston Theatre Distr ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

from November 26 to December 28. Matt August directed the show, with John DeLuca as original choreographer and Bob Richard as co-choreographer. The cast included

Stefán Karl Stefánsson Stefán Karl Stefánsson (; ; 10 July 1975 – 21 August 2018) was an Icelandic actor and singer. He was best known for portraying Robbie Rotten, the antagonist of the children's television series '' LazyTown''. Career Stefán Karl's career ...

(who is best remembered for playing the role of Robbie Rotten on the children's TV series '' LazyTown'') starring as the Grinch,

Walter Charles Walter Charles (born April 4, 1945 in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) is an American actor and singer. Charles made his Broadway debut in '' Grease'' in 1972. Additional Broadway credits include '' 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue'' (1976), ''Sweeney Tod ...

as Old Max, and

Andrew Keenan-Bolger Andrew Keenan-Bolger is an American actor. He is best known for originating the roles of Crutchie in ''Newsies'', and Jesse Tuck in '' Tuck Everlasting'' on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include Robertson Ay in ''Mary Poppins'', Jojo in ' ...

as Young Max.

2009: Los Angeles

In 2009, the musical was produced at the Pantages Theatre in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Picture ...

, and ran from November 10 to December 27.

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

had initially signed on to play the Grinch, but later withdrew and was replaced by Stefán Karl.

John Larroquette John Bernard Larroquette (; born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the NBC military drama series '' Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (1976–1978), the NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' (1984–1992; for which he rec ...

starred as Old Max, with Kayley Stallings and Issadora Ava Tulalian as Cindy Lou Who, and James Royce as Young Max.

2010–2015: North American National Tours

In 2010, a North American tour ran in the cities of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, Tempe and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Stefán Karl performed as the Grinch and Carly Tamer and Brooke Lynn Boyd alternated as Cindy Lou Who. In 2011, the tour played

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. Stefán Karl again performed as the Grinch, with Bob Lauder as Old Max, Seth Bazacas as Young Max, Brance Cornelius as Papa Who, and Serena Brook as Mama Who and Brooke Lynn Boyd as Cindy Lou Who. In 2012, the production toured North America playing in Bloomington,

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, with Stefán Karl performing as the Grinch. In 2013, the production toured North America playing in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, Buffalo and

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, with Stefán Karl performing as the Grinch. In 2014, the production toured North America with showings planned in Springfield,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The Grinch was played by

Shuler Hensley Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor. Early life Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former Georgia T ...

. In 2015, the production toured in North America with shows in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, Appleton,

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

and

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Stefán Karl performed as Grinch, Bob Lauder as Old Max, and Genny Gagnon and Rachel Katzke as Cindy Lou Who. In 2019, the production toured in North America with shows in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. Philip Bryan performed as Grinch and Rachel Ling Gordon as Cindy Lou Who.

2018: Madison Square Garden

The musical played December 13 through December 30 at the

Hulu Theater The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600, and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is located beneath the main Madison ...

. The Grinch was played by

Gavin Lee Gavin Lee (born 15 October 1971) is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical '' Mary Poppins'', in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway c ...

due to Stefán Karl's death in August.

2019: UK tour

The musical made its UK premiere on a tour beginning at

New Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Listed building, Grade II listed Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. B ...

(1 - 3 November 2019) before touring to SEC Armadillo, Glasgow (13 - 17 November),

Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was open ...

(20 - 24 November),

Edinburgh Festival Theatre The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (originally Empire Palace Theatre and later shortened to Empire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, larg ...

(26 November - 1 December),

The Alexandra, Birmingham The Alexandra, commonly known as the Alex, is a theatre on Suffolk Queensway in Birmingham, England. History Construction of the theatre commenced in 1900 and was completed in 1901. The architects were Owen & Ward and the theatre was opened on 2 ...

(3 - 8 December) and The Lowry, Salford (10 December - 5 January 2020).

2020: TV Special

A poorly received television adaptation titled ''

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live! ''Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical'' is an American Christmas musical television special that aired on NBC on December 9, 2020. It is a performance of an adaptation of the 2006 musical ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'', which ...

'' premiered on December 9, 2020 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television show ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2009–2015). He has s ...

plays The Grinch,

Denis O'Hare Denis Patrick Seamus O'Hare (born January 17, 1962) is an American actor, singer, and author noted for his award-winning performances in the plays '' Take Me Out'' and ''Sweet Charity'', as well as portraying vampire king Russell Edgington on HB ...

plays Old Max,

Booboo Stewart Nils Allen "Booboo" Stewart Jr. (born January 21, 1994) is an American actor. He is known for playing Seth Clearwater in '' The Twilight Saga'', Warpath in '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'', Jay in the Disney television film franchise '' Descenda ...

plays Young Max and Amelia Minto plays Cindy Lou Who.

Musical numbers

* "Who Likes Christmas?" – Citizens of Whoville * "This Time of Year" – Old Max and Young Max * "I Hate Christmas Eve" – The Grinch, Young Max and the Whos * "Whatchama Who" – The Grinch and the Little Whos * "Welcome, Christmas*" – Citizens of Whoville * "I Hate Christmas Eve (Reprise)" – The Grinch * "It's the Thought That Counts" – The Citizens of Whoville * "One of a Kind" – The Grinch * "Now's the Time" – Papa Who, Mama Who, Grandma Who, Grandpa Who * "

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is a Christmas song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 animated special '' Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!''. History The lyrics were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the music ...

*" – Old Max, Young Max and the Grinch * "Santa for a Day" – Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch * "

(Reprise)*" – Old Max * "Who Likes Christmas? (Reprise)" – Citizens of Whoville * "One of a Kind (Reprise)" – Young Max, The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who * "This Time of Year (Reprise)" – Old Max * "Welcome, Christmas (Reprise)*" – Citizens of Whoville * "Santa For a Day (Reprise)" – Company * "Who Likes Christmas? (Reprise)" – Company * Music by Albert Hague, lyrics by Dr. Seuss

Casts

References

External links

Official Website

Official site of ''Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! The Musical'' at the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood CA

Internet Broadway Database listing for all productions

Old Globe Theatre site
{{Dr. Seuss 1994 musicals Broadway musicals Adaptations of works by Dr. Seuss One-act musicals Christmas musicals The Grinch (franchise)