''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'', or simply ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical'', is a seasonal musical stage adaptation of the 1957 Dr. Seuss book '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!''. Versions of the musical have been produced since the 1990s, including a Broadway production that ran during two Christmas seasons.

Productions

Minneapolis

Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis first commissioned ''Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' in 1994. In 2022, they presented their version of the show for the 10th time.

San Diego

The musical was performed at the

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which is collec ...

, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, where it has run every Christmas season since 1998. The production was directed by Jack O'Brien. This version featured songs from the 1966 animated television special, which had music by Albert Hague and lyrics by Seuss. Newcomer

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens ( ; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (200 ...

played Cindy Lou Who (in 1998 and 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, Jeff Skowron, and

Andrew Polec Andrew Polec (born 28 January 1989) is an actor on both stage and TV, singer and songwriter, best known for originating the role of Strat in Jim Steinman's ''Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical'' from 2016 to 2019, right from the show's workshop through ...

. Notable actors who have played Old Max include Ken Page, Steve Gunderson, and John Treacy Egan. 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 Foraze" (which was part of the television special).

Broadway

The musical was produced on Broadway by Running Subway (James Sanna). This version with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason, original score by Mel Marvin, was directed by Matt August and created and conceived by Jack O'Brien. Patrick Page starred as the Grinch. The Broadway production debuted on November 8, 2006, at the Foxwoods Theatre (then the Hilton theatre) for the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

season and closed on January 7, 2007. This production was the first Broadway musical to play 12 performances a week."''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!: The Musical''"
BroadwayWorld.com In the first week of December 2006, the musical topped the Broadway Box Office grosses, ending '' Wickeds top-grossing streak that had lasted 100 weeks. The musical began a 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 March 2, 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 ...

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. The show remained dark due to failed negotiations. The producers 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 over the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

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 is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland, from November 11 to 23, 2008, and then played the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, 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 as the Grinch, Walter Charles as Old Max, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Young Max.

2009: Los Angeles

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

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, 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 television shows since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''B ...

had initially signed on to play the Grinch, but later withdrew and was replaced by Stefánsson. John Larroquette 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 List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, Nebraska,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, Texas, Tempe, Arizona and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. Stefánsson played the Grinch, and Carly Tamer and Brooke Lynn Boyd alternated as Cindy Lou Who. In 2011, another tour played Providence, Rhode Island,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia,

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California. Stefánsson 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 to Bloomington, Indiana,

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, Connecticut, Richmond, Virginia,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan, with Stefánsson as the Grinch. In 2013, the production toured to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio, Durham, North Carolina, Rochester and Buffalo, New York, and

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas, with Stefánsson as the Grinch. In 2014, the toured visited Springfield, Missouri,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

and

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

, Oklahoma,

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, New Mexico,

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, Utah,

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

and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 o ...

, California, and

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado. The Grinch was played by Shuler Hensley. In 2015, the production toured to Worcester, Massachusetts,

, Michigan, Appleton, Wisconsin, Columbus, Ohio, and

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

and

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

and

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

, Florida. Stefánsson returned as the Grinch, with Bob Lauder as Old Max, and Genny Gagnon and Rachel Katzke as Cindy Lou Who. In 2019, the production toured to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Nevada, Denver, and Detroit. Philip Bryan and Rachel Ling Gordon performed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who respectively.

2018: Madison Square Garden

The musical played December 13 through December 30 at the Hulu Theater. The Grinch was played by Gavin Lee, after Stefánsson's death in August.

2019: UK tour

The musical made its UK premiere on a tour from November 1, 2019 to January 5, 2020, stopping 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, w ...

, SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Edinburgh Festival Theatre,

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 ...

and The Lowry, Salford.

2020: TV Special

A poorly received television adaptation titled '' Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live!'' premiered on December 9, 2020, on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. Matthew Morrison plays The Grinch, Denis O'Hare plays Old Max, Booboo Stewart 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*" – Old Max, Young Max and the Grinch * "Santa for a Day" – Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch * " You're a Mean One, Mr. 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical 1994 musicals Broadway musicals Adaptations of works by Dr. Seuss One-act musicals Christmas musicals The Grinch (franchise)