here are three things that guarantee a holiday-musical box office success. 1) Strong hummable songs and dynamic voices to sing them. 2) A green super-villain-turned-sweetheart that looks like a cross between Cousin It, broccoli and Captain Caveman. 3) A 40-pound starlet with a giant pink bow and a “”wittle”” pink dress that sings all of Whooville a lullaby. Collected upon John Lee Beatty’s picturesque, snowy, Suessian set and projected by the bouncing riffs of Mel Marvin and colorful book and lyrics by Timothy Mason, “”How the Grinch Stole Christmas! 2003″” is a fun, light musical for the inner child as well as the outer caroler.
Guardian
The play begins with the brilliant Ken Page (lead in the original cast of “”Cats,”” winner of a Drama Desk Award for “”Ain’t Misbehavin'””) cast as Old Max, our narrator and guide. Page’s deep, reverberant voice serves as a warm blanket among the frozen sight before us as he leads us through the story of the Grinch, his old boss. Through his eyes, we see all of Whooville ‹ the land of perpetual Christmas where the stores are always colored in red and white and the inhabitants are shaped like candy and painted like ornaments. Only the Grinch, in his sulking green, stands out among the candy-cane-colored countryside.
Played by David Brannen, the Grinch struts about with a monsterly form that is a character all its own. Thankfully, there is no Jim Carrey and no cartoon, but a brooding, bombastic, and tender Grinch, the likes of which I have never before seen. It is his genuine affinity for tiny Cindy-Lou Who that truly melts away his frozen feelings of loathing. Unlike most children’s tales, cause and effect in this story is purposely and clearly motivated on both ends. Credit an adherence to the intent of the good doctor’s story and solid attention to detail by the director, Old Globe Jack O’Brien (who is also the Old Globe Artistic Director), for making these moments happen.
And talk about that Cindy-Lou Who! Though only a 6-year-old, Shawn Moriah Sullivan takes the stage like a pro and steps up to the demanding role. Surprisingly, this kid can work it. Not to mention the entire Young Who ensemble whose energy and exuberance lifted the show from a dry spell. The young-uns were featured in one of the opening numbers doing what kids do best: running around making noise ‹ a lot of it.
This year’s presentation of “”How The Grinch Stole Christmas!”” also incorporates festivities surrounding the Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) “”Seussentennial”” celebration. In commemoration of what would have been Geisel’s 100th birthday on March 2, 2004, the Old Globe will join in a year-long tribute to honor the legacy of Dr. Seuss. Visit http://www.theoldglobe.com for details.
“”Grinch”” runs at the Old Globe Theatre through Dec. 31: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m. and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets call (619) 23-GLOBE or visit www.theoldglobe.com. Tickets are $20 to $55 for adults and $15 to $25 for children under 17.
