The Grinch Opens! *Updated with Reviews*

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 12:13am

Happy Opening!

Updated On: 11/8/06 at 12:13 AM

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 7:09am

YAY GRINCH! I cannot wait to see it!

[worrell4077]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 1:06pm

I got tickets for December 10th. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 3:15pm

going to see it 5 times, saw it once already. i am only doing this because i have a friend in it.

good luck!

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 3:17pm

How many songs are in this show?

[MotorTink]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 5:37pm

I loved it when I saw it in previews. However, I taped the Today show yesterday, and I was not impressed with their performance. Oh well, it was a 2 minute thing, only so much you can do with it!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 5:56pm

songs...

Who Likes Christmas?
I Hate Christmas Eve
Whatchama Who
Welcome, Christmas
I Hate Christmas Eve (reprise)
Once in a Year
One of a Kind
Now's the Time
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Santa for a Day
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (reprise)
Who Likes Christmas? (reprise)
One of a Kind (reprise)
Welcome, Christmas (reprise)
Finale
Who Likes Christmas? (reprise)

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 6:02pm

that's a fair amount of songs...i'm assuming some of them are brief? correct?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 6:08pm

some of the reprises, I guess. yeah...

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 9:16pm

Are there any reviews out yet?

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 9:22pm

It's 9:20

[James2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 9:24pm

Talkin Broadway's review is up:

As red and white as a candy cane and twice as sweet, the new musical production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Hilton screams three things: Christmas (duh), good cheer, and Target.

Staunch foes of the corporatization of Broadway will probably be driven apoplectic by the retail giant's involvement with this production, which originated at San Diego's Old Globe. Target has a prominent Playbill credit just below the show's title - in a larger font than the name of the Dr. Seuss book on which this musical is based - and beyond the color scheme of some 93% of John Lee Beatty's set and Robert Morgan's costumes, there's also the little matter of the company's barely camouflaged logo showing up rather ubiquitously in the design.

No, it's not always pleasant. But do try to look past it: The show struggling to make itself seen from beneath a mountain of merchandising possibilities isn't half bad, or even a third bad. In fact, when it's allowed to connect to the innocent, imaginative fun that characterized the original Seuss book, it's a delightful theatrical sleigh ride.

It never soars higher than when it sticks closely to the lines and lyrics that originated with Seuss himself, aka Theodor Geisel. His intricate rhyming, as always a combination of real and whimsically invented words and phrases, somehow seem even more appropriate to the holiday season than they do describing scenarios of, say, animals dressed in various bits of human clothing. And his child- and adult-friendly worldview, expressed here in the story of a giant green monster who robs the neighboring Whos down in Whoville of their Christmas trappings but not their Christmas spirit, made an ideal companion piece to the other Big Poem of the season, "The Night Before Christmas," when it first appeared in print in the 1950s.

While the book found (and continues to enjoy) great success, for children of the last couple of generations the story is best known from the classic 1966 Chuck Jones TV special, which remains a perennial holiday fixture. With Seuss's own lyrics set to music by Albert Hague, scream king Boris Karloff as the narrator and Grinch, and Thurl Ravenscroft basso-profundoing the timeless "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," this is what many people think of when they think of the Grinch - or, really Seuss at all.

So any retelling of this story is doomed to compete with this, and will probably be found wanting. (See the Jim Carrey film adaptation from a few years back. Or better yet, don't.) Neither the seven new songs from Timothy Mason (lyrics) and Mel Marvin (music), nor Mason's book, will erase memories of what's come before or, sadly, stay with you for very long. (Mason and Marvin have tried every trick in the book to get their "Who Likes Christmas?" opener/closer to linger in the ear, to no avail.) They pad out a bit of the story, giving a bit of weight to a few of the Whos and making the Grinch a tad - but only a tad - more sympathetic. The writers make nothing but sensible theatrical choices, even if foisting the burden of depth on characters like Cindy Lou Who or the Grinch's dog, Max, sometimes threatens to crack the story's fragile, but not inconsiderable, charm.

For the most part, Mason and Marvin restrain themselves and let the story do its own talking, usually to pleasing - if seldom side-splitting - effect. If most of their new words aren't really recognizable Seuss, they're decent approximations. And if some choices are more head-scratching than heart-warming - do the Grinch and Cindy Lou really need to share a power ballad? - they never put much of a damper on the show's entertainment value. It's not the TV special, but it's a model of tight dramatic construction compared to the last Seuss musical, Seussical, which opened on Broadway six years ago. Matt August's direction and John DeLuca's choreography (restaged by Bob Richard) are never groundbreaking, but do the job.

The production is also solidly cast, with Patrick Page a genially grumpy Grinch, Kaitlin Hopkins a hoot as a Who mother, Rusty Ross a nicely credible canine as Max, and a roster of secondary characters, many double-cast children. Those include Cindy Lou: I saw Nicole Bocchi (Caroline London is her alternate), and she had adorability to spare, even if her money notes could be a bit more secure when she duets with the Grinch. (Since her age is likely still in the single digits - though, like a seasoned pro, she doesn't state it in her Playbill bio - she's got plenty of time.)

Of most interest to regular theatregoers is John Cullum as the narrator, an older version of Max. Firm a singer and personality as he might be, Cullum's intoning of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" can't replace Ravenscroft's definitive rendition and, well, there's not that much else to the role. Still, his buoyant baritone and uncorkable stage presence count for a lot, and are the glossy ribbon on this brightly packaged seasonal entertainment. Say what you will about corporations' effects on Broadway, but as long as they find a way to cast people like Cullum in shows this harmlessly (if not flawlessly) fun, they're at least hitting their target.

Sounds like it is mixed-to-positive.

[James2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 10:13pm

bump

[James2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 10:19pm

Associated Press is mixed-to-positive, with positive things to say about Patrick Page:

The green meanie has all the fun, but then he is the most entertaining thing about the show with an impossibly long title: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! — The Musical."


This "Grinch" — to shorten things a bit — has been a regular crowd-pleaser for nine seasons at the Old Globe in San Diego and now a version has shown up in New York for the holidays, running through Jan. 7 at Broadway's cavernous Hilton Theatre.


The production is brief, less than 90 minutes, and appetizing to look at since set designer John Lee Beatty's wonderful Who-ville houses resemble gigantic ice-cream sundaes. But because of some ho-hum new songs, it's also a bit bland except when the Grinch, a deliciously dyspeptic fellow with green fur, is front and center.


The Grinch is played by Patrick Page who earned his villain stripes by portraying Scar in the Broadway production of "The Lion King." Page has a robust voice, whether speaking and singing. What's more he seems to be enjoying himself and his enthusiasm and show-biz flash rub off on the production, whose color palette trends toward an excess of red and white. Just Christmasy or a nod perhaps to Target, its corporate sponsor?


The story, for those who somehow have never heard of Seuss, concerns a creature who hates Christmas, most likely because, as the good doctor's classic children book says, the Grinch's "heart was two sizes too small."


So he decides to spoil the holiday for all the residents of Who-ville by stealing the children's presents and just about everything else connected with the festivities. But darn, if he isn't stopped in his tracks by little Cindy Lou Who. There's more to Christmas than getting gifts.


This stage version by Timothy Mason has to compete with the memory of the delightful TV animated version, which had Boris Karloff as narrator and was first shown in 1966. We won't talk about the 2000 Jim Carrey film adaptation.


Several musical numbers from television have been retained here — "Welcome, Christmas" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," and they still are the best songs in the show. The stage score, music by Mel Marvin and lyrics by Mason, is efficiently cheerful if not exactly memorable.


The Grinch's loyal canine companion, Max, is portrayed by Rusty Ross, who gets to perform the more athletic examples of John DeLuca's spirited choreography. Some of the older Whos are impersonated by a group of reliable musical-theater performers including Kaitlin Hopkins, Michael McCormick and Jan Neuberger who are barely recognizable in their elaborate costumes and makeup.


And there is a narrator, too — an older version of Max played by the Tony-winning John Cullum, best known for his starring roles in such musicals as "Shenandoah" and "On the Twentieth Century." The actor gives yeoman support to this venerable tale celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 11:47pm

Bump

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:17am

The Times (Isherwood):

"For anyone under the age of 45, or for that matter anyone with children under the age of 45, the television adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book is probably a beloved cultural touchstone. I confess it is for me.

_____________________________________________________________

At about 90 minutes the stage version suffers from a milder case of bloat. A tale that fit neatly into 26 televised minutes — to say nothing of a couple hundred lines of rhymed verse — inevitably feels protracted at thrice the length. It is considerably more faithful to the spirit and letter of the original material than the movie was, however, and so more pleasing.
_______________________________________________________________


"Rest easy, Grinch-o-philes: the two immortal tunes from the television special, by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss, are given prominent placement, with the mordant “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” used in a brief sing-along segment. The chorus is led by John Cullum, the Broadway veteran who narrates the show with crusty friendliness as Old Max, the Grinch’s unwilling canine accomplice, looking back on the misadventures of his youth. Rusty Ross plays the Young Max of indentured servitude and the sad lone reindeer horn.

The sets by John Lee Beatty carefully mimic Dr. Seuss’s signature style, with the huts of the Whos looking like cupcakes with melted frosting. Such fidelity is appreciated, but I’m not sure it was necessary for the costume designer, Robert Morgan, to accentuate so boldly (as the movie also did) the nonhuman nature of the Who species. The shape-shifting results suggest the more adventurous collections of Japanese fashion designers, incongruously sewn not in severe shades of gray and black but in candy-cane colors.

The lively whole seemed to please the legions of critics in the audience who really matter here, the 10-and-unders, who hardly stirred in their seats during those 90 minutes. That can confidently be taken as a sign of satisfaction, or at least contented distraction.

One exception was a the little girl who let out a long, soulful wail shortly after the Grinch, played with gargoyle-ish glee by Patrick Page, slunk onstage. In her defense I must say I shared a little of her discomfort. Covered as he was in skanky green fur, with Kabuki makeup turning his features vaguely feline, this Grinch brought to my mind an unhappy encounter with a road company of “Cats” in San Francisco I thought I’d expunged from memory. I almost started wailing myself.

Mr. Page soon won me over with his slyly epicene performance, which owes a modest debt to Tim Curry’s delicious Dr. Frank-N-Furter from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The Grinch’s razzle-dazzle ode to his own specialness, “One of a Kind,” written and staged as a takeoff on the glittering climax of Broadway’s current “Chicago” (or so I imagine), and performed in front of a curtain of green tinsel, was the show’s musical highlight for me.

Later, as the tenderhearted Cindy Lou Who prepared to sing her big solo number, Mr. Page growled out the evening’s most appealing line, at least for the saccharin-averse adults in the audience. As tinkling strains of a distinctly sentimental nature stirred from the orchestra pit, Mr. Page turned to the audience and growled most grinchily, “Oh, it’s a ballad!”

And what a ballad. “Santa for a Day,” the song in question, makes that syrupy anthem from “Annie” that I hardly need to name seem like a paean to pessimism in comparison. I will spare you the lyrics. When Cindy Lou followed it up with a confidence-building pep talk with the Grinch that began to resemble an actual therapy session in both length and tone, my patience began to weaken.

But oh dear. I’d better stop right there. It may be my imagination, but as I type these words I seem to see green fur sprouting from the backs of my hands."




http://theater2.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/theater/reviews/09grin.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1163052411-UfoKLhV5udRUKdFipN0UkA

Updated On: 11/9/06 at 01:17 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:17am

Updated On: 11/9/06 at 01:17 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:21am

Newsday hates it:

"Disney need not fear the thunder of hoofbeats ("presented by Target") over its shoulder. "Grinch's" constant repetitions of simpleton songs might work for a patient 3-year-old or a really sad 83-year-old, but those of us in the big-tent middle should find distraction elsewhere.

To plump up the thin story, this "Grinch" is framed as a memory play narrated by Old Max, the dog who served the ogre the night of the Christmas theft. What a pleasure to recognize the tangy voice and bemused presence of John Cullum inside the mangy suit with the big fluffy tail.

Cullum can do just about anything. One wishes he hadn't chosen to do it here. As narrator, he introduces Who village, populated by happy wobble-walking Who folk, dressed in Robert Morgan's candy-cane-colored, elfin-footed costumes with bouffant bellies and chemise knees.

He also introduces the Grinch, the big weedy green guy who lives "up in the ice and fog" with puppyish Young Max (Rusty Ross). The songs ask and tell us (with a "Who's on first?" lack of self-control) that "Who Likes Christmas?"

Then the Grinch, performed with mild ominousness and an ill-advised pelvic grind by Patrick Page, sings "I Hate Christmas Eve." The theme - Who likes Christmas/Grinch hates Christmas - is reprised over and over. Also, "Welcome, Christmas" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Yes, there is a sing-along. Also, a confetti drop.

The sets, by no less a master than John Lee Beatty, integrate Dr. Seuss' cross-hatch drawing style with cottages that look like sugar cupcakes. A pair of parents and a pair of grandparents are played by adults. Otherwise, enthusiastic child actors sing and dance.

Although the Grinch learns that "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store/Maybe Christmas is a little bit more," merchandise is hawked in the lobby. A $40 hoody, little girl?"

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etsecw4965732nov09,0,5599518.story?coll=ny-theater-headlines

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:25am

Theatremania is somewhat positive:

"There will be many sights to warm a frosty heart this Holiday season, from the Rockettes dancing on the stage of Radio City to the lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree. But none are likely to bring me the same glow as seeing that consummate musical theater star John Cullum, dressed in furry-eared cap, a gray sweater, and a full furry tail, belting out the words to "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch," about halfway through Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, the charming, family-friendly extravaganza here for a three-month run at the Hilton Theatre.
In the pantheon of the memorable characters that Cullum has played on Broadway over the past 45 years -- Don Quixote, Edward Rutledge, Charlie Anderson, Oscar Jaffe, and Caldwell P. Cladwell to name a few -- the role of Old Max, the now-elderly dog looking back at the adventures of his younger self (the completely adorable Rusty Ross) and that nasty, wasty skunk of a master, the Grinch (Patrick Page), certainly pales in comparison. Still, Cullum brings to the part all of his considerable skill, a feat sure to be fully appreciated by the many adults in the audience.

And believe me, there will be plenty of adults there -- some without kids -- reveling in the nostalgia of the beloved book and the classic 30-minute CBS cartoon version that remains a wintertime tradition. This musical is a tradition in itself on the West Coast; it has delighted audiences -- in a somewhat less elaborate form -- at San Diego's Old Globe for the past eight years. At 70 minutes, it's the perfect length to keep the young ones entertained without trying the patience of the older set.

_______________________________________________________________


For all of the tale's basic simplicity, this new version, directed by Matt August and supervised by its original creator/director, the great Jack O'Brien, has a few big-scale tricks up its sleeve for visual excitement -- along with the excellent cartoon-inspired sets of John Lee Beatty, Robert Morgan's delightfully inventive costumes, and the puppet wizardry of Michael Curry, all of which make it worthy of Broadway ticket prices.

What the show could use to make it a total success is a much better score. The two famed songs from the cartoon (with music by Albert Hague) have been augmented by eight pleasant if mostly unmemorable numbers by Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason. Most get a reprise, and they still don't linger in the memory past the curtain call. More disappointing is that the score -- or really much else here -- doesn't take advantage of the first-rate adult performers, including the fabulous Kaitlin Hopkins, Michael McCormick, Price Waldman, and Jan Neuburger, who play the adult Whos.

Then again, this is supposed to be the Grinch's show. In what I suspect is a concerted effort not to frighten the youngest audience members, Page is more sardonic than scary; he was far more terrifying as Scar in The Lion King. Nevertheless, this consistently fine actor has a commanding, fully engaging presence, and he plays his one big solo, "One of a Kind," with the kind of pizazz that would make Liza Minnelli jealous.

While there are many messages in How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the one I remember is that deep down, even the meanest of us want to be really, really liked. Even theater critics."


http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/9400

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:28am

Oh Boy! Well, a least Christmas Carol bets this show based on a few credentials. Grinch really was a bad replica of A Christmas Carol.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 1:29am

Variety is Mixed:

"Considering that the Hilton Theater lobby is bursting with tie-in merchandise, it's ironic that "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical" retains the book's moral that Christmas isn't about presents at all. However, this is hardly the first show to profit from the idea that materialism is wrong, and as mixed messages go, it's entertaining. Buoyed by gorgeous design and a saucy star turn from Patrick Page, "The Grinch" likely will satisfy family crowds in search of holiday spectacle.
Those seeking a memorable book and songs will be disappointed, however. The strongest material comes from Seuss, who uses his famously clever rhyming couplets to explain how a furry meanie tries to ruin Christmas for a group of elfin villagers called the Whos.

________________________________________________________________


The story obviously needed more characters to fill out 65 minutes, but Mason might have done better to fully develop a few Whos than to write so many flat archetypes.

Cullum and Rusty Ross, as Young Max, also are handed limp roles. Cullum seems disinterested, but Ross invests his single objective -- to be good-naturedly miffed at the Grinch's cruelty -- with physical energy. Bounding and tumbling, he's the kind of puppy you want to scratch behind the ears.

The script gives more meat to the Grinch, whose villainy is now self-righteous. In "One of a Kind" -- the only new song to approach the cartoon's anthems "Welcome, Christmas" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," both included here -- he declares how proud he is to be the lone member of his species. Page makes it a showstopper: Selling every high-kick and standing before a shimmering green curtain, he declares his superiority like a children's book Velma Kelly.

But Page is too clever to make the Grinch a campy bitch. More accurately, he's a cad, charming even when he's scaring kids in the audience. Sighing with delight, he says, "I love it when the little ones cry."

Director Matt August (following the template of Jack O'Brien's original production from San Diego's Old Globe) is hell-bent on keeping the little ones occupied. He makes most scenes loud and busy, as though afraid tots will lose interest. But while it may be shrill, August's mania seems to work. At the perf reviewed, tykes stayed largely attentive.

Both for John Lee Beatty's sets and Robert Morgan's costumes drew aud "oohs." Designers use the eye-popping palette of cartoons, and their clothes and props are jokily oversized.

Beatty particularly copies Seuss' inked illustrations, making all the Who houses look like cutouts from a book. In a funny recurring bit, he shows the perspective from the top of Mt. Crumpit, where the Grinch glares down on Whoville, by sliding on miniature cottages filled with Michael Curry's wee Who puppets.

Those flourishes will give parents enough to ogle, even if their minds wander from the story. In the end, everyone may be happy enough to join the show-closing sing-along before heading to the lobby to buy a collectible doll."



http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932069.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 6:39am

well, at least it got some positive notes

[James2]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 7:40am

Clive Barnes gives it one-and-a-half stars

November 9, 2006 -- THE "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" that opened last night at the Hilton is certainly a lot better than "Seussical: The Musical," of awesome memory.

So much for the good news.

Mel Marvin's characterless music sounds bland enough to give modesty a bad name, and the two best songs in the show are, it seems, survivors from an earlier musicalization, with music by Albert Hague (composer of Broadway's "Redhead") and lyrics by Dr. Seuss himself.

Still, the show's intermissionless 80 minutes should prove easy on a child's attention span, and harmless, with a book and lyrics by Timothy Mason that are only a little worse than that seductively magical Seuss doggerel verse.

The performances of the happy Who inhabitants from Whoville, from whom the long-fingered, small-hearted Grinch intended to steal Christmas, are all adequately charming or charmingly adequate.

Stylish performances come from that brilliant Broadway veteran John Cullum in the role of the old dog Max as narrator of the tale, and a lively Rusty Ross as Max's younger self.

In the lead is Patrick Page, who plays the infamous Grinch with old-time Shakespearean relish on green eggs and ham - which I liked.

The entire shebang originated at Jack O'Brien's distinguished Old Globe Theater in San Diego, where it's been a Christmas perennial for many years, although this Broadway staging has new sets (by John Lee Beatty) and costumes (by Robert Morgan).

But I couldn't help but notice - along with the words, in tiny type, "Presented by Target" under the title on the Playbill - that the show's design and color, though in many ways faithful to Dr. Seuss' original drawings, appear to be one extended subliminal plug for the retailer, along the lines of its cleverly ambiguous TV spots.

(Target, in response to this observation in yesterday's Post, contends that any changes made to the show for its Broadway run were completed months before it signed on as a sponsor, and were purely made for the larger-scale theater.)

So call it "How Product Placement Stole Broadway," or even: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" by targeting a sitting-duck audience.

Don't be surprised if your kids gravitate toward a certain store in the shopping mall. Merry Christmas, said Tiny Tim!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11092006/entertainment/theater/grinch_knows_target_audience_theater_clive_barnes.htm

[BROADWAYFAN3]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 8:01am

THE 10 AND 12 YEARS OLDS I TOOK BOTH GAVE IT 4 STARS. BEING THE SAME AGE AS THE GRINCH - I RELATED TO THE STORY. IT WAS A FUN ENJOYABLE KIDS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANY CRITIC REVIEWING THIS ON ANY OTHER BASIS IS AN IDIOT

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 12:22pm

I know there are haters, but I love Clark from Broadway.com's Word of Mouth:

Clark, 6, Student
"He's this big guy that's very hairy and green and he tries to steal Christmas. I didn't read the book, I didn't see the movie. I don't know what it was about! I thought that it was a little bit boring. They wore very crazy clothes with dots and white and red and squiggle suaggle thingie-mabobbies. I didn't like the show as much as the other shows that I've seen."

http://www.broadway.com/gen/general.aspx?ci=540130