There comes a moment early on in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,” when one thinks that maybe the Grinch had the right idea about all those Whos down in Whoville.
It’s a number titled “Who Likes Christmas?” and it’s a bright, burbling, cacophonous paean to the sort of crass commercialism that has become the hallmark of the holiday season, albeit with repeated rationale that it’s really “the thought that counts” when it comes to gift giving.
The pear-shaped, candy-cane colored Whos deliver this homily with a knowing wink —as if they are well aware that this phrase is typically an excuse for the fact that the gift being presented doesn’t measure up to the recipient’s expectations.
It’s a lengthy production number full of the “all the noise, noise, noise” that might easily drive the least Grinchiest person to mutter a few “Bah, humbugs!” under his or her breath.
But the number, annoying though it may be, is a way to show that the simple, and somewhat simplistic, Whos are not paragons of Yuletide virtues. Like those of us who do not reside in a world contained within a speck of dust on a clover flower, they are just as susceptible to the societal pressures of the marketplace as they keep some semblance of peace around the table bearing the roast beast.
Granted, all this is a little deep for a show whose primary audience was represented by the toddlers in the row behind me Tuesday at the Tulsa PAC, where they kept up a steady stream of commentary from start to finish —”That’s scary!” “Where’s the Grinch now?” etc. One thing I can affirm is that they were never less than captivated by all the cavorting of the characters on stage.
If all this sounds a bit unfamiliar, there’s a reason for that. The musical, brought to Tulsa by Celebrity Attractions, is an expansion of Dr. Seuss’ original 1957 book of the same name, and includes the songs created for the 1966 animated TV adaptation. As that version contained only two songs, and focused solely on the Grinch’s point of view, author and lyricist Timothy Mason and composer Mel Martin had to incorporate some original material to flesh out the tale to an intermission-less 90 or so minutes.
The Grinch’s canine companion Max, a silent and reluctant participant in his master’s schemes, is here the voluble narrator, in the form of Old Max (W. Scott Stewart), who shares time and space with the young and rambunctious younger version of himself, played by Xavier McKnight.
Stewart also gets the story’s most famous song, “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch,” and acquits himself well, with a resonant bass-baritone that could stand up to the Thurl Ravenscroft original (he also led the audience in a sing-along version with lyrics adorning the Grinch’s sleigh).
Joshua Woodie’s Grinch owed more to Jim Carrey than to Boris Karloff, with a nicely manic energy that often could not be contained by even the fourth wall.
As his foil, Emma Rose Marinoff was about three and a half feet of sheer adorableness as Cindy Lou Who, the littlest Who that is something of the catalyst for the Grinch’s literal change of heart when it comes to Christmas and the creatures who live in the village below him.
After all, just because someone doesn’t look like you doesn’t mean they aren’t deserving of a little kindness, good will and peace on earth, regardless of the season.
“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” continues with performances through Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Tulsa PAC, 101 E. 3rd St. For tickets, head to tulsapac.com or call 918-596-7111.
James Watts is a freelance contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
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