Between November 27 and December 1 at the Aronoff Center in
downtown Cincinnati, Dr. Seuss’ How the
Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical was the highlight attraction for
theatergoers. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the show with a group of
friends. Personally, I thought it was quite good.
In relation
to the animated film, it followed the same story line. Nearly everything was
included. Classic songs like “Welcome, Christmas” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr.
Grinch” were performed in a very lively fashion. The play also featured
original songs like “One of a Kind,” “Santa for a Day,” and “I Hate Christmas
Eve.” Of the original songs, “One of A Kind” was perhaps the most theatric and
energetic song and featured radiant colors and lights. This link takes you to one of a kind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6pVeCgPfvQ (video could not be embedded).
The play wasn’t
long enough to have an intermission, but it lasted about 90 minutes total. In
my opinion, the set was designed as best as it could be. It’s difficult to
match the scenery put forth by Dr. Seuss. The Whoville set had houses,
buildings, and rooms shaped similar to those in the book.
Perhaps the
most disappointing part of the play was they didn’t really act out the scene of
saving the sleigh. Instead, they implied that it was saved. I can understand
why they did this; it would be a difficult scene to reenact.
Overall, I
was satisfied with the play. I was concerned that it would tailor more to
children, but it did a good job of appealing to all ages. The songs were fun
and melodic. The lead actor, Stefan Karl, played a great Grinch. He was funny
and acted narcissistic, with made him portray the Grinch very well. The play
even featured modern day pop culture references that added to the humor of the
show. For example, at one instance
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