Playhouse Square’s touring “Grinch” is a holiday treat for the entire family

Don’t you dare blink or you might miss it and that would be a shame...especially if you have young children. The touring production of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” is on stage at the KeyBank State Theatre but it is only there for eight shows through Sunday, December 14^th.

If there ever was a show geared for family viewing this is it. Be forewarned, the show lasts 90 minutes with no intermission so a pre-show potty break is definitely encouraged. Other than that, be prepared to be dazzled and wowed like you are seldom dazzled and wowed.

We all know the Theordor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel book published in 1957 (it has after all had nine adaptations ranging from an animated 1966 TV film narrated by Boris Karloff, a 1977 Halloween prequel, a 2000 live action film, a 2007 musical, another animated film in 2018, a 2020 live television adaptation, a 2022 slasher horror parody and lastly a 2023 podcast.

Grinch is “a mean one” (there is even a song about that) who lives a sour solitary life in a cave who he shares with Max, a stray dog. There is much speculation amopng the towns people as to why the Grinch is so grinchy. Some say his heart is too small, others think that his shoes are too small while others think it is the result of an unhappy childhood. For whatever reason, Grinch hates Christmas. His cave overlooks the pleasant little town of Whoville who celebrate Christmas in a big way. For 53 years, Grinch has had to endure this boisterous merry making.

This year he has come up with an idea to end Christmas once and for all. He will sneak into town and steal everything that has even a passing nod to the holiday. One by one he sneaks into each Whoville house disguised as Santa Claus stealing the residents blind. He takes the presents, the food, the decorations and even the tree. All are stuffed up the chimney and loaded onto a large sleigh pulled by Max.

At the last house he is caught by Cindy Lou Who who thinks that it is indeed Santa. He makes up an excuse about the tree saying that it needed repairs and that he is taking it to his workshop to mend it. Cindy Lou invites him to celebrate Christmas in Whoville the next day as Santa is always alone on Christmas. Deeply touched, Grinch is nearly moved to do a good thing but instead leaves with all of the loot.

The next day with the over loaded sleigh precariously perched on the top of Mount Crumpet (where he plans to send everything down into a deep chasm) he expects to hear the town wailing as they discover all signs of Christmas has vanished. Instead, he hears them singing. This makes his heart grow three sizes...and, well, you know the rest.

So how does this show stack up? First of all Josh Woodie as Grinch is perfect. He sings, dances, acts and has great report with the audience. Emma Rose Marinoff as Cindy Lou Who is simply amazing. She has a wonderful singing voice not unlike you would hear if you saw “Annie”. She steals the show every time she is on stage. W. Scott Stewart as Old Max (who acts as narrator) is superb as well. His interaction with Grinch and his younger self is precious. He is also superb in his acting, singing and dancing skills. Xavier McKnight as Young Max is a hoot. A triple threat as well. It should be noted that various characters change from show to show including Cindy Lou Who. The cast that was featured opening night was flawless.

As the curtain goes up the set design by John Lee Beatty is astounding. It is Dr. Seuss’s world brought to life in front of our eyes. Bravo! Along with this stage set are the costumes designed by Robert Morgan that perfectly match or preconception of the citizens of Whoville. Craig Stelzenmuller handles the sparkling lighting design and Joshua D. Reid’s sound design tames the vast KeyBank State Theatre. The show is brightly choreographed by Bob Richard and smartly directed by Matt August.

When the Grinch goes Broadway you can expect sparkling songs, exuberant dance numbers, wildly wonderful costuming and dazzling sets. This touring production does not disappoint in anyway. Nearly half of the audience was youngsters and the rest the young at heart. The 90 minute no intermission is a perfect amount of entertainment for the youngsters. Come enjoy a superb family live theater experience.

The touring production of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” will be on stage in the KeyBank State Theatre on Playhouse Square through December 14, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.playhousesquare.org/ or call (216) 241-6000.