“Ho, ho, ho.” The expression is one we associate with holiday cheer, with visions of sugar plums dancing in children’s heads. But as uttered by Gavin Lee, the latest accomplished actor to take on the title role in Madison Square Garden’s annual production of Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Told Christmas, at the Hulu Theatre, “Santy” Claus’s salute becomes a snarky declaration of irreverence, a sardonic retort to the whole notion of peace on earth, good will toward men.
Lee comes to Grinch fresh from his Drama Desk Award-winning, Tony-nominated stint as Squidward Q. Tentacles, the similarly misanthropic octopus in the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants, and anyone who saw that production may well notice a similarity between his takes on the great grouches, particularly in the gravelly voice the actor assumes here. But then it could be argued that Squidward himself owes a debt to the Grinch, one of the most colorful and enduring anti-heroes—to call him a villain wouldn’t be right, given his ultimate transformation—in children’s literature. Lee clearly has a swell time with the part, and seems determined that audience members of all ages have just as much fun watching him.
“What are you looking at, old lady?” the leading man bellowed at a woman in the orchestra section on opening night. “You want a piece of me?” Lee gives us more than that, throwing his nimble body and playful spirit into the role as Grinch devises his dastardly scheme to rob all the Whos in Whoville of their holiday celebration. He is unwillingly accompanied, for anyone unfamiliar with the plot, by his dog Max, played as a good-natured pup by a spry Aleksa Kurbalija. Old Max, who narrates, is played (for the fifth year) by a suitably wistful Ken Land; both actors sustain an easy comedic rapport with Lee, making the signature number “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” a goofy treat.
They are joined, under Matt August’s guidance (Jack O’Brien conceived the show and is its original director), by the Whos, as usual, on a vast stage, with lighting designer Charlie Morrison bathing Robert Morgan’s fanciful costumes, full of frills and tails, in yummy shades of magenta, periwinkle, royal blue and, of course, green. John Lee Beatty’s set offers replicas of Dr. Seuss’s indelible illustrations, including the bed a bunch of Whos snuggle in.
The adorable, impossibly functional family Grinch tries to sabotage, before his heart grows three sizes, is played by a mix of veteran and fledgling actors, from the Broadway alumni who make the parents and grandparents warm and fuzzy—Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Mama), Danny Gurwin (Papa), Rosemary Loar (Grandma) and Stuart Zagnit (Grandpa)—to Mackenzie Mercer and Avery Sell, who alternate the role of little Cindy Lou Who. Mercer was on duty opening night, delivering her lines and songs with enough high-pitched cuteness to rival any Baby June, eliciting affectionate laughter and “aww”s from the crowd.
You’d have to be an ogre not to feel a slight tug in your chest when Cindy Lou identifies the Grinch in the final scene, and all her kin embrace him. Oh, to live in a world where such Scrooges are so easily reformed—but since we don’t, How the Grinch Stole Christmas continues to provide family-friendly fantasy, along with ideals we should all aspire to.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! opened December 13, 2018, at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden and runs through December 30. Tickets and information: grinchmusical.com
