For its second outing on Broadway, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! boasts two new songs from lyricist Timothy Mason and composer Mel Marvin. One of them, "It's the Thought That Counts," attempts to extol — with a melody both lighthearted and somewhat menacing — the spirit in which holiday shopping should be done. It offers an important message to youngsters in the audience, but for the adults the sequence carries a consumerist message thanks to an F.A.O. Schwartz bag seen prominently as the Whos dance — to choreography by Bob Richard working in the style of original choreographer John DeLuca — through their last-minute Christmas shopping. This is just one of several scenes re-imagined by Jack O'Brien, responsible for the show's original conception and direction, for this new edition.
This signature red tote matches the palette of Seuss' original illustrations and the theatrical designs of John Lee Beatty (sets) and Robert Morgan (costumes) that bring the beloved storybook and animated feature to life. At the same time, though, it appallingly undermines the intent of the new song, which is, incidentally, an improvement over the song it replaces, the blandly generic "Once in a Year."
The impact of this unsubtle product placement extends beyond the song; it makes other aspects of the musical suspect. Patrick Page, once again playing the titular meanie, slithering around the stage with a grace generally reserved for animated creatures, continues to delight the youngsters, but when he milks the applause after "One of a Kind," the Grinch's Vegas-like star turn complete with Mylar curtain, what might otherwise delight feels cheap and contrived. When Cindy Lou Who (played with innocence that never cloys by Caroline London, who alternates with Athena Ripka) discovers the Grinch during his Christmas Eve raid on Whoville, she delivers a treacly ballad that feels all the more emotionally manipulative in light of what has preceded.
This is unfortunate because this Grinch is enjoying a new intimacy in a smaller Broadway house, with some grand new eye-popping designs by Beatty. It should be a Yuletide confection that touches without inspiring cynicism. The show continues to evoke memories of the animated classic, sometimes even more so than last year. When the Grinch imagines the noise the Who children will make on Christmas morning, the new staging (from director Matt August and choreographer Richard) of "Watchama Who" makes one feel as if the television special really has come to life. Equally satisfying is "This Time of Year," a new song for the show's narrator, the Grinch's dog, Max (Ed Dixon), who in old age is remembering the fateful night when his master's heart miraculously grew three sizes when he learned the true meaning of the holiday. The creators of this new edition undoubtedly intend to underscore the meaning of Seuss' story with their new song. Now we just need to find the Grinch who has undermined their efforts.
Presented by Running Subway, EMI Music Publishing, Michael Speyer, Allen Spivak, Janet Pailet, Amy Jen Sharyn, and Maximum Entertainment
at the St. James Theatre, 220 W. 44th St., NYC.
Nov. 9-Jan. 7. Schedule varies.
(212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 or www.telecharge.com.
Casting by Telsey + Co.