If you have a couple of kids with short attention spans, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas may be an acceptable yuletide treat. If you expect a full and satisfying show for your hefty ticket price, however, this wisp of a production will put you in a decidedly Grinch-like mood. At roughly 65 minutes, it probably sets the record for the shortest Broadway musical. Based on Dr. Seuss' beloved children's story, and the equally cherished TV cartoon version, of a green misanthrope out to destroy the Christmas cheer of a whimsical race called the Whos, the Broadway Grinch is the theatrical equivalent of one of those pop-up books intended for 5-year-olds. You turn over a few pages, the children emit a giggle or two, and it's over. It makes you appreciate Seussical, the flop musical of a few seasons past, which at least attempted to capture the wacky charm of the author's outlandish oeuvre.
John Lee Beatty's cotton candy-colored sets and Robert Morgan's delightfully daffy costumes replicate the look of Seuss' mad world, which always had an adult sensibility lurking just beneath the cuteness. But Timothy Mason's book is kiddie fare. The original verse narrative is augmented by new dialogue cluttered with false rhymes. The staging by Matt August, re-creating Jack O'Brien's work from a production at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, is fast, loud, and broad, with gimmicks and puppets popping out every few minutes but little real sentiment emerging.
There are occasional patches of adult-minded satire. "Oh no, it's a ballad," groans the Grinch when the too-precious-for-words Cindy Lou Who (Nicole Bocchi at the performance attended) launches into the saccharine "Santa for a Day." More of that bracing nastiness would have been welcome amid the relentless surface goodwill. Patrick Page offers sparks of spicy terror, but his Grinch turns into a softie too suddenly.
Stinging parody shows up again briefly in a holdover song from the TV version — "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," written by Seuss and composed by Albert Hague. Studded with such Seussian gems as "You've got garlic in your soul" and "Your mind is full of unwashed socks," the song is a glorious laundry list of creative insults. As Old Max, the canine narrator, John Cullum sings these elegant epithets with relish. It's more than a little bizarre to see this two-time Tony winner in a dog suit, elaborately wagging his tail as if to say, "See, kids, I'm a dog!" Unfortunately, the new songs, with lyrics by Mason and music by Mel Marvin, are derivative and forgettable.
What a shame that this classic of children's literature has been turned into a soulless, hourlong break during holiday shopping.
Presented by Running Subway, EMI Music Publishing, Michael Speyer & Bernie Abrams, with Allen Spivak, Janet Pailet, Spark Productions/Maximum Entertainment/Jonathan Reinis, and Target at the Hilton Theatre, 213 W. 42nd St., NYC. Nov. 8-Jan. 7. Schedule varies. (212) 307-4100 or www.ticketmaster.com. Casting by Telsey + Company.