The Grinch
To Welcome Christmas At The Wang

By R. J. Donovan

The weather outside may have been frightful -- frightfully hot, that is. After all, we were on the cusp of a Boston heat wave. But inside, The Wang Theatre was aglow with gaily wrapped Christmas presents and a touch of snow.

On a sunny June afternoon, friends of the Wang had assembled with members of the media to hear Citi Performing Arts Center President and CEO Joe Spaulding announce that the Wang's holiday attraction for 2008 would be "Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" -- based on the beloved animated TV classic.

Narrated by Max The Dog, the musical tells the tale of a tall, green grump who hates Christmas and everything related to it. Saddled with a heart two sizes too small, he schemes to steal the holiday happiness of everyone in neighboring Whoville, only to find there's far more to Christmas than ribbons and tags.

Calling the show "a feel good, family musical," Spaulding introduced The Grinch himself (William Ryall), who loomed large at the top of the Wang's Grand Staircase to taunt the assembled crowd with his solo number in the show, "One Of A Kind." The kids who had gathered at his feet squealed with delight as he growled in their general direction.

The Grinch was then joined by Little Cindy Lou Who (Caroline London), who, with a sweet voice, sang "Santa For A Day." (As she began, The Tall Green One rolled his eyes and moaned "Uggh! A ballad!")

Following the performance, Spaulding acknowledged Boston's longstanding fondness for all things green by presenting The Grinch with a Celtics jersey and basketball.

The Grinch will be the latest holiday inhabitant at The Wang, following in the footsteps of "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" and "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular" -- both highly successful as they've alternated annual bookings the past few years.

The stage version of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" originally came to life at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in 1998 (book and lyrics by Timothy Mason with music by Mel Marvin). Two beloved songs from the original television special ("You're A Mean One" and "Welcome Christmas" -- music by Albert Hague and lyrics by Dr. Seuss) were also included.

Directed by Broadway veteran Jack O'Brien, the show became a regular part of every holiday season at The Globe. The production finally made the jump to Broadway in 2006 where it broke box office records at the Hilton Theatre. It did similar business in 2007 at the St. James Theatre (although it's magic was temporarily dimmed by the November stagehands strike that lasted almost three weeks).

With the show an established family favorite in New York, additional matinees were added to the traditional Broadway schedule of 8 shows a week -- bringing the number of "Grinch" performances to 12 each week. Reportedly, a first.

During the five week Boston run (November 26 - December 28), the show will play a total of 66 performances with most Saturdays offering four shows a day at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

For information and tickets, call 800-447-7400 or visit www.citicenter.org

-- OnStage Boston

Broadway production photo: Paul Kolnick