Avid Dr Seuss fans are going to bewitched and fall in love with this vividly imagined musical production of probably the most famous of the Seuss stories. A lifelong lover of his poetic nonsense with a message, I was already very excited to watch this Christmas spectacle beginning its UK tour at The Lowry with my son; a huge fan of the movie version starring Jim Carrey in the title role.
On a wet and wild December evening, the audience were well rewarded for trekking across Greater Manchester, battling for parking spaces with Manchester United fans in the packed car park as they were magically transported into the technicolour fantasy world of all Seussical settings. In the Seuss theme, the Lowry outlet and the outside food markets are Grinch themed for the weekends that the show is running until 5th January.
Already a sell-out musical on Broadway, a well-established Christmas classic due to the 2000 Carrey movie and in 2018 a new animation version released featuring the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch and Pharrell Williams, the show starts a four week run at The Lowry, this week with audience appeal from 3- 93!
The story is of the green ‘Grinch’ who lives high up the top of Mount Crumpet overlooking Whoville the capital of Christmas love and cheer. The Grinch hates everyone, including his dog, Max and plots to stop Christmas happening for the constantly singing, cheery, joyous Whos in the town below. Told in Dr Seuss poetic prose, the new version uses all original text but has new verses added to pad out the story a little further. The Grinch is a Grinch because his heart is two sizes too small. But, the warmth and love of the Whoville citizens and in particular one, small child warms his heart until it has impressively ‘grown three sizes that day’. Then, he rejoices in the love and warmth that is Christmastime in a fantastic, heart-warming finale where we realise that the true meaning of Christmas is not the presents but the thought that counts. Dr Seuss' stories always have a deep, moral message covered in a technicolour froth of crazy, weird and almost manic nonsense. This one leaves you pondering the nature of our Christmas consumerism as the Grinch doesn’t stop Christmas from happening despite stealing all of the Whos' presents.
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"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!"
With a stunning set, a Seussian world of pinks, reds, whites, swirls and stripes had been realised. The designers had created a landscape so familiar and yet so surreal. I felt like I was in my favourite book or like Dorothy as she landed in Oz. The costumes were simply stunning: every one different and yet so detailed. The quirky Whos with their bob noses, goofy teeth, bright smiles, rosy cheeks and rounded tums and turned-out feet were captured to a tee, exuding the joy of the season. Their choral singing which irritates the Grinch 3000 metres above, was heavenly like a choir of angels and the Musical Director had produced singing of the highest calibre.
The story is a recounting of events told through the eyes of Old Max (Griff Rhys-Jones) pulling a star turn reminiscent of Old Deutronomy from Cats, he held the story together as he narrated in flash backs the story of The Grinch Who Almost Stole Christmas. Young Max is the X Factor winning Matt Terry who gave an energetic and athletic performance with some fine top notes. Stealing the show was Edward Baker-Duly in the title role who absolutely romped through the tale, sinister yet sensitive with a fine voice, he oozed Grinchiness with an excellent characterisation and his interplay with Max in the present-stealing scene and his physical theatre were top drawer. Also stealing the show was Cindy Lou Who (Isla Gie) who was a cherubic angel with the persona of Shirley Temple. Her sensitive scene with the Grinch where she catches him stealing the tree was so warm and sensitive that I had to swallow a sob. She had a beautiful characterisation, a stunning little voice and a personality that could light up a Christmas tree. How could the Grinch even avoid being touched by her presence? When his heart grew in the final scenes (an impressive costume here) the gladness the audience felt was tangible.
This was a stunning production of a classic favourite of many, many people and you must have a heart like the Grinch’s if you don’t enjoy this standard of production values and performance. Catch it if you can.
Reviewer - Kathryn Gorton
on - 12/12/19
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