Review: DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL at Palace Theatre

As a reviewer, I try to be fair, not too harsh, not too mean.

Grab a palette of words, paint a picture of what I’ve just seen

As HOW THE GRINCH  STOLE CHRISTMAS is familiar but new

I decided to channel the holiday spirit  of the good Doctor Seuss

Despite artic winds that blew, THE GRINCH minions came

with or without children,  yet they all looked the same

They came in green jackets, green dresses, green frocks

They wore Grinch sweaters, Grinch feathers, even Grinch socks

However in Section 126, Row Z, one disgruntled man sat,

With a scowl, and a frown and a “I HATE PEOPLE” hat

He sat there, arms folded, no one quite knows the reason

Perhaps a team from up North had torpedoed his season

He huffed, snuffed and guffed, nary a smile on his face

He  shuffled and reshuffled to find a comfortable place

As the curtains opened, Grinch’s pooch Max made the audience swoon

But in this Seussian tale there wasn’t just one dog; there were two

Evan Blackwell was Max the old dog, Chamberlin Little played Max Young

They flounced, they bounced, and pounced as the Christmas classic had begun

Soon the Grinch (Matt Forbes ) appeared  in his fluffy green suit.

He sounded like David Bowie. He dressed like a green Groot

The Grinch  twitched his long fingers. He schemed, he slithered, he stuffed

As they turned a 26- minute cartoon into over an hour of sentimental fluff

 Cindy-Lou  Who (Lucianna Van Dette) saw through the Grinch’s villainous plot

She sparkled, she twinkled,  she winked, she sprinkled. What an adorable tot.

The snow and confetti cannons roared as the Grinch changed his mind

He descended Mount Crumpet and returned the toys just in time

“Who Likes Christmas?”  a chorus of Whos sang with such spirit

A crowd pleaser for sure but our Ebenezer refused to hear it

The adults and the children rose and screamed for more

But the man in the cap? He made a beeline for the door.

Dr. Seuss’s  classic tale is best when it’s short

The more they add to it, the more they distort

But whether one loved this GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS may come down

To whether one came in happy with children or wearing a permanent frown

Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS: THE MUSICAL runs Dec. 3-8 at the Palace Theatre (34 W. Broad Street in downtown Columbus). For tickets visit www.CBUSArts.com

Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel

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