¡CÓMO EL GRINCH ROBÓ LA NAVIDAD! to Make World Premiere at The Old Globe

The Old Globe have announced the full cast and creative team of ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad!, the world premiere of the fully-staged Spanish-language version of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

With special permission from Dr. Seuss Enterprises, The Old Globe will introduce a spectacular new version of Dr. Seuss's renowned classic with a limited engagement of four performances scheduled for November 19 through 22, 2026, with the opening on Thursday, November 19 at 7p.m. Directed by James Vásquez(Globe's The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Hombres) with Martín Solá (Globe's The Hombres) as El Grinch. ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! will play on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in The Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego's Balboa Park.

The translation and adaptation of the book and lyrics for ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! were handled by Katya Ojeda Iturbide and Luis Gerardo Villegas, who have translated stage works and musical films made by Disney, Marvel, Pixar, LucasFilm, Netflix, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. Some highlights include Aladdin, The Lion King, TheLittle Mermaid, Frozen, and the musical Mary Poppins for the Mexico City stage. The world premiere of the Spanish-language production of El Grinch will be directed by James Vásquez, who has directed 23 productions of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at The Old Globe. He is currently directing the 29th annual production of The Grinchthis holiday season.

'At the heart of everything we do is a dedication to creating theatre that truly matters, and launching a fully-staged Spanish-language production of ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! allows us to fulfill that promise for more of our community,' said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. 'We have created a stellar translation that retains all of Dr. Seuss's whimsical brilliance. To bring it to life, a magnificent group of versatile actors will be doing double duty by performing across both our English-language production and this new Spanish-language production. And it is a spectacular bonus that the beloved Globe artist James Vásquez will be pulling double duty himself, both directing and performing in this historic staging. Alongside our supportive partners at Dr. Seuss Enterprises, we are thrilled to offer a space where San Diego families can gather across languages to feel the profound joy of a heartwarming, shared holiday moment together.'

The cast will be led by Martín Solá as El Grinch. Solá returns to The Old Globe after his stellar performance as Héctor in the 2026 San Diego premiere of The Hombres. In addition to Solá, the principal cast members of El Grinch include Berto Fernández as Old Max, and Leila Manuel as Cindy-Lou Who. Additionally in the cast, and also reprising their roles in the 29th annual production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! are Giovanny Diaz de Leon as Young Max, Ariella Kvashny as Mama Who, and David Baida as Grandpa Who. Making their Globe debut are Eddie Lopez as Papa Who and Shadia Fairuz as Grandma Who.

The Grown-Up Who Ensemble includes Sebastian Guerrero, Liliana Rodriguez, Eleni Stavros, E.Y. Washington, andBekah Zornosa. The Little Who Ensemble includes Reese Goetzinger, Olive Livingston, Dwight Pluciennik, Melvin Matthew Pluciennik, Liliana Pomeranz, Amani Solorio, Dhani Solorio, and Rayna Townsend.

The world premiere of the Spanish-language production of El Grinch features music direction by Jesse J. Sanchez. The creative team also includes Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design), Geoff Josselson Casting (Casting), Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager), Amanda Salmons (Assistant Stage Manager), and Karla Garcia (Assistant Stage Manager).

¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! was adapted from The Old Globe's whimsical musical based on the classic Dr. Seuss book, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The English-language production, which premiered in 1997, features classic holiday songs like 'Santa for a Day' and 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.' Max the dog narrates the tale of how the mean and scheming Grinch tries to steal Christmas from the holiday-loving Whos of Who-ville. But the Grinch discovers there is more to Christmas than he bargained for. Audiences will delight in how the Grinch learns the magic and meaning of Christmas.

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! features a book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin. The original production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was conceived and directed by Jack O'Brien, with additional lyrics by Theodor S. Geisel, additional music by Albert Hague, and original choreography by John DeLuca.

The world premiere of the Spanish-language production of ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! will play on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage at The Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego's Balboa Park (1363 Old Globe Way). The limited engagement will play for four performances only on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7 p.m., Friday, November 20, 2026 at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 10 a.m., and Sunday, November 22, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale and available online at TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623), and in person at the Globe's Box Office in Balboa Park. Ticket prices start at $73 for adults and $63 for children (17 years and under). Note: Children under the age of three will not be admitted. For additional information visit TheOldGlobe.org.