Cast Set for HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! Spanish Translation at The Old Globe

The Old Globe has revealed the full cast and creative team of a special concert presentation of ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad!, the world premiere 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 at two performances on November 21 and 22, 2025, featuring actors at music stands reading the full play and singing all the songs, a full orchestra, and touches of costuming and staging. The concert presentations will be held on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in The Old Globe Theatre.

Every year, more than 40,000 English-speaking audience members celebrate family and community by coming together in Balboa Park to see The Old Globe’s magical production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Now the theatre is taking its first step toward welcoming over 800,000 friends and neighbors in our region who speak Spanish at home—24 percent of San Diego County, according to the 2020 US Census. ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! reflects the Globe’s deep and ongoing commitment to serving the full breadth of its San Diego and Tijuana border communities, and specifically the diverse Spanish-speaking population.

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, LucasFilms, Netflix, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks. Some highlights include Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Frozen, and the musical Mary Poppins for the Mexico City stage. The concert presentation will be directed by James Vásquez, who has directed 22 productions of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at The Old Globe. He is currently directing the fully staged production of The Grinch this holiday season.

“The Old Globe’s commitment is to make theatre matter to more people,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, “and we’re about to do that with a bold new Spanish-language version of our beloved holiday classic, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! We’ve commissioned a translation of this beguiling musical from two eminent and accomplished translators who’ve honed their art on famous films from Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks. They’ve captured all the wit and charm of Dr. Seuss and expressed it in beautiful Latin American Spanish. This project represents the Globe at its best, making spectacular theatre and sharing it with our community in innovative and entertaining ways. We’re grateful to our partners at Dr. Seuss Enterprises for their unwavering and enthusiastic support.” 

“We are absolutely thrilled to share this beautiful Spanish-language version of Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas! with the San Diego community,” said Susan Brandt, President and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.  “This exciting project allows even more families to experience the joy, humor, and timeless message of Dr. Seuss’s classic. It’s an honor to help bring this gift to the region alongside our partners at the Globe.”

Principal cast members for ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! include Michael Castillejos as The Grinch, Berto Fernández as Old Max, Giovanny Diaz de Leon as Young Max, and Leila Manuel as Cindy-Lou Who.

Rounding out the cast of El Grinch are Ariella Kvashny as Mama Who, Josh Grosso as Papa Who, Lillian Castillo as Grandma Who, David Baida as Grandpa Who. The Grown-Up Who Ensemble includes Jonathan Arana, Rudy Martinez, Liliana Jazlyn Rodriguez, and Eleni Stavros. The Little-Who Ensemble includes Melvin Pluciennik and Sophia Wilensky.

The special concert presentation features music direction by Elan McMahan and Jesse J. Sanchez. The creative team also includes Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design), Geoff Josselson Casting (Casting), Karla Garcia (Production Stage Manager), Jynelly Rosario (Assistant Stage Manager), and Jess Slocum (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 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.

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