Review: DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS at Des Moines Performing Arts

One of my favorite parts of the Holiday season is seeing classic stories brought to the stage. For many people, their first experience in theatre is a production of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol. This season, we get the opportunity to add a third story to that growing list. On Tuesday, December 16, the national tour of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical started a week-long run at Des Moines Performing Arts. While this show may be new to Des Moines audiences, the story is a classic that is sure to make your heart grow three sizes.

Usually, I would put a short synopsis of the show here. With three different iterations on film, and the book being a classic, you probably already know the story by heart. What you may not know is the Midwestern history this musical has. It was initially commissioned in 1994 for Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Since then, they have done the show multiple times, including a run this holiday season. I finally got to see the show at Children’s Theatre Company a few years ago, so I had an idea of the fun Des Moines audiences were in for. In 2006, which doesn’t seem that long ago, the show, with a new production team, was brought to Broadway. The version of the show we get to see on tour is based on the Broadway production.

Part of the fun of watching a show like this is seeing how they bring the book's visuals to the page. One of the ways they do this brilliantly is through John Lee Beatty's sets. He captures the essence of the book's pictures and brilliantly translates them into three-dimensional pieces. There were a few places where just a drop was used, or a curtain was brought in, that lost some of the three-dimensional magic, but it was to allow those moments to be even more spectacular to see. So it was a fair trade-off.

Another fun element of the show was Robert Morgan's costumes. Most of them look like they could have been pulled directly from the book. His costumes that stood out to me were Old Max, Young Max, and The Grinch. The reasons these costumes stood out to me are that they strayed from the illustrations we know and gave us a look at how Morgan looked at these characters. The greens and yellows in the Grinch’s fur allow him to stand out whenever he is on stage. Morgan also does an excellent job of adding elements to both Old Max and Young Max's costumes that show their ages, while keeping them the same character. I especially loved how he used a checkered vest for each of them. It was a fun, subtle way to play into this being a holiday show.

What really makes this show special is the cast. I don’t often shout out the whole ensemble of a show, but I find it necessary for this show. Every time we went back to Whoville, I found myself looking forward to hearing their beautiful harmonies. The excellent casting continues with W. Scott Stewart and Xavier McKnight as Old Max and Young Max. Both played so well off each other, finding ways to connect their character together at different stages of their lives. The cast was also led at my performance with fantastic performances from Emma Rose Marinoff as Cindy Lou Who and Josh Woodie as The Grinch.

Introducing kids to the magic of theatre can be an especially magical experience around the holidays, especially when they see their favorite stories come to life on stage. They have a way of letting you know exactly what they think about what they are seeing, both good and bad. From the reactions of the kids at Des Moines Performing Arts, as well as the audience, your heart might need to grow three sizes if you miss out on Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas at Des Moines Performing Arts.

Des Moines Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL (Des Moines Young Artists' Theatre)

23.5% of votes

2. WAITRESS (Des Moines Playhouse)

18% of votes

3. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Des Moines Community Playhouse)

17.1% of votes

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