Interview: Director Matt August Talks Bringing Seuss Classic to Life in HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL

The holidays are a time when families come together around some of their most beloved traditions. From caroling on Christmas Eve, to hot chocolate around the tree, to snuggling under a blanket to watch your favorite Christmas movie, there is something reassuring about our favorite holiday traditions. This week, one of those treasured traditions sets up shop at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL comes to town for 10 shows this week. Running from tonight through Sunday, December 13th this vibrant stage show tells the cherished story of how a loner with a heart "two sizes too small" finds the joy in Christmas and community.

Dr. Seuss' holiday favorite was first produced for the stage at San Diego's Old Globe theatre in 1998 before making its Broadway debut in 2006 and again the following year. Since, Broadway director Matt August has helmed national tours of the show every year, with stops in over three dozen cities across North America.

A favorite for over half a century, Dr. Seuss's HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! was first published in 1957, and then in 1966 was turned into the iconic cartoon that still airs annually to this day. August said that despite the decades of familiarity that audiences have with the story, the stage version of THE GRINCH brings something new and special.

"Firstly, it's live action," he said. "Secondly, it's filled with all of the characters from the book, brought to life in a very human, three-dimensional, entertaining, satisfying way."

The director believes that this musical has become a holiday favorite around the country because, from the writing to the design to the acting, everything is focused on creating a world recognizable as Seussian.

"We always start, and try to end, with Ted Geisel, with his words, with his vision, with his spirit," August said, "so that whatever happens, we feel like for each moment of the show, we are hearing or seeing something that is the essence of what Ted Geisel would have wrote or said."

Though Seuss' story centers on Christmas, August believes that the lessons and heart-warming message appeal to people across all demographics.

"Because (the Whos are) a community that is denominational only in the sense that Dr. Seuss has created the mythology, it really is universal, and really does speak to everyone," he said.

"What was really important in creating this production of the show was that it maintained that universality," August said. "You do that by creating a three-dimensional universe for these creatures called Whos to live in with someone who basically decides not to be a part of that community. He thinks he loathes and despises that community, but what he realizes along the way is that no man is an island, and that he actually can participate in the community."

In addition to the message of acceptance and thankfulness at the heart of the show, August said that it holds special meaning to members of the family young and old.

"It often speaks to three generations of audience members," he said. "It speaks to the older generations who read the story, it speaks to the parents who experienced the cartoon in a very nostalgic way, and then it speaks to a whole new generation of theatregoers in a gloriously wonderful way."

Though Geisel, as Dr. Seuss, wrote the animated special's lyrics to Albert Hague's music, when it came to adapting the story into a full stage show, composer Mel Marvin joined the team, along with author and playwright Timothy Mason, who had worked with Geisel in the past.

"In turning it into a musical, Tim Mason and Mel Marvin have stayed very, very true to the spirit of Seuss," August said. "When Tim started writing with Ted Geisel, he got the compliment from Ted that he wrote very good 'Seuss.' That's sort of what gave them the approval of the estate, and of the author himself, to create a show that really does stay very true to the spirit and the tone of the book."

One of the main things that August and his team does to make sure that the spirit and tone is always true to Seuss' original is to cast the right actors in the show, especially in the title role.

"The most important thing we do is hire an amazing actor to play the Grinch," the director said. "(Someone) who is savvy enough about the world that we live in, and who is energized, intelligent, and funny in his own right. (That way) he can always be doing two things simultaneously; being true to Seuss, and being contemporary and funny in his own right."

However, the important casting decisions are not only limited to the show's star. Since the tour is often on the road from Halloween through New Year's, finding the right mix of actors is important, which leads many cast members to return to the show year in and year out.

"We try to keep the family together. This is our 10th year doing it, so we've had probably upwards of a couple hundred people who have been a part of the cast," August said. "If we are going to ask people to leave their homes and tour through (the holidays), they really have to be a special group of people. They have got to be a group of people that like each other. So, finding the right blend of personalities is one of the challenges that we face every spring when we actually go to cast the show. The people who really like doing it, and are good in it, they remain very loyal to us, and we remain very loyal to them."

For this season's incarnation, August said that about half of the cast has returned from previous tours, including the Grinch, Stefan Karl, who is back for his eighth season. Known to kids as Robbie Rotten on Nick Jr.'s LAZYTOWN, Karl has created a version of the character that August believes is exceptional.

"You don't want to miss the opportunity to see Stefan Karl on stage playing the Grinch," the director said. "He gives a tour-de-force performance that is unlike anything that you will see on stage, probably ever. He's just an extraordinary actor in every capacity. He really is a walking, talking embodiment of the cartoon. He's absolutely terrific."

In addition to Karl's remarkable performance, August believes that the show's unique visual recreation of Seuss' Whoville is something special to be seen, especially for those who have grown up reading the original book, which was colored only with blacks, whites, reds, and pinks.

"What this production has endeavored to do is to look like every panel of the book brought to life," August said. "With the extraordinary scenery of John Lee Beatty, and the beautiful lighting of Pat Collins, recreated by Charlie Morrison, and these wonderfully frivolous, zany costumes by Bob Morgan that really try to emulate the shapes of the Whos, (we) bring that very specific universe to life."

August also teased that, with some Seussian magic, they plan on making something happen that we don't often see in Central Florida. "It snows on the audience! We're gonna make it snow in Orlando!"

Don't miss this wonderfully joyous family event! Get your tickets by visiting the Dr. Phillips Center website or calling 844-513-2014.

---

Are you excited to take a trip to Whoville this week? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or by "Liking" and following BWW Orlando on Facebook and Twitter by using the buttons below. You can also chat with me about the show on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image: Brooke Lynn Boyd and Stefan Karl in DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL. Photo Credit: paparazzibyappointment.com