How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Last night I went to see the musical How The Grinch Stole Christmas at the Capitol Theatre.  I didn't know if I would like this show because I am not a fan of Seussical (in fact, I hated Seussical so much that I would have left at intermission if I hadn't been with friends).  Since this show was a part of the Broadway in Utah season ticket I decided to go.  I'm really glad that I did!  Unlike Seussical, this musical actually has a plot and it is incredibly sweet and heartwarming!  It definitely got me into the Christmas spirit.  The story is narrated by Max the Dog (Bob Lauder) as he reminisces about his time in Whoville when the Grinch tried to stop Christmas from coming.  It reminded me a bit of the movie with Jim Carrey, although the actor playing The Grinch (Stefan Karl) definitely made the iconic role his own to the delight of the many children in attendance.  Actually, much of my enjoyment of this show came from listening to the laughter of the children.  My favorite moment was when The Grinch performed "One of a Kind" complete with high stepping kicks in front of a shimmering green curtain and then returned again and again for curtains calls milking the audience for applause.  Max begged the crowd not to encourage him!  I loved it!  I'm not sure how much of The Grinch's role was improvised but he was absolutely hilarious!  I loved the adorable young actress who played Cindy-Lou Who (Raleigh Shuck).  She had the sweetest voice and it was easy to see why The Grinch was so affected by her song "Santa for a Day."  Of course the crowd loved when Max sang the ever popular "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!"  He even had the audience sing along during the reprise.  The scenery looked like the illustrations from the original Dr. Seuss book and the Who costumes were like a big pink confectionery dream.  The choreography was a lot of fun, especially when the Who children performed "Wha Cha Ma Who."  I had such a great time, which was just about the exact opposite of what I was expecting!  It runs at the Capitol Theatre until Sunday, November 23 and I recommend getting a ticket (especially if you have children).