Sunday Showtunes

Thursday the theme was “kids show” day. 

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is the third Dr. Seuss work to become a Broadway musical – the second was “Seussical” and if you can name the first one I’ll give you $2000.00.*    Rather than a literal version of the cartoon on stage, it is an adaptation with enough new songs and concept to make it seem like a “fresh” Broadway show in its own right.  It is very short, however – an hour and 10 minutes – with no intermission.  (What is it with the lack of intermissions these days?  I don’t mind, I’m just commenting).  I really liked it, far more than I thought I would.  I thought it would be cheesy and juvenile, but there was enough sophistication for adults and the money was all on the stage in terms of sets and costumes.  The kids gave great performances, especially in one number where they energetically demonstrate all the noise they will make on Christmas (to the Grinch’s frustrations), and the show will do well when the rights become available and theatres have something to do with children besides “Annie” and “Oliver.”   The children in the audience helped provide a lot of the enjoyment, as they “ooh’d” and “ah’d” in appreciation of the experience of “the magic of the theatre,” possibly for the first time.  (This was true for the Rockettes show as well).

John Cullum stars as the narrator (Max the Dog as an old dog) but nobody knew who the hell he was.  The guy that played the Grinch (Patrick Page, a true unknown) is best known as one of the Scars in “The Lion King” and he gives the same kind of performance here, with perhaps more hammy bravado and a lot more “fun”.  Anyway he was great. Unfortunately I had a terrible seat in the second row on the far edge, practically underneath an apron buildout, and the set design of the show (a fake proscenium about 8 feet in either side, to allow for side set work that towered over my head) prohibited me from seeing about half the show.  I enjoyed the show enough that I went to the box office afterwards and bought another ticket to it for this Sunday at 11 am (on weekends they do 3 or 4 shows a day!) just because that seat is 6^th row center.  That way I can actually see the show this time.   (There’s the “15^th show”).  I thought hard about this decision and told myself that unless I got a GREAT seat (which I did), I wouldn’t do it.  The good thing is it was “only” $99 with no service fees.  (The other shows this trip, what with Christmas and all, top out at $111-119 plus about $10 extra in service fees if you get them through the Telecharge/Ticketmaster).  Still, this is the most I’ve ever paid to see so short a show again.  Even the Rockettes show, which is cheaper, is longer!  Moving on….

*payment may be made in any combination of U.S. currency and Monopoly money

KSHO broadcasts to the Mid-Willamette Valley in Western Oregon.
Among the communities served are Albany, Corvallis, and Lebanon.