• Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archives
  • Contact
    • Letter to Editor
  • Find us
Thursday, May 19, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
San Diego Downtown News
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
      • Downtown Briefs
    • Featured
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Food & Drink Blotter
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • Travel
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Downtown
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored Links
  • Neighborhoods
    • Balboa Park
    • East Village
    • Gaslamp
    • Horton Plaza
    • Little Italy
  • Calendar
  • Experts
San Diego Downtown News
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
      • Downtown Briefs
    • Featured
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Food & Drink Blotter
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • Travel
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Downtown
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored Links
  • Neighborhoods
    • Balboa Park
    • East Village
    • Gaslamp
    • Horton Plaza
    • Little Italy
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
San Diego Downtown News
No Result
View All Result
Home Arts & Entertainment

Stealing hearts

December 7, 2018
in Arts & Entertainment, Featured, Theater Review
0
Stealing hearts

“Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas” runs through Dec. 29 (Photos by Ken Howard)

0
SHARES
164
VIEWS

By Jean Lowerison

Uh-oh. It’sDecember again. Time for His Grinchiness to reappear (in a moldy green costume that matches his disposition) to growl, grumble and glower about all those happy, smiling Whos down in Whoville.

But instead of just staying up there in his frigid digs on Mt. Crumpit and ignoring them, the Grinch (Ed Watts) wants to meddle and make everybody in Whoville as miserable as he is.

“Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas” runs through Dec. 29 (Photos by Ken Howard)

“Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is narrated by Old Max (Steve Gunderson), the Grinch’s old dog who has retired and is about to move away. Old Max narrates the story as he looks around the old homestead one last time.

The thing that really gets the old grouch’s goat is Christmas, that cheery time when everybody runs out to buy gifts for friends and family, sings happy holiday songs, and plans a big feast with roast beast. The Grinch can’t stand all that cheer, and vows to put an end to it.

Citizens of Whoville gather for the holiday

This year, he gets a wonderful, awful idea: he’ll go down to Whoville and steal Christmas. Surely when everybody wakes up to no gifts, no stockings hung by the chimney with care and no dinner fixings, that’ll do the trick.

His poor dog Young Max (Tommy Martinez) is forced to go along when the Grinch dresses Western style (complete with a 10-gallon hat) and goes down to Whoville to case the joint. They bump into several Whos, who think the Grinch weird but graciously invite him to dinner the next night.

(l to r) The Grinch grumbles about the Whos in Whoville with his dog, Young Max (Tommy Martinez)

You know what happens: the Grinch — and poor, unwilling Max — come to dinner and wait until everyone’s in bed. Then the green menace grabs all the packages, stockings and even the Christmas tree and stuffs them all up the chimney. Then they pack the “sleigh” (powered by poor Max) and whisk all the goodies away to Mt. Crumpit.

But what the Grinch doesn’t count on is little Cindy-Lou Who (the irresistibly adorable Sadie Tess Coleman) and her ability to touch his two-sizes-too-small heart.

When Christmas Day arrives, the Grinch eagerly listens for weeping and wailing from Whoville. But he’s shocked to hear them singing. It makes him wonder if maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.

This is The Old Globe’s 21st iteration of this Christmas tradition. By now there are regular cast members, some of whom have played more than one role over the years. But this whole cast — regulars and newbies — is excellent. And so is the fine orchestra led by Elan McMahan and the tech team that has been in place for some time.

James Vásquez directs and has restaged some of the choreography with great élan.

Every year the Grinch packs houses, and every year audience members leave the show with a smile, many humming the tunes. If you haven’t seen it — or even if, like me, you’ve seen every single one — grab a kid and get down to the Globe. You won’t regret it.

—Jean Lowerison is a long-standing memberof the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle and can be reached at infodame@cox.net.

Tags: Balboa ParkDowntownDowntown NewsJames VásquezSan DiegoSan Diego Downtown NewsThe GrinchThe Old GlobeTheaterTheater ReviewTommy Martinez
Next Post
Food and Drink Blotter: December 2018

Food and Drink Blotter: December 2018

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

San Diego Downtown News

© 2022 San Diego Downtown News. All rights reserved. • San Diego Community Newspaper Group (SDCNG)

Navigate our site

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Art
  • News & Features
    • News
      • Downtown Briefs
    • Featured
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Food & Drink Blotter
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Health & Fitness
    • Travel
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Best of Downtown
    • Sponsored Links
    • Expert Advice
  • Neighborhoods
    • Balboa Park
    • East Village
    • Gaslamp
    • Horton Plaza
    • Little Italy
  • About
  • Contact
  • Calendar
  • Advertising
  • Archives
  • Experts

© 2022 San Diego Downtown News. All rights reserved. • San Diego Community Newspaper Group (SDCNG)

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In