The Grinch, a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss (A.K.A. Theodor Seuss Geisel) for his 1957 children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, has become a Christmastime staple. The hairy, green curmudgeon that has a change of heart became a pop culture sensation after the 1966 animated special based on the book starting airing every yule time on network television. After being featured in movies in 2000 and 2018, the pot-bellied grump is back under the spotlight in a show at Seuss Landing called Grinchmas.
In a prescient move back in 1994, Universal Studios, then under the umbrella of MCA, Inc., purchased the exclusive license to use characters from the Dr. Seuss world in its theme park (read the agreement here if you like dense legalese). Universal makes good use of the Grinch in their show.
If you’re interested in seeing Grinchmas, we recommend going early and lining up at least 20 minutes before showtime. It’s a popular one. We showed up 15 minutes prior to curtain and barely made it in. The theater seats 680 according to the attendant and we were numbers 638 and 639. They seat you in the order you enter so no use trying to figure out how to get front row seats. It’s mostly luck of the draw unless you pay for the VIP experience. Don’t worry, though. Our seats were in the third to last row in the back corner and we still had excellent views and the sound was crystal clear.
Part of the fun of seeing the show is walking to the theater. Team members direct patrons through the back lot to get to the seating. On our journey to Whoville we got to catch a glimpse at the insides of Stage 20. It felt like getting backstage passes to the park. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like behind the fences, this is your chance to find out.
The show started fairly promptly as scheduled and lasted about 30 minutes. It featured singing, dancing, slapstick, wit, and charm. We found the performances to be top notch. A new rendition of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch sung as a duet by the bass-voiced Narrator and the Grinch was a crowd favorite. The stage, which featured Whoville decked out with lights and a giant Christmas tree in the center, made a great backdrop to the musical. The makeup and costume design really helped bring the characters to life. We won’t give any more details for fear of spoiling the fun.
Suffice it to say, the crowd left the performance very pleased with the spectacle they had witnessed. A large tour group of teenagers spontaneously broke into song on the walk back to the park. The cheer was contagious and a sign of how the Grinch’s on-stage transformation may have transformed the audience, too.
Grinchmas runs eight times daily between 10:45 am and 6:30 pm through December 29th in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure.
