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BrumHour was invited to see How The Grinch Stole Christmas by The Alexandra.
By Julie Wallis twitter.com/NiceNic63
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
at The Alexandra
Directed by Matt August, music and lyrics by Timothy Mason, based on Dr. Seuss book.
The Alexandra continues to entertain with Christmas themed offerings and this time it’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas – The Musical. What a fabulously festive smorgasbord of singing, dancing, laughing, cheering and crying in this colourfully over the top performance that wonderfully captures Dr. Seuss’ storyland of Whoville.
Based on the children’s book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, it tells the story of the grumpy green Grinch that lives up the mountain just north of the town of Whoville, home to the happy Whos. The Grinch hates Christmas so when the joyful citizens of Whoville, who all love Christmas, go to bed on Christmas Eve that’s when the Grinch creeps into their homes to steal Christmas. Unfortunately for the Grinch and his dog Max, they are caught in the act by a small girl called Cindy Lou and Cindy Lou manages to touch the Grinch’s somewhat undersized heart.
This extravaganza is a pure delight for young and old. The Grinch (Edward Baker-Duly) is the most convincing green furry monster I have ever encountered, he made me howl with laughter especially when he was ad-libbing at the children who were shouting at him! There are a few pantomime elements to this rib-tickling family show. Old Max (Steve Fortune), who is our narrator even gets the audience to sing along with the aid of a giant song sheet on stage.
The citizens of Whoville all look amazing, their outfits are truly authentic to the illustrations in the original books, the wigs and the huge grins alongside the infectious songs transported me to Whoville where we were introduced to young Max (Matt Terry) as he and the Grinch raid the home of Cindy LouWho and her parents and grandparents. I don’t think I have ever seen a more colourful and vibrant cast on stage as the citizens of Whoville all bedecked in Christmassy reds.
I loved the style of the sets too. Everything looked just like the book illustrations, all very cartoonish and unreal. Although the Grinch was slightly scary for the very young, it’s all quite surreal but magical.
The amazing cast really managed to bring children’s book characters to life for this show but for as wonderful as the Grinch was, it was last night’s Cindy Lou (Isla Gie) who was the absolute star of the evening. What an unforgettable performance from one so young! I’m pretty sure that one day I will point to her and say “I saw her acting as a child, she was magnificent”
The character of Cindy Lou is played by a different child each night, last night Isla reduced me to tears when she was singing to the Grinch, and I wasn’t alone, the man in front of me was crying too. There may be a lot of silliness but at the heart of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, it’s a story of embracing Christmas spirit and sharing the love.
If you don’t feel festive yet, go see How The Grinch Stole Christmas, you will definitely feel very Christmassy by the end of the evening.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is at The Alexandra until Saturday 7th December. Book tickets with BrumHour’s affiliate link >> HERE <<.
This isn’t a sponsored post.
When not blogging theatre for #BrumHour, Julie Wallis can be found on her own blog at redandgoldweb.wordpress.com
