James Schultz as The Grinch and Xavier McKnight as Young Max in the Touring Company of Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Theodore Seuss Geisel began his career as a cartoonist in the 1920s after one of his fellow Oxford students noticed him spending more time doodling in class than taking notes. Not long after that, his work began appearing in magazines with the name “Dr. Theophrastus Seuss” next to them, which the cartoonist quickly shortened to “Dr. Seuss.”

Geisel often said that the inspirations for his stories were mysteries to him, with the exception of Cat In The Hat and Grinch. In both of those characters the author found pieces of himself. Michael Frith, Seuss’ editor said “The Cat in the Hat and Ted Geisel were inseparable and the same… This is someone who delighted in the chaos of life, who delighted in the seeming insanity of the world around him.” Just after The Grinch Who Stole Christmas appeared, Geisel explained to Redbook that on the morning of the day after Christmas, he looked in the mirror and thought to himself that he looked a little “Grinchish.” So he wrote the story about the sour Mr. Grinch to see if he could rediscover something about Christmas he felt he had lost. Now, 67 years later, his timeless Christmas tale comes to the Buell Theatre Dec 3-7 as a full-scale Broadway musical production.

Based on Seuss’ original book and the 1966 Chuck Jones’ half-hour television special, the nearly 90-minute musical came to life in 1994 at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. From there it underwent several versions until it appeared on Broadway in 2006, where it broke records during holiday engagements at the Hilton Theatre (2006) and the St. James (2007). Since then thousands of families across America have been delighted by this heart-warming holiday musical, which The New York Times praised as “100 times better than any bedside story” and the Gannett newspapers hailed as “A genius of a show! A total delight for both kids and adults.”

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical features the hit songs “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas” (written by Albert Hague and Dr. Seuss) from the original animated series. Max the Dog narrates this classic holiday tale that will entertain the whole family as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, an endlessly cheerful bunch bursting with holiday spirit. Magnificent sets (John Lee Beatty) and costumes (Robert Morgan) inspired by Dr. Seuss’ original illustrations help transport audiences to the whimsical world of Whoville, while the music and book of Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason breathe new life into this timeless story of the true meaning of Christmas. The 2024 production is directed by Matt August and choreographed by Bob Richard based on the original choreography by John DeLuca and originally created by four-time Tony Award® winning director Jack O’Brien.

So if you look in the mirror and think you look a little “Grinchish,” get your tickets now for Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical and rediscover the magic of Christmas you may have lost!

Reprinted courtesy of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. Originally published by Playbill.

DETAILS
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Dec 3-7, 2025 • Buell Theatre

Tickets