Text size:

Review: 'The Grinch' is a bore

By Matt Windman | amNewYork Theater Critic

November 30, 2007

It was the kind of human-interest story that journalists only dream about. On Saturday morning at 10AM on November 10, the Broadway stagehands unexpectedly began their strike at "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," leaving adults confused and kids crying. The cast, in turn, tried to entertain in the streets, a display that made it on to every made news channel. And depending on whose side you were on, the Grinch seemed to symbolize the greed of the stagehands or producers.

But the fun didn't end there. One week after the strike, the show's producers struck a separate agreement with the stagehands, but the theater's owners wouldn't open the doors till the entire strike was over. So everyone went to court, where a state judge granted an injunction to let "The Grinch" go on and entertain Thanksgiving audiences.

How did the stagehands and the show's producers reach such a separate agreement? "The Grinch," now in its second annual limited engagement, plays about 14 performances a week, including no less than four each Saturday. And since it only plays through early January, its producers pointed out that if the strike went on any longer, the show's financial prospects would be destroyed.

In spite of all the uproar and publicity, we've got to be honest: "The Grinch" is a mere mediocrity. Unlike "Seussical," where a dozen Dr. Seuss tales were intermixed brilliantly, "The Grinch" is a pretty poor attempt to make a very short story last even 85 minutes, consisting mostly of flat filler. The new songs pale in comparison with "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas," which are luckily still around.

But what "The Grinch" does showcase is a stellar performance from Patrick Page, a classically trained actor, in the title role, in addition to the awesome Whoville costumes and scenery. And it definitely plays better now in the intimate St. James Theatre than it did last year in the cavernous Hilton, now occupied by "Young Frankenstein."

St. James Theater, 246 West 44th St, 212-239-6200, $25-111.50. Schedule varies. Thru Jan 7.