Cast and Creatives Announced for the Old Globe's DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! ON THE RADIO

The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team of its 23rd annual production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which this year will be presented by KPBS Radio in San Diego as a free audio-only production. Due to the ongoing pandemic, The Old Globe is unable to produce the San Diego favorite on its stage this year. The free audio production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio will pivot this San Diego tradition to a new form, giving San Diegans the chance to continue their holiday season visit with The Grinch, and introducing this beloved production to many for the first time. The performance can be heard on the radio in San Diego on KPBS 89.5 FM, and can be streamed live on the KPBS website, on the KPBS app, and on smart speakers on Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving Day) at 12:00 noon; Saturday, December 5 at 12:00 noon; Sunday, December 20 at 12:00 noon; and Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) at 6:00 p.m. All times are Pacific Standard Time (PT).

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio is a wonderful, whimsical musical based upon the classic Dr. Seuss book. The family favorite features the songs "Santa for a Day," "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," and "Welcome, Christmas (Fah Who Doraze)," the delightful carol from the popular animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Celebrate the holidays with the Whos and The Old Globe.

Edward Watts returns to the Globe after receiving critical acclaim and delighting audiences as The Grinch the last three years. Watts recently starred as Harold Hill in The Music Man at Goodspeed Musicals and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at Broadway Sacramento/Music Circus. His Broadway and New York credits include Scandalous, Finian's Rainbow, It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, The Fantasticks, The Most Happy Fella, and the acclaimed PBS "Live from Lincoln Center" Show Boat. Tommy Martinez will once again scale Mt. Crumpit as Young Max. He has been seen in NBC's Hairspray Live!, on the national tour of Kinky Boots, and on Broadway in Newsies. Returning to play Old Max will be John Treacy Egan, whose Broadway credits include My Fair Lady, Casa Valentina, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde, and Bye Bye Birdie. And Leila Manuel will once again play Cindy-Lou Who this year. She previously appeared in local productions of Peter Pan and Willy Wonka.

Completing the cast are Grinch alumni Tyrone Davis, Jr. (Papa Who), Charlotte Mary Wen (Mama Who), Larry Raben (Grandpa Who), Bets Malone (Grandma Who), Taylor Coleman (Annie Who), Sophia Adajar (Betty-Lou Who), Alexander Dalton (Boo Who), Bobby Chiu (Danny Who), and Reanne Acasio, Nicholas Alexander, Kevin Hafso Koppman, Kyrsten Hafso Koppman, Janaya Mahealani Jones, Sarah Meahl, Nathan Andrew Riley, William BJ Robinson, Katie Sapper, and Lance Arthur Smith (Grown-Up Who Ensemble).

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio is directed by James Vásquez, with book and lyrics by Tim Mason and music by Mel Marvin. The original production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was conceived and directed by Jack O'Brien with additional lyrics by Theodor S. Geisel, additional music by Albert Hague, and original choreography by John DeLuca. This year's creative team also includes Elan McMahan (Music Director), Paul Peterson (Sound Design), Mark Anthony Holmes (Audio Recording and Production), Anita Ruth (Orchestrator), Joshua Rosenblum (Vocal Arrangements and Incidental Music), David Krane (Dance Music Arranger), Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager), and Amanda Salmons (Assistant Stage Manager).

"It's impossible to imagine the holidays in San Diego without the Globe's production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and we were not about to let the coronavirus make a Grinchy move of its own and take this grand tradition away from us," said The Old Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "With our friends at KPBS, we are taking a bold step into the world of radio theatre, and this bright, fun, and touching musical is a perfect way to start. The intimacy of radio and its broad, easy access will bring this great show to a huge, new San Diego audience and will spread the magic of theatre and the healing spirit of Dr. Seuss around our region at a time when both could not be more needed. Our virtual tree lighting and our virtual sensory-friendly work will extend The Grinch's reach even further. We are pleased to acknowledge the generosity of the late Audrey S. Geisel as we make theatre matter to more and more people by transforming the challenge of the pandemic into an opportunity to bring the beauty of storytelling and the humanity of Dr. Seuss to the widest possible community."

"KPBS is thrilled to partner with The Old Globe to bring Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio to our San Diego airwaves," said Tom Karlo, General Manager of KPBS. "It reminds me of when families would gather around the radio to listen to entertaining storytelling. Today the radio experience has expanded via smart speakers, web streams, the KPBS app, and traditional radio devices. I hope that in whatever manner families listen, they feel their hearts grow three sizes with joy in hearing this iconic story and sharing the experience alongside their community."

The 15th annual Globe Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place virtually Sunday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m. PT on the Globe's website and social media channels. The ceremony, which has also become an annual tradition for thousands of San Diegans as they kick off the holiday season, is a fun event for the whole family. This year's virtual broadcast will feature special appearances and songs from this year's Grinch, Edward Watts; director James Vásquez; Ariana Afsar, one of the two actors who played Cindy-Lou Who in the very first production at the Globe; and local favorites Steve Gunderson and Melinda Gilb and other exciting Grinch alumni; all leading up to the final countdown and the lighting of the tree. And who knows, that old green meanie may just drop in too!

Designed by Grinch scenic designer John Lee Beatty, the unique tree will be located in the center of the Globe's Copley Plaza and will remain through December 31, 2020. Holiday photos can be taken in front of the tree each evening. Everyone is strongly encouraged to maintain social distancing on the Globe's Copley Plaza.

This year The Old Globe brings its Sensory-Friendly Grinch AXIS event online. For the second consecutive year, The Old Globe is partnering with music group Jungle Poppins (who will give a very special musical presentation!), Autism Society San Diego, and Banding Together. This special event will be hosted by Old Globe Teaching Artist and Inclusion Specialist Samantha Ginn and by Reid Moriarty, lead singer of Jungle Poppins and Ability Awareness Ambassador. It will feature an inclusive workshop led by Ginn and a presentation of an original holiday-inspired play from their Sensory-Friendly Community Voices workshop. Join them live online on Sunday, December 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon PT on The Old Globe's YouTube channel for some holiday cheer!

Additionally, The Old Globe is offering a special sensory-friendly Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! online social-story experience, limited to families that have attended past sensory-friendly performances at the Globe. For more information or to be added to the waiting list for this sensory-friendly experience, please contact Associate Director of Arts Engagement Katherine Harroff at kharroff@TheOldGlobe.org.

Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! On the Radio is supported in part by Terry Atkinson and Kathy Taylor, The Binford Family, Ann Davies, George C. Guerra, United, Pamela Wagner and Hans Tegebo, and The Wickline Family. Grinch Free Student Matinee programs are supported by Dee Anne and Michael Canepa and Random House Children's Books. An anonymous donor is supporting Edward Watts in the role of The Grinch.

Note: All in-person Globe productions and events have been postponed until further notice; all dates are subject to change. In the meantime, the Globe develops and presents a wide array of free online programs to continue reaching the San Diego community. These currently include a free commissioned short-plays project Play At Home and The Old Globe Coloring Book. Current arts engagement programs include the exploration of modern poetry The Poet's Tree; Voces de la Comunidad, the Spanish-language version of Community Voices, their popular playwriting program; collaborative Mad Libs-style program Word Up!; and Creative Youth Studio, a series of professional development opportunities for youth and high-school theatre enthusiasts; new middle school and high school Globe to Go focused resources, a part of School in the Park, which offers free downloadable K-5 resources for teaching; season 2 of Reflecting Shakespeare TV, a digital version of the transformative initiative offered at prisons; and Behind the Curtain: Art of Protest.

Programs and videos archived on their website at www.TheOldGlobe.org and on their YouTube channel, available for viewing at any time from the comfort of your home, including the world premiere of Bill Irwin's In-Zoom; On Book: The Old Globe's Shakespeare Reading Group; outreach from familiar Globe artists in Act Breaks and Flashbacks; Soap It Up with students from The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program; and Barry Edelstein's hit presentation Thinking Shakespeare Live! and his series Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! Archived arts engagement programs include the Community Voices playwriting workshop; Behind the Curtain and its offshoots, the Spanish-language Detrás del Telón and Behind the Curtain: Technical Assistance forum; check-in program with Globe-commissioned playwrights Playwrights Unstuck; The Living Room Play Workshop; and season 1 of Reflecting Shakespeare TV.

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