LIST OF CHARACTERS & DESCRIPTIONS
MAX (Steve Gunderson (OLD MAX) & Jeffrey Schecter (YOUNG MAX): Max is our narrator of the story. First we meet him when he is OLD MAX. He is tall, skinny, with gray hair, a beard, and wearing an old topcoat and muffler. Max is also in the play as his younger self. When he is YOUNG MAX, he does not have gray hair or a beard, but he still has his muffler on. Max is excited about Christmas and thinks that it is a great time of year. He tries to stop the Grinch from carrying through his plans, but instead gets forced into helping. He thinks it is a bad idea what the Grinch is doing but is his dog and only friend so he helps the Grinch steal Christmas.
Grinch (Burke Moses): The Grinch is a green furry character that lives north of Whoville, with a heart two sizes too small. He has a dog named Max, and that is his only companion in his old, dark cave. There are also no other “Grinches” in the world, which might be a reason he doesn’t like Christmas because he never receives any Christmas cards or presents. The Grinch hates Christmas and all of the Whos because they love Christmas season so much. The Grinch has nightmares of Christmas day. He is scared of all of the Who children unwrapping their presents and making noises. This is what fuels him to steal Christmas from them.
Cindy-Lou Who (Taylor Coleman and Gabriella Dimmick): Cindy-Lou is one of the Children in the JP Who family. She is a very considerate girl. She wants to make a nice gift for the Grinch because she believes that it will bring him Christmas cheer. She is also very shy and doesn’t want to answer questions when they are asked of her. She has never met the Grinch, but when she does, he scares her and she has a nightmare about him. She wants a red rocking horse for Christmas.
JP Who (Papa Who) (Robert J. Townsend): JP Who is the father of the main Who family. He is very excited about Christmas like every other Who in Whoville. He is the only member of the family to have met the Grinch before. When the Grinch comes to town, JP Who invited the Grinch to join them for Christmas, because he is focused on spreading Christmas cheer.
Image credit to mommypoppins.com*
Mama Who (Bets Malone): Mama Who is the mother of the main Who family. She appreciates Cindy Lou’s kindness, but wishes she would focus it on other people, like her brother (Boo Who). She is very busy with buying all of the last-minute gifts for the rest of the family. Has a lot of children and has trouble keeping track of them.
Danny Who (Jordi Bertran and Imahni King-Murillo): A brother in the JP Who family. Is very excited about Christmas.
Annie Who (Katelyn Katz and Alex Rae Tenney):A sister in the JP Who family. Cannot wait for Christmas to arrive along with the other Who Children.
Boo Who (Noah Baird and Elliot Weaver): A brother in the JP Who family. Is the youngest of the Who Family. Eagerly meets the Grinch.
Grandpa in the JP Who family. He is hard of hearing and is often confused throughout the play. He does not usually understand what the others have just said to him. He is also unaware of the volume of his own voice and has to keep being reminded to be quiet.
Granny Who (Nancy Snow Carr): Granny Who is the grandma of the JP Who Family. She is often talking with Grandpa Seth Who trying to explain what is happening or telling him he needs to be quieter.
How Does an Actor Become a Who?
Whos are whacky characters that come in many odd shapes and sizes. For each actor to become a citizen of Whoville, they must first change from a person into a Who. Each actor is given their own “pod”. The pod is a costume made from foam and metal hoops that make the outer shape of the new Who body. After each actor has been fitted with their pods, they then need to learn the behaviors of a Who. Whos are very happy and excited characters and smile almost all of the time. In order to be a believable Who, the actors must work on their faces to be positive all the time, one way to help with this step is say “WHOOOOO” in a high pitched voice, which is what they say when they are happy.
After the actors have learned the basics of being a Who, they need to learn how to stand and walk. When Whos are standing still, they stand their their toes point out, and have their arms at their sides with the palm of their hand facing the ground. They also have some very specific dance moves they they need to learn. Below are some of the dance moves that are common to the Whos. Try some of these moves, and you can become a Who too!
Once the actors have learned the steps they need to practice in their pods so they can adjust to their new Who bodies. They wear the pods to each rehearsal and performance. The best part of their pod costume, is their who clothes are made right on top of the pod. This allow the actors to change easily. Just put on the pod and they are dressed for performance night.
Fun Facts About the Cast & Crew
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Jordi Bertran who plays “Danny Who” is scheduled to appear in the feature film Ruta Madre (2015).
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The two actors who play “Grandpa Seth Who” and “Grandma Who” are actually married in real life.
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Taylor Coleman who plays “Cindy-Lou Who (pink team)” also dances with The Royal Dance Academy studies voice at NC Studios, and is also a competitive gymnast.
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Steve Gunderson has played the role of “Old Max” for 11 years since 1999. He also receive the San Diego Theater Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for Actor of the Year, when he had the role of “Wilbur” in Hairspray at the San Diego Repertory Theater.
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Betsy Malone who is the actress playing “Mama Who” has been the voice of Tallulah the monkey in Barbie as the Island Princess and also the singing voice of Velma in Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire.
Works Cited
“Production Information.” The Old Globe. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.
Created & provided by: Emily Pooley
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