‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ national tour launches in South Bend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The national tour of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Musical” launches this weekend at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Performances are Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday. An extra matinee was added Saturday at 12:30 p.m. because of demand, according to Scott, a representative who appeared in studio. Scott said the show agreed to stay one extra performance.

Scott said tickets are going quickly.

Why South Bend

Scott said the American Theatre Guild chose South Bend to launch the tour based on routing and which theaters were available.

“We were so grateful to have the ability to partner with our venue, the Morris Performing Arts Center, and to be able to make this happen for South Bend,” Scott said. He said it is the first time a tour has launched there.

Rest of the Broadway series

“The Grinch” is part of the Broadway series in South Bend. The remaining shows are:

• “The Bodyguard”: Coming in December. Scott said he saw the opening night of the new tour, which launched in Toledo less than a month ago. He said the crowd gave standing ovations and that the show features songs including “Queen of the Night” and “I Want to Dance with Somebody.” Scott said the show ends with an encore from the full cast and kicks off the South Bend season.
• “A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical”: Coming in February for three days. Scott said the show tells how a kid from Brooklyn became one of the best-selling artists of all time.
• “The Book of Mormon”: Coming in May. Scott said the musical won nine Tony Awards and is still playing on Broadway. It was written by the creators of “South Park” and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. It follows two mismatched missionaries who set out to spread the word.
• “Six”: The last show in the series. Scott said it tells the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII, with each wife describing her grievances against him. He said it is still playing in New York.

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