Universal upgrades Grinch show stage for the holidays

The Grinch is hitting the big time again. Universal Orlando has boosted the Dr. Seuss character’s profile with a new, bigger, brighter stage for the “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular,” a key part of the holiday celebration now running at Islands of Adventure theme park.

The remodeled stage puts the actors — including the mean one, Mr. Grinch — closer to the audience.

“Before he was just so far away,” said Laura Sauls, manager of creative development and show direction. “He’s going to run out into the audience and kind of mess with the audience too, which is cool. We’ve never done that before.

It’s the biggest stage in Universal’s Whoville history, Sauls said, loaded with moving pieces, parts and programmable LEDs.

“It takes it to the next level,” she said.

The layout is a bit different. The centerpiece tree — yes, that magical re-ornament moment remains — is larger and now hugged by two spiral staircases. There are ramps leading down to the seating area. And doors swing open to reveal the inside of Cindy Lou Who’s house and (Mount Crumpit trumpets, please) the interior of the Grinch’s lair.

There, we see a big red chair (downright throne-like), a fulllength mirror, balls of yarn and giant knitting needles. A mild surprise to me: Christmas lights shaped like peppers.

There’s still a touching two-level scene as the Grinch looks down on the Whos who managed to have (spoiler alert) Christmas without gifts and surround the tree to sing “Welcome Christmas” (a.k.a. the Fah who foraze/Dah who doraze song).

The essence of the book, TV special and ghosts of Grinchmases pasts are there.

“For us, it’s telling that classic story that everyone loves,” Sauls said. “For us, that Broadway-style musical is a huge tradition for us. We don’t want to change what we all have grown to absolutely love and need every year.”

Additional returning parts of Universal’s holiday programming include:

Concerts by Christmas-music supergroup Mannheim Steamroller on Saturday and Sunday evenings through Dec. 16 at Universal Studios theme park. Visitors will “sit on the lawn, drink hot chocolate even though it’s 80 degrees outside … but it’s their holiday tradition,” Sauls said.

Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s retains much of the restyling it received last year, including 13 balloons and 11 floats featuring characters from “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and a big yellow minion from the “Despicable Me” franchise. “You cannot look at that balloon without smiling,” said John Piper, vice president of the Macy’s Parade Studio. The parade runs nightly at Universal Studios, culminating with Santa’s tree-lighting ceremony (walk toward the big tree back in the New York section.)

Back at Islands of Adventure, the projection show called “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” is back and continues to be a mindbender with unreal-yet-realistic redecorations of the iconic structure seen in “Harry Potter” films. It runs off and on through the evening (after dark, of course).

In other Wizarding World happenings, there are holiday musical performances by the Frog Choir (Hogsmeade side) and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees (Diagon Alley).

Universal’s holiday proceedings run through Jan. 6.

Yep, Max is in the Grinchmas show, played by a real dog. It’s hard to predict, or really even critique, these cuties. When I saw this year’s production, the little guy was hitting his mark then lost interest, jumped from the Grinch’s sled, sort of half knocking off his antler headdress, then completely shaking it off (who could blame him?). Then he just laid down. Later, he barked more or less on command. (“I love ya anyway, Max,” shouted the Grinch.)

There is some eye-catching newness on the IOA side. At the front entrance to Seuss Landing are two large, modern-looking holiday trees made of lit-up orbs. They change colors and patterns in a mesmerizing, oops-too-mucheggnog way.

Wishlist: A back way to jockey between IOA and the Studios, maybe just for annual passholders, maybe just for the holiday season to make the back-and-forth a little less arduous. I mean, saying that “Wholiday Spectacular” is in Islands is pretty much a white (Christmas) lie since it’s in a soundstage right underneath Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which we can all agree is positively in the Studios park.

We can dream!