‘The Grinch’ Holiday Musical Special Coming to NBC

This holiday season, NBC will be putting on a classic Christmas tale with a live musical twist. The network announced Tuesday that it will broadcast a two-hour production of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical on Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. ET from the Troubadour Theatre in London, just in time to help people get into the holiday spirit.

Starring in the show will be Glee star Matthew Morrison, who will star as the Christmas-stealing Grinch. American Horror Story actor Denis O’Hare will portray old Max, and Descendants 3 star Booboo Stewart will play young Max. The iconic role of Cindy-Lou Who will be portrayed by The Lost Girls star Amelia Minto, according to a press release from the network.

Morrison shared a clip from rehearsals on his Instagram after the announcement was made, showing the masked performers putting some finishing touches on their upcoming show, captioning the video, “WHO’s ready for some #holidayfun? This guy is!” Relishing in playing the “dastardly but lovable Grinch,” Morrison applauded his fellow performers for putting their all into making the performance safe and special for all.

“While the pandemic presents some challenges in bringing the stage musical to life, we are putting together a really special show with some crazy, fun, imaginative things going on,” he explained. “We’re gonna have so much fun this holiday season. We all need some cheer, and I will see you on Dec. 9.”

“Dr. Seuss is an indelible part of all of our lives and we’re thrilled to bring a stage production of ‘The Grinch Musical!’ to our audience,” Doug Vaughan, executive vice president, special programs at NBC Entertainment, said in a press release. “This is a perfect addition to our annual holiday program traditions and a telecast the entire family will enjoy.”

This isn’t NBC’s first musical performance. The network has made waves in the past with well-received stage performances, including live productions of The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, The Wiz, Hairspray and Jesus Christ Superstar, which has tapped A-list talent like John Legend, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande.

It was clear Morrison’s announcement was a welcome one, earning excited comments from fans. “Omg I am so excited to see it,” one person wrote. “Ahhh yyes this is amazing i cant wait thank u for this!” another added, while a third chimed in, “This is so exciting! Cannot wait to see you bring such a classic character to life!” Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical airs Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. ET from the Troubadour Theatre in London.