After spending a boozy hour in Cindy Lou Who’s trailer, you’ll never again see the classic Dr. Seuss tale the same. It turns out that the Grinch is not only a Christmas-hating misanthrope; he’s also a groomer and a deadbeat husband. Jaded, 40-year-old Cindy — now living as an outcast outside Whoville — is determined to set the record straight.
For a dozen years in the aughts and 2010s, Theater Wit was home to “The Santaland Diaries,” David Sedaris’ cynical take on the capitalistic rat race of the holidays. With “Who’s Holiday,” the Lakeview theater offers up another irreverent comedy for those who want a little spice to counter the sweetness of the season’s abundant “Nutcrackers” and “Christmas Carols.”
Written by Matthew Lombardo, “Who’s Holiday” premiered off-Broadway in 2017 and is in its third consecutive season at Theater Wit, directed by Christopher Pazdernik and starring Veronica Garza in the role that earned her a Jeff Award nomination in 2022. At the late-night show I attended last weekend, it took a while for the actor to build a connection with a rather subdued audience, but the clever script and Garza’s entertaining, surprisingly moving performance made for a fun start to my lineup of seasonal shows.
The one-woman play takes place on Christmas Eve, when Cindy is preparing to host a few friends in her modest yet cozy mobile home. Angela Weber Miller’s fabulous set blends touches of Whoville — from the slanted windowpanes to the skinny, snowcapped peaks in the background — with garlands and holiday lights for a whimsically festive effect. Costume designer Uriel Gomez complements Miller’s aesthetic by putting Cindy in glittery crocks, metallic reindeer leggings and a loudly patterned Christmas dress, with large bows atop her massive blond bun.
Unfortunately, Cindy’s efforts to decorate her home are for naught; one by one, her friends call with flimsy excuses to bail on the party. Instead, she spends the evening drinking cocktails, smoking Who-hash and regaling the audience with her many woes.
Speaking in Seuss-inspired rhymes with a thick Boston accent, she recalls her initial encounter with the Grinch when she was a toddler and caught him sneaking off with her family’s holiday decorations on Christmas Eve. But the story doesn’t end with the Grinch’s transformation into a big-hearted furball and the carving of the roast beast. As Cindy grows up, he becomes close friends with the young Who — too close, it soon becomes clear.
To the horror of Whoville, Cindy elopes at age 18 and gives birth to a green baby. While her new husband is great in the bedroom, as she gleefully tells the audience through rhyming innuendoes, the young wife finds herself scraping by to support the family as the Grinch idles away the days in his cave. Eventually, the situation spirals out of control, and she loses everything, including custody of her beloved daughter, Patty.
While Lombardo’s script is anchored in the Seuss universe, with nods to characters such as the Cat in the Hat, the Lorax and Sam-I-Am, it also references “Hamilton,” “Wicked” and Obamacare. A miniature bottle of Malört even makes an appearance in the Wit production. Cindy further breaks the fourth wall with several moments of audience interaction, so choose your seats accordingly if participation isn’t your thing.
Despite the adult humor and F-bombs, this vodka-infused comedy has plenty of heart. At its core, “Who’s Holiday” is about loneliness, isolation and the cruel ways in which the holiday season sharpens the pain of estrangement from family and friends. These themes come to an emotional peak when Cindy invites the audience to join her in singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” then takes a solo turn for the lyrics, “Someday soon we all will be together / If the fates allow. / Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.”
Whether you’re thrilled about the snow that’s falling as I write or bracing yourself to muddle through the weeks ahead, “Who’s Holiday” is an ideal bite-sized show to add to your December schedule. You can leave the kids at home, grab a Who-themed drink from the theater’s bar and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. And if you’re spending the holidays with people you love, you’ll likely leave the theater with renewed appreciation for that particular kind of good luck.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “Who’s Holiday!” (3 stars)
When: Through Dec. 30
Where: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave
Running time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Tickets: $39-$48 at 773-975-8150 and theaterwit.org
