Grinch Star Makes a Dream Come True
Back in September, Gavin Lee was cast in the titular role of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, his first role since playing Squidward Tentacles in Spongebob Squarepants earlier this year. Through a wish granting initiative of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, Lee recently met a long-time fan of theatre and of himself named Andrew McNamara. The two shared a heart-warming moment where McNamara got to perform in front of his idol, singing ‘Proud of Your Boy’ from Aladdin.
McNamara sang his heart out in an expressive rendition of the song, which was met with praise from Lee. Who encouraged him and mentioned that the song suited him very well. Lee then pulled out some tickets to the opening night show of Grinch, and handed them to McNamara, saying that after the show he can bring his family backstage so he can meet them.
As mentioned above, this meeting was made possible through the Garden of Dreams Foundation; an organisation partnered with the Madison Square Garden Company, along with various others in the tri-state area (hospitals, wish granting and community based organisations, etc.). The goal of the foundation is to provide support and assistance to children facing extreme conditions such as: poverty or homelessness.
McNamara getting to meet his idol, Gavin Lee was through the ‘Make a Dream Come True’ Program, where children get the opportunity to make memories at special events or with celebrities. Though the foundation itself is largely more focused on civic duties, such as providing scholarships or renovating hospitals, community centres, etc.
Gavin Lee was awarded a Tony nomination in June of this year for his work as Squidward Tentacles in Spongebob. He has also previously received an Olivier nomination for playing the role of Bert in Mary Poppins.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical opens on December 13th and will run at Madison Square Garden (specifically at the Hulu Theatre) till December 30th. Tickets are on sale now, so be sure to get yours right away. However, if tickets sell out before you can purchase one, fret not. It’s been revealed that there are plans for a holiday tour, with stops planned in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia.
The musical will feature a book and lyrics by Timothy Mason, with Mel Marvin on music. There will also be additional songs by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague. Production will be taken care of by Matt Helms with direction from Jack O’ Brian.