The Grinch was all about wrecking Christmas, but somehow it feels like a big gift to the community when the green curmudgeon comes to town - at least when he's brought by Nove Voce Choral Society.
The choir has made How The Grinch Stole Christmas into a biennial tradition, and this is one of those special performance years for their choral storytelling production.
A narrator will read the story while the all-female choir sings the songs from the ubiquitous cartoon and film adaptation.
"Nove Voce has been producing the Grinch since 2011 because of the enduring message, characters and world created by Dr. Seuss," said choirmaster Robin Norman.
"It was originally written in 1956 and the cartoon debut in 1966 - the message of the true meaning of Christmas is as timeless now as it was then and it continues to reach across all faiths and ages."
Richard Bjarnason is the speaking voice of this production, hand-chosen by Norman to deliver the quirky Seussian text to the audience.
"I personally have always loved the Boris Karloff narration (heard in the cartoon) so when deciding to produce a Grinch concert it was a natural choice to choose a narrator and have the choir fill in the musical moments," she said.
"Richard Bjarnason is back from 2014 for his return engagement and is a fabulous reader who does an especially great job of the Grinch."
There are some characterizations as well. The Grinch is there in great green guise, and some of the other costumed characters play a part as well.
Two seasoned veterans of the local stage, Amy Blanding and Elayne Taylor, take turns portraying the heroic villain.
"They are both great actors who bring a fun physicality to the part," said Norman.
The portrayal of Cindy Lou Who will alternate between Susie Macrae and Courtney Hayhurst. Norman said that, "They are the two youngest members of the choir and they fill the role with sweet innocence."
Pat Jorgensen was the costume creator for this year's edition.
The audience is encouraged to sing along to the tunes so many know, after all these decades.
They include Welcome Christmas and Where Are You Christmas? and of course the biggest hit of all is always You're a Mean One Mister Grinch.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas can be found on one day only - Saturday - at the upstairs activity room in the Civic Cente. However, there are four showings and sellouts are frequent.
They occur at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 available at the door, so audiences are encouraged to come early to avoid disappointment.
