One young Bronxite will get the opportunity to play a Who for a day.
Zoe Montes, 8, won the Who Lookalike Contest for a one-day walk-on part as a resident of Whoville in a December performance of Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The musical.
Contest participants dressed in a costume as a Who, and recited a line from the musical at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, October 23.
The Grinch himself, along with Cindy Lou Who and a member of the musical’s creative team, judged the contest, choosing Montes as the newest Who.
Montes will be a part of one performance of the musical, which is running at the Garden from December 5 through December 28, and will have her name in lights on the theater’s marquee. She also receives four VIP tickets for her supporters.
Montes has aspirations of being a performer one day, and was encouraged by her teachers at the Harbor Conservatory to participate in the contest, which represented her first audition.
She also has a pre-existing love of Dr. Seuss, and her favorite book of his is Green Eggs and Ham. But The Grinch holds a special place in her heart as well.
“The animated classic, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas has been a family tradition for us during the holidays,” said her grandmother, Daisy. “She is just thrilled to be a part of the show.”
Montes was over the moon about winning, and has been telling her friends all about her new pal, the Grinch. Both Montes and her grandmother are extremely excited about the December performance.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to know that a child is able to have her dreams come true,” she said.
Josh Rosenblum, executive producer of How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, said he hopes that Montes finds the experience to be transformative.
“At that age, to see your name in lights, to be treated as a star, to be fussed and preened over amongst a large group of talented folk will most certainly result in a major dose of self confidence,” he said. “She will overcome initial jitters, and look out over the audience and will see a sea of smiling supportive audience members.”
Rosenblum hopes that good memories, alongside the photographs she’ll receive, will last a lifetime for Montes.
“I like to imagine she’ll be sitting with her grandkids one day telling them the story of how, for a day at least, she was a star.”
