Critics referred to Anderson’s portrayal of the Grinch as “a heart-wrenching performance.”
Photo by Jack Yang

Tragedy struck a high school performance of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” when local actor Jim Anderson suffered a heart attack reenacting the scene where the Grinch’s heart expands. Students are calling the tragedy “the most interesting thing to happen to musical theatre since whatever that rap musical about American history was.”

Anderson, reportedly a longtime fan of Jim Carrey’s performance of The Grinch, celebrated being casted as the titular character by getting a full body tattoo and dying his skin permanently green. Sources claim Anderson practiced enlarging his heart for the scene with heavy cardio, running marathons, and challenging himself to 24-hour Just Dance 2014 playthroughs. Deciding this was not enough to satisfy his commitment to the role, Anderson reportedly intensified his training through dietary means. According to an employee, “week after week, he’d squat down in the middle of an aisle and crack open egg cartons, crunching down on the eggs, chugging cooking oil, and handing over the appropriate payment for the eggs every time we tried to get him to leave the store. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if every blood vein inside of him was ready to burst.” On the day of the performance, Anderson apparently stretched his heart past its limit, resulting in heart failure. He was pronounced dead on-scene.

When fellow cast members were interviewed regarding Anderson’s “timely” death, most were saddened by his passing. However, some cast members showed approval of Anderson’s devotion to his work, namely Mitzie Salk, the actress for Cindy Lou Who, who commented that his death was “metal as fuck.” Salk elaborated, saying, “Honestly, if you’re an actor who isn’t willing to die for your art, why even be an actor? Who’s ever seen a famous living actor anyways?”

This is not the first time a fatal injury has befallen the high school’s performers. In a 2016 performance of “The Exorcist,” Janice Steward, who played the part for Regan, notoriously exclaimed “check this shit out” before snapping her neck by rotating it 360 degrees. Anderson was reportedly inspired by this event, having praised Steward’s performance, calling it “a true commitment to the arts.”

After the performance, Anderson’s mother reportedly wiped a tear from her eye watching her son’s death, stating “Jim Carrey would be proud.” When reporters reached out to Jim Carrey for comment, Carrey reportedly “stuck his face in a pile of cocaine, started screaming anti-vaccine opinions, and went completely crazy.” Carrey has yet to provide a comment on Anderson’s death.