Seussical, sometimes Seussical the Musical, is a musical with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and a story co-written by both. It is based on the works of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot drawing from Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg. The title is a portmanteau of "Seuss" and "musical". Despite a negative critical reception and significant financial losses during its initial Broadway run in 2000, Seussical has since had a revival in popularity, with two US national tours, a West End production, and numerous adaptations for schools and regional theaters.
Plot
This synopsis describes the tour version of the show, currently being licensed as "Seussical the Musical" by Music Theatre International (MTI). Seussical weaves a story of friendship, loyalty, and love. Despite all odds, Horton and Gertrude band together to save the Whos, free Horton, and restore peace and unity to the Jungle of Nool! The charming story of Seussical teaches us the power of being unique, and the importance of fighting for your beliefs.
Act I
The show opens on a bare stage, with an odd red-and-white-striped hat in the center. A small boy wanders into view and notices the hat, wondering to whom it might belong. He finally mentions the word Cat in the Hat, who appears before the Boy and tells him he has been brought to life by the Boy's "Thinks". The Cat urges this boy to Think up the "Seussian" world and characters around the boy and himself ("Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!"). The Cat then reveals to the Boy that he is about to tell a story about someone as imaginative as the Boy is.
To begin the story, the Cat encourages the Boy to think up the Jungle of Nool, where Horton the Elephant is bathing. Horton hears a strange noise coming from a nearby speck of dust, and reasons that someone must be on it, calling out for help. He carefully places the speck on a soft clover and decides to guard it ("Horton Hears a Who"). But he is mocked mercilessly by the Sour Kangaroo and the other animals of the jungle, who do not believe him ("Biggest Blame Fool"). The only exceptions are Horton's bird neighbors, Gertrude McFuzz, who admires his compassion, and Mayzie LaBird, who is more concerned about herself ("Biggest Blame Fool Playoff").
Horton soon discovers that the speck is actually a microscopic planet populated by creatures called Whos. The citizens of Who-ville introduce themselves and their yearly Christmas pageant directed by their friend the Grinch. They also reveal that in addition to being unable to control where the speck flies, they are on the brink of war and their entire population of Truffula Trees has been cut down ("Here on Who"). The Whos thank Horton and ask for his protection, and he agrees to guard their planet.
At this point, the Cat pushes the Boy into the story; he becomes Jojo, the son of the Mr. Mayor (Mayor of Who-ville) and his wife, (Mrs. Mayor). Jojo has been getting into trouble at school for having out of control Thinks, so his parents order him to "take a bath and go to bed, and think some normal Thinks, instead". – <small>Bird Girls, Horton the Elephant, and Citizens of the Jungle of Nool</small>
- "Biggest Blame Fool" – <small>Sour Kangaroo, Young Kangaroo, Horton the Elephant, Wickersham Brothers, Bird Girls, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Citizens of the Jungle, the Boy and The Cat</small>
- “Biggest Blame Fool Playoff/Gertrude McFuzz” - <small>Gertrude, Wickershams, Bird Girls</small>
- "Here on Who" – <small>The Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, The Grinch, Whos, Schmitz and Horton</small>
- "It's Possible" – <small>Cat, Orchestra</small>
- "Egg, Nest, and Tree" Positive early buzz set off a bidding war among New York theatre producers, with Barry and Fran Weissler acquiring the rights. The musical had its out-of-town tryout in Boston, Massachusetts at the Colonial Theatre in September 2000.
An extensive sequence adapting The Lorax was seen in the original script, which involved Jojo meeting the Once-ler (played by Eddie Korbich in Boston) after deserting the army, and receiving the last Truffula Tree seed from him, giving him the courage to save Who-ville. Relevant characters included the Lorax himself as well as Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans, and Humming-Fish, who would all appear and disappear as the Once-ler told his story. The sequence faced numerous difficulties due to the show's already lengthy running time, and was ultimately cut entirely after its Boston tryout.
Broadway
Seussical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on November 30, 2000.
It was directed by Frank Galati and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Marshall's brother Rob Marshall was hired to direct the show when it returned to Broadway from Boston, though was uncredited. Originally, Catherine Zuber was the costume designer who made costumes as close to Seuss's illustrations as possible, and her costumes were seen in the Boston run. However, for Broadway, Zuber was replaced by William Ivey Long, whose costumes were more realistic and clashed with the Seussian set design. David Shiner played the Cat in the Hat, while Kevin Chamberlin played Horton, Michele Pawk played Mayzie LaBird, Stuart Zagnit and Alice Playten played Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, and Sharon Wilkins played the Sour Kangaroo.
The show received almost universally negative reviews. A second non-Equity production toured from 2003 to 2004.
The script for the first tour was reworked extensively after the show's poor showing on Broadway, resulting in the removal or reworking of several songs. The biggest change involved Jojo, who would now initially appear as an anonymous boy imagining the events onstage before the Cat pushed him into the story. Additional dialogue was included, and some songs and their reprises were cut. This version of the show is the one currently licensed by MTI as Seussical the Musical.
Off-Broadway
A 90-minute Off-Broadway production was staged at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2007 by Theatreworks USA. It was directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. This production was downscaled for the National Tour, which had its last show in spring 2018.
West End (London)
Seussical opened on the West End at the Arts Theatre on December 4, 2012, presented by Selladoor Worldwide. It returned in 2013.
Off West End (London)
Seussical opened at the Southwark Playhouse on 22 November 2018, and ran performances until 29 December.
South Africa
Seussical opened at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef Cityon December 20, 2019, for the festive season, presented by AndCoSA &CO.
One-act versions
A one-act version of the Broadway show titled Seussical Jr. has been created as part of MTI's Jr. series. It is intended to be shorter and more accessible for junior high or middle school students, and has an average run time of 60 minutes. For Jr., various songs are cut and shortened; the subplots based on The Butter Battle Book and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and their relevant songs and characters, are removed to make the story more understandable for younger audiences, though the Grinch retains one line during the song "Here on Who". General Schmitz is replaced in "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" by the Wickersham Brothers. Songs cut include "Our Story Resumes", "The Circus McGurkus", "Havin' a Hunch", the first version of "How Lucky You Are" (although the reprise sung by Mayzie remains), and "The Circus on Tour".
An even shorter version of the show, Seussical KIDS, is also available from MTI. The 30-minute KIDS version is intended for a large cast of young performers. Notable differences between Jr. and KIDS include the introduction of three Cats in the Hats and the removal of the songs "Biggest Blame Fool", "Amayzing Mayzie", and "Notice Me, Horton".
In 2004, Seussical was reworked into a "Theatre for Young Audiences" version. The cast was reduced to 12 actors, with the plot changed to focus more on Horton.
Awards and honors
Original Broadway production
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"| 2001
| Tony Award
| Best Actor in a Musical
| rowspan=2|Kevin Chamberlin
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Drama Desk Award
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical
|
|-
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
| Janine LaManna
|
|-
| Outstanding Music
| Stephen Flaherty
|
|}
Original Off-Broadway production
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"| 2008
| rowspan="3"| Lucille Lortel Award
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Revival
|
|-
| Outstanding Choreography
| Marcia Milgrom Dodge
|
|-
| Outstanding Costume Design
| Tracy Christensen
|
|-
| Drama League Award
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Revival of a Musical
|
|}
References
External links
- Seussical at the Internet Theatre Database
- Seussical at Music Theatre International
- Seussical JR. at the Music Theatre International website
- Seussical: Theatre for Young Audiences Version at the Music Theatre International website
- Seussical Audition Advice and Show Information from MusicalTheatreAudition.net
- New York Times Article on the Theatre For Young Audiences version
- Seussical the Musical Lyrics