seussical - wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

8/17/2019 Seussical - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Seussical

Logo

Music Stephen Flaherty

Lyrics Lynn Ahrens

Book Lynn AhrensStephen Flaherty

Basis The stories of Dr. Seuss (mainly

"Horton Hears a Who!", "Horton

Hatches the Egg" and "Miss Gertrude

McFuzz")

Productions

2000 Boston tryout

2000 Broadway

2002 1st US Tour

2003 2nd US Tour

2007 Off-Broadway

2012 West End

Seussical From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seussical is a musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen

Flaherty based on the books of Dr. Seuss (mainly "Horton

Hears a Who!", "Horton Hatches the Egg" and "Miss

Gertrude McFuzz") that debuted on Broadway in 2000.

The play's story is a rather complex amalgamation of many of Seuss's most famous books. After a Broadway

run, the production spawned two US national tours and a

UK tour. It has become a loved classic for schools,

communities and regional theatres.[1]

Contents

1 Productions1.1 Pre-Broadway1.2 Broadway1.3 United States tours1.4 Off-Broadway1.5 West End, London1.6 One-act versions

2 Contributing Dr. Seuss books3 Plot4 Songs

5 Songs in Seussical Jr.6 Instrumentation7 Characters

7.1 Major Characters7.2 Supporting Characters7.3 Ensemble Characters7.4 Characters Played By The Cat In The

Hat7.5 "The Lorax" sequence7.6 Seussical Jr. removals

8 Awards and nominations

8.1 Original Broadway production8.2 Original Off-Broadway production

9 References10 External links

Productions

Pre-Broadway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-Broadwayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hatches_the_Egghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seusshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Flahertyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seussical_(logo).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seussical_(logo).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seussical_(logo).pnghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Flahertyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hatches_the_Egghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seusshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Flahertyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Ahrenshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theaterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-Broadwayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hatches_the_Egghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seusshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Ahrenshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Flahertyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seussical_(logo).png


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In a reading in New York City, Eric Idle played the Cat in the Hat, and was credited at the time for

contributions to the story line. In the Toronto workshop in 1999, coordinated by Livent Inc., Andrea Martin

played the Cat in the Hat.[2] The musical had its out-of-town tryout in Boston, Massachusetts at the Coloni

Theatre in September 2000.[3]

Broadway

Seussical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on November 30, 2000.[4] Directed by Fran

Galati with choreography by Kathleen Marshall; though uncredited, Kathleen Marshall's brother Rob

Marshall was hired to direct the show when it returned from Boston to Broadway. The original Broadway

cast included David Shiner as the Cat in the Hat, Kevin Chamberlin as Horton, and Anthony Blair Hall as

Jojo. It also featured Janine LaManna as Gertrude McFuzz and Michele Pawk as Mayzie LaBird, with Stua

Zagnit as the Mayor of Whoville, Alice Playten as the Mayor's wife, Sharon Wilkins as the Sour Kangaroo

and Eric Devine as General Genghis Khan Schmitz also appearing. Throughout the run, there were many

celebrity Cat in the Hat replacements, including Rosie O'Donnell[5] and Cathy Rigby.

The production received lukewarm reviews, with critics focusing on the huge cast of characters and

unsympathetic plotlines.[6] The Broadway production closed on May 20, 2001 after 198 performances and

34 previews.[4]

United States tours

Following the Broadway production, there were two US National tours. The first, in 2002–03, starred Cath

Rigby, and the second toured in 2003–04.[7][8]

The script for the first tour was extensively reworked after the poor showing on Broadway. This resulted in

the removal or reworking of several songs. The biggest change involves Jojo, who is initially an anonymou

boy who thinks up The Cat in the Hat when he finds a strange hat at center stage. The Cat helps the boy

create the Seussian universe and the rest of the story. The Cat later shoves the boy into the story, making

him play the role of Jojo. There is also additional dialogue, as well as the deletion of some songs and their

reprises.

It is this version of the musical that is currently rented by the leasing company, and has enjoyed some

success in regional and children's theater companies.

Off-Broadway

A 90-minute Off-Broadway production was staged at the Lucille Lortel Theatre from July 19, 2007 throug

August 17, 2007 by Theatreworks USA, directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge and

starring Shorey Walker as The Cat in the Hat.[9][10] This production was downscaled for the National Tour

which took its final bow in Spring 2014. The 14th National Tour closing cast included: Tommy McKiernan

(The Cat in the Hat), Jeremiah Haley (Horton the Elephant), April Lavalle (Gertrude McFuzz), Josh

Boscarino (Jojo), Ashley Stults (Mayzie La Bird), Charnette Batey (Sour Kangaroo/Young Kangaroo), Ray

Lederman (Bird Girl #1/Mrs. Mayor), Emma Wagner (Bird Girl #2), Sammy Lopez (Wickersham #1/Mr.

Mayor), Brody Karn (Wickersham #2), Corey Loftus and Greg Laucella (replacement Wickershams).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcia_Milgrom_Dodgehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatreworks_USAhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Lortel_Theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-Broadwayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Rigbyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Rigbyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_O%27Donnellhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Wilkinshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Playtenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Zagnithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Pawkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Chamberlinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shiner_(clown)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Marshallhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Marshallhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Galatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgers_Theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Martinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Idle


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West End, London

Seussical opened on the West End at the Arts Theatre on December 4, 2012, by Sell a Door Theatre

Company based in Greenwich, London.[11] Produced by David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree and

directed by Phillip Rowntree, designed by Richard Evans, lighting by Alexander Ridgers with choreograph

by Cressida Carrè.

It has been announced that "Seussical" will once again return to the Arts Theatre in the Christmas of 2013,once again produced by Sell A Door Theatre Company.[12]

One-act versions

In 2004, with the permission of the playwrights, Jeff Church, Artistic Director of the Coterie Theatre in

Kansas City, reworked Seussical and premiered the Theatre for Young America ("TYA") version. The TYA

version contains significant changes, including reducing the cast to 12 actors and focusing the action of the

plot on Horton.

Ahrens, Lynn with Flaherty, Stephen. "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Seussical." American Theatre Octobe2005

Another one-act version of the show, Seussical the Musical, Jr. is designed for performances by junior high

or middle school students, and part of the MTI "Jr." series. The Junior version of Seussical was changed

from the full-length Broadway version to make it shorter, in one act, and more accessible for younger actor

Contributing Dr. Seuss books

The overarching plot of the show mirrors that of Horton Hears a Who!, centering on Horton the Elephant's

endeavors to protect the people of Who-ville, who live on a tiny speck of dust. It also features charactersand scenarios from many other Seuss books, including the Butter Side Uppers/Downers from The Butter

Battle Book , Gertrude McFuzz, and, in addition to a music number based on its original story, The Cat in th

Hat also acts as "your host and MC" – acting variously as a narrator, an outside observer, and a devil's

advocate throughout the show, and briefly leaping into the action on several occasions to create conflict and

keep the story moving. In all, the following Seuss books have some minor characters and/or settings

incorporated into the show:

1. Horton Hears a Who!

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!3. The Lorax4. Green Eggs and Ham5. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories6. Horton Hatches the Egg7. I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew8. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street 9. McElligot's Pool

10. Dr. Seuss's ABC

1. Hunches in Bunches

2. If I Ran the Circus3. The Butter Battle Book 4. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!5. The Cat in the Hat 6. The Sneetches and Other Stories7. Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?8. Oh, the Places You'll Go!9. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Fish_Two_Fish_Red_Fish_Blue_Fishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_the_Places_You%27ll_Go!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Did_I_Ever_Tell_You_How_Lucky_You_Are%3Fhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sneetches_and_Other_Storieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_the_Thinks_You_Can_Think!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Bookhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Ran_the_Circushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunches_in_Buncheshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss%27s_ABChttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McElligot%27s_Poolhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_to_Think_That_I_Saw_It_on_Mulberry_Streethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Had_Trouble_in_Getting_to_Solla_Sollewhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hatches_the_Egghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_Storieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Hamhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loraxhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_advocatehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Bookhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_(narrative)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sell_A_Door_Theatre_Companyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_Theatrehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sell_a_Door_Theatre_Companyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_Theatre


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Due to the elimination of songs such as "The Military", "Havin' A Hunch" and "Message from The Front"

and phrases and sections of other songs, Seussical, Jr. only uses the books:

1. Horton Hears a Who!2. Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?3. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish4. The Cat in the Hat 5. If I Ran the Circus

6. McElligot's Pool7. Green Eggs and Ham8. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories9. Horton Hatches the Egg

10. I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew11. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

More info on the cut songs are below.

Plot

This synopsis describes the Off-Broadway version.

Act I

As the story begins, there was nothing but a bare stage with an odd red-and-white striped hat in the center.

small boy discovers it and imagines what it could belong to, finally conjuring up the Cat in the Hat. The Ca

creates the Seussian world around him and the Boy ("Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!"), and he acts as the

narrator for the remainder of the musical, and is the Boy's mentor during the play. The Cat also plays some

of the minor roles. At the Cat's encouragement, the Boy thinks up the Jungle of Nool, where Horton the

Elephant is bathing.

Horton hears a strange noise coming from a speck of dust, and decides there must be someone on it. He

rescues the speck and places it on a clover ("Horton Hears a Who") and decides to guard it. Led by the at-

first-villain Sour Kangaroo, the other animals in the jungle mock him mercilessly, except for Gertude

McFuzz, Horton's next door neighbor, who admires his compassion and begins to fall in love with him

("Biggest Blame Fool"). Horton soon discovers the dust speck is in fact a planet covered with microscopic

people called Whos. They introduce themselves and their community (such as their yearly Christmas

pageant based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and explain their predicament. In addition to being

unable to control where their dust speck flies, they are on the brink of war and all of their beautiful Truffula

Trees (from The Lorax) have been cut down ("Here on Who"). Horton's resolve to guard the dust speck is

strengthened.

At this point, the Cat in the Hat abruptly pushes the Boy from the beginning into the story; he becomes Jojo

the son of the Mayor of Whoville. No sooner does he enter than he is roughly scolded by his parents: he ha

inadvertently been causing trouble at school by thinking (or rather, having Thinks), disrupting the class and

horrifying the teachers. Jojo is sent to "take [a] bath and go to bed/And think some normal Thinks instead"

Jojo blames the Cat for getting him in trouble and asks him to leave. The Cat replies with "Ok, but first let

me sing." The Cat starts singing "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think", but Jojo tries to tune out the Cat by

saying "I can't hear you!" The Cat soon persuades him to "have a think in the tub" by explaining the things

that you can do if you think. Jojo imagines the tub is McElligot's Pool ("It's Possible"), distracting himself

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_the_Thinks_You_Can_Think!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Had_Trouble_in_Getting_to_Solla_Sollewhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hatches_the_Egghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_Storieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Hamhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McElligot%27s_Poolhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Ran_the_Circushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Fish_Two_Fish_Red_Fish_Blue_Fishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Did_I_Ever_Tell_You_How_Lucky_You_Are%3Fhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!


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and accidentally flooding the Mayor's living room. The Mayor and his wife wonder what they should do

about their son ("How To Raise a Child"). After receiving a brochure from the Cat, they decide to send him

to military school, under the supervision and persuasion of General Genghis Khan Schmitz (A character in

Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew), who is preparing to go to war with those who eat their bread butte

side down (as in The Butter Battle Book) ("The Military").

Meanwhile, Horton has been guarding the clover for "over a week", getting ridiculed by the Citizens of the

Jungle. He then thinks about how no matter what others may say or do, he still has his dreams for adventur

and a friend. He decides to chat with the Whos, and Jojo responds. They chat and discover they have founda friend in one another ("Alone in the Universe"). Jojo goes to sleep, only to be woken up by the Cat in the

Hat. The Cat asks him what should happen next, and Jojo decides to focus on Getrude. Her feelings for

Horton are stronger than ever, but she fears he doesn't notice her because her tail consists only of "one

droopy-droop feather" ("The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz"). At the advice of Mayzie La

Bird, whose tail is enormous and dazzling, Gertrude, goes to Doctor Dake by the Lake (played by the Cat)

who prescribes her pills to make her tail grow ("Amayzing Mayzie/Amayzing Gertrude"). Gertrude is so

excited by the dramatic and immediate results of the pills that she overdoses, causing her tail to grow to a

ridiculous length.

Horton is ambushed by a group of ne'er-do-well monkeys called the Wickersham Brothers ("MonkeyAround") who steal the clover and run off with it. Horton gives chase, until the monkeys give the clover to

black-bottomed eagle named Vlad Vladikoff. Horton continues to chase the clover, until Vlad Vladikoff

drops it into a large patch of identical clovers, 'one hundred miles wide' ("Chasing the Whos"). The Cat in

the Hat abruptly freezes the action and delivers an ironically cheery tune to the audience ("How Lucky You

Are"). Horton begins to look for the clover, hoping that the Whos are still alive, when Gertrude, who has

followed Horton all this distance, catches up with him. Her tail is now gorgeous, if impractically large. She

tries to catch his attention, but he is too busy looking for the Whos to notice her ("Notice Me, Horton"). Sh

retreats to take more pills while he continues searching. After searching 2,999,999 clovers, Horton loses

hope, and he sees Mayzie La Bird high in a nest. Apparently, she was in Fort Worth, when she met a

nightingale named Tweet McFirth. After 'three weeks of bliss', Tweet left her with an egg. Mayzie thenpersuades Horton to give up on the search for the Whos and sit on her egg while she goes off for a vacation

Horton reluctantly agrees, and Mayzie flies off ("How Lucky You Are (Mayzie's Reprise)"). Horton waits

on the egg for months, bearing harsh weather conditions and having to decide whether to keep Mayzie's

promise or find the Whos.("Horton Sits On The Egg") Horton is captured by hunters, Gertrude tries to save

Horton, but the size and weight of her new tail does not allow her to fly. The Cat in the Hat, backed by the

full company, sings another reprise of "How Lucky You Are" to finish off Act I.

Act II

At the top of the act, Horton is transported to New York City and auctioned off to the Circus McGurkus (If

Ran the Circus) ("Egg, Nest, and Tree"). After going on the road and "sitting on the egg for 51 weeks,

sitting here while people have paid to take peeks," Horton meets up with Mayzie again, and tries to give the

egg back to her. She insists that he keep it as a rather dubious gift, wishes him good luck when it hatches,

and leaves. Horton, betrayed and alone, sorrowfully remembers how no matter how hard he tried, he

couldn't save the Whos, or poor Jojo. Realizing that the egg also is alone without its mother, and he is the

only one who can help it. With a brave determination, declares that he'll do better than try, and protect the

little egg with everything he has ("Alone in the Universe (Reprise)"). Then he sings the egg a lullaby about

magical world called Solla Sollew. At the same time, Jojo, the Mayor, and the Mayor's Wife, lost in the

clover field, reflect on recent events, wishing they could all be in Solla Sollew as well ("Solla Sollew").


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The Battle of Butter finally commences, but Jojo rebels against General Schmitz and abandons the army. H

hands in his sword and hat and unwittingly runs out onto a minefield, vanishing in an explosion. The

General assumes that Jojo has committed suicide by running into a minefield, and heads back to Whoville t

deliver the sad news to his family. The Cat reveals to the audience that Jojo did, in fact, survive, but Jojo

quickly discovers that he's lost, and doesn't know where to turn. After being confronted by the Cat and the

Hunches (Hunches in Bunches), Jojo finds his way home by the power of his Thinks ("Havin' a Hunch").

Meanwhile, Gertrude sneaks into the circus where Horton is kept at night and frees him. She explains the

troubles she went through to reach him, including getting all but one of her tail feathers plucked out to allowher to fly, and finally confesses her love for him ("All For You"). Also, she found Horton's clover, as well!

Horton is delighted to find the Whos alive and well, but the happy ending has not arrived yet: the evil Sour

Kangaroo suddenly appears and with the Wickersham Brothers, kidnaps Horton. Horton is dragged back to

the Jungle of Nool and put on trial for "talking to a speck, disturbing the peace, and loitering...on an egg."

The Cat plays the bailiff, and Judge Yertle the Turtle presides over the case. Gertrude and Horton make a

stand at the case, but the verdict is obvious from the beginning: Horton is remanded to the "Nool Asylum

for the Criminally Insane," and the clover is to be boiled in a kettle of beezlenut oil. Horton, aghast,

encourages the Whos to make as much noise as they can, to prove they exist. Their efforts initially seem

futile, until Jojo comes up with a new word, "YOPP," his shouting of which reverberates throughout the

world and finally makes the Whos heard ("The People Versus Horton the Elephant"). The court acquitsHorton, and the Sour Kangaroo ends her wicked ways and decides to do her part in protecting the clover. O

Who, Jojo is celebrated for his achievement, to be honored as Thinker Non-Stop.

Suddenly, the egg hatches: to everyone's surprise, a tiny flying Elephant-Bird comes out. Horton panics,

realizing he can't handle flying progeny, and asks Gertrude what he should do. She responds, "I have wings

yes I can fly...you teach him earth, and I will teach him sky." They agree to raise the child together as moth

and father. The Cat in the Hat appears one final time to sum things up ("Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

(Reprise)"). The scene dissolves, leaving only Jojo, now just a boy again, and the strange hat from the top o

show. The Boy walks up to the hat, and pulls it over his head and says "Seuss!" Blackout. The curtain call

accompanied by a final number set to a verse of Green Eggs and Ham.

Songs

Act I

1. "Overture" – Orchestra2. "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" – Company

(except The Grinch and Vlad Vladikoff)

3. "Horton Hears a Who!" * – Bird Girls, Horton andCitizens of the Jungle of Nool

4. "Biggest Blame Fool" – Sour Kangaroo, YoungKangaroo, Horton, Wickersham Brothers, Bird Girls,

Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Citizens of the

Jungle, the Boy and The Cat

5. "Here on Who" – The Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, TheGrinch, Whos, Schmitz and Horton

6. "A Day for the Cat in the Hat" ** – The Cat, Jojoand Cat's Helpers

7. "It's Possible (In McElligot's Pool)" * – JoJo,

Act II

1. "Entr'acte" ^ – Orchestra2. "Our Story Resumes" ^ – The Cat, JoJo, Horton,

Gertrude McFuzz, General Genghis Khan Schmitz, Bir

Girls and Hunters3. "Egg, Nest, and Tree" * – Sour Kangaroo, Bird

Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The Cat and Hunters

4. "The Circus McGurkus" ^ – The Cat, Horton andCircus Animals

5. "Mayzie in Palm Beach" ^ – Mayzie LaBird, TheCat Jose the Pool Boy and Horton

6. "Amayzing Horton" – Mayzie LaBird and Horton7. "Alone in the Universe" (Reprise) – Horton8. "Solla Sollew" – Horton, The Mayor, Mrs. Mayor,

JoJo, and Circus McGurkus Animals and Performers


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The Cat and Fish

8. "How to Raise a Child" – The Mayor and Mrs.Mayor

9. "The Military" – General Genghis Khan Schmitz,The Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, JoJo and Cadets

10. "Alone in the Universe" – Horton and JoJo11. "The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude

McFuzz" – Gertrude

12. "Amayzing Mayzie" – Mayzie LaBird, Gertrude andthe Bird Girls

13. "Amazing Gertrude" – Gertrude and Bird Girls14. "Monkey Around" – Wickersham Brothers and

Horton

15. "Chasing the Whos" * – Horton, Sour Kangaroo,Young Kangaroo, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The

Cat, Vlad Vladikoff and Whos

16. "How Lucky You Are" – The Cat and Whos17. "Notice Me, Horton" – Gertrude McFuzz and

Horton

18. "How Lucky You Are" (Reprise) – MayzieLaBird and Horton

19. "Horton Sits on the Egg" – Full Company

9. "The Butter Battle" ^ – JoJo, General Genghis KhaSchmitz and Cadets

10. "The Grinch Carved the Roast Beast" ^ – TheGrinch, The Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Cindy Lou Who, Max

the Dog, Schmitz and Whos

11. "Havin' a Hunch" * – The Cat, JoJo, Hunches andCat's Helpers

12. "All for You" – Gertrude, Horton and Bird Girls

13. "The People Versus Horton the Elephant" * –Principals (except Mayzie and Schmitz), Wickershams

Yertle, Bird Girls, Young Kangaroo

14. "Finale" / "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" –Full Company

15. "Curtain Call" / "Green Eggs and Ham" – FullCompany

* = Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Dr. Seuss

** = Not present in current revision of play

^ = Not on Cast Recording

Songs in Seussical Jr.

1. "Overture" – Orchestra2. "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" – Cat, the Boy, Horton, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Gertrude, Mayzie, Sour

Kangaroo, The Wickershams and Company

3. "Horton Hears a Who" – Horton, Bird Girls, Cat, the Boy, Mr. Mayor and Jungle Citizens4. "Biggest Blame Fool" – Sour Kangaroo, Young Kangaroo, Horton, Wickersham Brothers, Bird Girls, The Cat,

Gertrude, Mayzie and Jungle Citizens

5. "Biggest Blame Playoff" / "Gertrude McFuzz" – Gertrude, Wickersham Brothers, Sour Kangaroo, The Cat, Mr

Mayor and Jungle Citizens6. "Here on Who" – Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Jojo, Horton, the Grinch and The Whos7. "Meet Jojo the Who" – Mr. Mayor and Mrs. Mayor8. "How to Raise a Child" – Mr. Mayor and Mrs. Mayor9. "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!" (Reprise) – The Cat and Jojo

10. "It's Possible (Pt. 1)" – Jojo, The Cat and Fish11. "It's Possible (Pt. 2)" – Jojo, The Cat and Fish12. "Alone in the Universe" – Horton and Jojo13. "The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz" / "Amazing Mayzie" – Gertrude, Mayzie and Bird Girls14. "Amazing Gertrude (Pt. 1)" – Gertrude15. "Amazing Gertrude (Pt. 2)" – Gertrude, The Cat and Bird Girls


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16. "Monkey Around" / "Chasing the Whos" – The Wickershams, Sour Kangaroo, The Cat, Horton, Bird Girls,Jungle Citizens and Whos

17. "Notice Me, Horton" – Gertrude and Horton18. "How Lucky You Are" – Mayzie and The Cat19. "Mayzie's Exit" / "Horton Sits on the Egg" / "Dilemma" / "Hunters" – Horton, Gertrude, Bird Girls and the

Hunters

20. "Egg, Nest, and Tree" – Sour Kangaroo, Horton, Hunters, Bird Girls and Jungle Citizens21. "Sold" / "Mayzie in Palm Beach" – Sour Kangaroo, Horton, Bird Girls, Jungle Citizens, Mayzie, the Cat and Jose

the Pool Boy22. "Mayzie at the Circus" – Mayzie23. "Amazing Horton" – Mayzie and Horton24. "Alone in the Universe" (Reprise 1) – Horton25. "Solla Sollew" – Horton, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Jojo and Circus Animals26. "Gertrude/Espionage (Pt. 1)" – Gertrude27. "Gertrude/Espionage (Pt. 2)" – Gertrude and Horton28. "All for You" – Gertrude, Bird Girls and The Cat29. "The Whos Return" / "The People Versus Horton the Elephant (Pt. 1)" – Horton, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor,

Jojo, Gertrude, Sour Kangaroo, The Wickershams, The Cat, Yertle the Turtle, Bird Girls and Courtroom

30. "The People Versus Horton the Elephant (Pt. 2)" – Horton, Yertle the Turtle, The Cat, The Wickershams, BirdGirls, Sour Kangaroo, Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Jojo, The Whos and Courtroom

31. "YOPP!" – Sour Kangaroo, Young Kangaroo, The Cat, Mr. Mayor and Mrs. Mayor32. "Alone in the Universe" (Reprise 2) – Horton, Gertrude, The Cat and Jojo33. "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! (Finale)" – Jojo and Full Company34. "Green Eggs and Ham (Finale Bows)" – Full Company35. "Exit Music" – Orchestra

Instrumentation

The licensed orchestration for Seussical stays true to the original Broadway production's seventeenmusicians. The instrumentation calls for two keyboards, bass guitar, two guitars, drums, percussion, three

woodwind players, two trumpets, trombone, two violins, viola, and cello. Both guitarists are called to play

both acoustic and electric guitars, and the second part doubles on banjo. The first woodwind part doubles o

piccolo, flute, clarinet, and soprano and alto sax; the second part doubles on oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, an

tenor sax; the third part doubles on flute, clarinet, bassoon, and baritone sax.

Characters

Major Characters

The Cat in the Hat – The main character who is the mischievous, imaginative, comedic narrator of thshow. The Cat acts as a mentor to Jojo throughout the play. The Cat also plays several other charactein the story, including the Bailiff in "The People vs. Horton The Elephant," Mr. McGurkus, Jose thePool Boy in "Mayzie in Palm Beach," Doctor Dake in "Amazing Gertrude," a piano player imitatingLouie Armstrong, an auctioneer, and others. Some productions have The Cat also play Yertle theTurtle, Vlad Vladikoff, and in Jr. productions, The Grinch. The Cat often breaks the fourth wall forcomedic effect. The script allows for the Cat to be played by either a girl or a boy, with only minorscript changes which are detailed in the back of librettos. David Shiner originated the role.Horton the Elephant – While the Cat gets top billing, Horton is the heart and soul of Seussical. He is

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_the_Elephanthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Shiner_(clown)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-referencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Armstronghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Ran_The_Circushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hat


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described as a thinker and an outsider, almost a blue-collar worker. He tries to protect the Whos andcare for the egg Mayzie leaves behind even though the animals think he is crazy. He and Gertrudebecome the parents of the elephant-bird. Kevin Chamberlin originated the role.The Boy/JoJo – A thinker, the child of The Mayor and Mrs. Mayor, gets into trouble for thinking. Heand Horton bond over the fact that they are outcasts because of what they do (Horton protecting theWhos and Jojo's "thinks"). He is appreciated in the end. Originally played by Anthony Blair Hall &Andrew Keenan-Bolger.Gertrude McFuzz – The loyal bird-neighbor of Horton, she loves him but is shy due to having only

one feather for a tail. She has major insecurities about her tail and seeks help from Mayzie La Birdbecause she has a tail Gertrude envies. Gertrude changes throughout the show from being nervous anself-aware of her imperfect tail to focusing instead on accepting who she is and caring for the babyelephant bird. Horton eventually falls for her and she becomes the adoptive mother of the elephantbird in the end.Mayzie LaBird – A vivacious, self-centered, selfish and vain bird who tells Gertrude to take pills soher tail will grow longer. Mayzie never admits her flaws and is manipulative with Horton so that shecan escape her responsibilities. She is the mother of the elephant-bird Horton and Gertrude adopt butshe abandons him and goes to Palm Beach.Sour Kangaroo – A rude kangaroo who teases Horton and calls him the "biggest blame fool in the

jungle of Nool" because he tries to protect the Whos. Later, she gets him arrested and put on trial

because of protecting the Whos and caring for Mayzie's egg after she deserts it. At the end of theshow, she realizes that the Whos are real. She offers Horton to help care for them.

Supporting Characters

The Mayor - The newly elected Mayor of the Who's, Jojo's father.Mrs. Mayor - The Mayor's wife, Jojo's mother.General Genghis Khan Schmitz – The general of the Whos' military. He leads Jojo to war against theButter-Side-Downers. (He is removed in the Jr. version of the play.)The Wickersham Brothers – Three mischievous monkeys who steal Horton's clover from him. They

work as henchmen for the Sour Kangaroo.The Young Kangaroo (Roo) – The Young Kangaroo can be played by a puppet attached to the SourKangaroo's costume or a person. Does everything Sour Kangaroo does.The Bird Girls - The Bird Girls are a type of Greek chorus who are Mayzie's friends. They act as thenarrators when the Cat in the Hat is not around.The Grinch - The Grinch is a notable member of Whoville, known for organizing their Christmaspageant.The Elephant Bird - Usually played by a small child actor, the elephant bird is revealed in the finale aa cute and whimsical mix of dramatic Mayzie and humble Horton.Yertle the Turtle - Yertle is the judge of the jungle, appearing at the beginning of the show and in"People vs Horton the Elephant"

Vlad Vladikoff - A cameo role. He is hired by the Sour Kangaroo to steal Horton's clover. Due to hiscameo role, he may also be in the ensemble.The Hunters - They hunt and capture Horton. They take him to New York City and auction him to thMan from the Circus. The Hunters usually go up to 2-6 Hunters.

Ensemble Characters

The Whos - Citizens of Whoville, idealistic citizens of a "pleasantville"-type town. Also included inthis category are The Cadets, boys in Schmitz's military.The Jungle Creatures - Flexible movers who appear as dancers and singers in jungle scenes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_Storieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grinchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_McFuzzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Chamberlin


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All of the Grinch scenes are removed. Due to this removal, the characters of Max the Dog and Cindy Lou

Who are removed. However, the Grinch still plays a small role in the song "Here on Who." - having one

line. Due to this minimal amount of time, some productions choose to have the Cat in the Hat play the

Grinch in this song using a Santa hat and a mask.

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Year Award Category Nominee Result

2001

Tony Award Best Actor in a Musical Kevin Chamberlin Nominated

Drama DeskAward

Outstanding Actor in a Musical Kevin Chamberlin Nominated

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Janine LaManna Nominated

Outstanding Music Stephen Flaherty Nominated

Original Off-Broadway production

Year Award Category Nominee Result

2008

Lucille Lortel

Award[13]

Outstanding Revival Nominated

Outstanding ChoreographyMarcia MilgromDodge

Nominated

Outstanding Costume Design Tracy Christensen Nominated

Drama LeagueAward

Outstanding Revival of a Musical Nominated

References

1. TIME magazine reported in its May 26, 2008 issue,

p. 51, that this musical ranked as the second most

frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools

in 2007.

2. Jones, Kenneth and Lefkowitz, David. "Livent

Hears a Who: Seussical Has Aug. 20–21

Workshops in Toronto"

(http://www.playbill.com/news/article/47322-Livent-Hears-a-Who-Seussical-Has-Aug-20-21-

Workshops-in-Toronto) playbill.com, August 20,

1999

3. Dezell, Maureen. "Bad Reviews May Have Helped

'Seussical' (article summary)"

(http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8617076.html)

Boston Globe (Boston, MA) (highbeam.com),

September 22, 2000

4. "Production Credits". Internet Broadway Database.

Retrieved 2008-03-10.

5. Hinckley, David. "Rosie's 'Seussical' Roars

O'Donnell the cat's meow as her 4-week run opens

(http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainm

nt/2001/01/17/2001-01-

17_rosie_s__seussical__roars_o_.html) New York

Daily News, January 17, 2001

6. "Seussical is a Charming Musical".

TalkinBroadway.com. Retrieved 2008-03-10.7. "Rewritten and Ready, a New Touring Seussical

Flies – Literally – Sept. 17 in Indy". Playbill.

September 17, 2002. Retrieved 2008-03-10.

8. "New Seussical Tour Launches Oct. 10 in a Town

With a Name Worthy of Dr. Seuss: Yakima".

Playbill. October 10, 2003. Retrieved 2008-03-10

9. Andrew Gans (16 July 2007). Lortel_July_16 "Fre

90-Minute Seussical Begins Run at the Lucille

Lortel July 16" Check |url= value (help).

Retrieved 25 November 2009.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#bad_urlhttp://www.playbill.com/news/article/109560-Free_90-Minute_Seussical_Begins_Run_at_the_Lucillehttp://www.playbill.com/news/article/82114.htmlhttp://www.playbill.com/news/article/72117.htmlhttp://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s808.htmlhttp://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2001/01/17/2001-01-17_rosie_s__seussical__roars_o_.htmlhttp://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=12571http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8617076.htmlhttp://www.playbill.com/news/article/47322-Livent-Hears-a-Who-Seussical-Has-Aug-20-21-Workshops-in-Torontohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_League_Awardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcia_Milgrom_Dodgehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Lortel_Awardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Flahertyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_Desk_Award_for_Outstanding_Musichttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_Desk_Award_for_Outstanding_Featured_Actress_in_a_Musicalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Chamberlinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_Desk_Award_for_Outstanding_Actor_in_a_Musicalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_Desk_Awardhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Chamberlinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Actor_in_a_Musicalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award


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Wikiquote has quotations

related to: Seussical

External links

Seussical (http://www.theatredb.com/QShow.php?sid=s2277)at the Internet Theatre DatabaseSeussical (http://ibdb.com/show.php?id=10308) at the InternetBroadway DatabaseSeussical (http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000229) at the Music Theatre InternationawebsiteSeussical JR. (http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000296) at the Music Theatre

International websiteSeussical: Theatre for Young Audiences Version (http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000261) at the Music Theatre International websiteSeussical Audition Advice and Show Information(http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.net/shows/seussical.html) from MusicalTheatreAudition.net(http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com)New York Times Article on the Theatre For Young Audiences version(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/theater/13seus.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5088&en=2f74353c043ce5af&ex=1341979200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)Seussical the Musical Lyrics (http://www.themusicallyrics.com/s/217-seussical-the-musical.html)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seussical&oldid=717442376"

Categories: Broadway musicals 2000 musicals Adaptations of works by Dr. Seuss

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10. Greg Kalafatas (19 July 2007). "PHOTO CALL:

Seussical Off-Broadway". Retrieved 25 November

2009.

11. "The Stage". Newspaper. Retrieved 2012-10-01.

12. http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-

theatre/news/06-2013/seussical-returns-to-arts-

theatre-this-christmas_30883.html. Retrieved

29 June 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)

13. Listing

(http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?

search_by=show&id=5011) lortel.org, accessed

July 25, 2010
http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=5011https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#citation_missing_titlehttp://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/06-2013/seussical-returns-to-arts-theatre-this-christmas_30883.htmlhttp://www.thestage.co.uk/news/production/2012/10/seussical-musical-to-play-at-the-arts-theatre-this-christmas/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109673-PHOTO_CALL_Seussical_Off-Broadwayhttps://www.wikimediafoundation.org/https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_policyhttps://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Usehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_Licensehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Adaptations_of_works_by_Dr._Seusshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2000_musicalshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Broadway_musicalshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Categoryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seussical&oldid=717442376http://www.themusicallyrics.com/s/217-seussical-the-musical.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/theater/13seus.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5088&en=2f74353c043ce5af&ex=1341979200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rsshttp://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com/http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.net/shows/seussical.htmlhttp://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000261http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000296https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Theatre_Internationalhttp://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?id=000229https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Broadway_Databasehttp://ibdb.com/show.php?id=10308https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Theatre_Databasehttp://www.theatredb.com/QShow.php?sid=s2277https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Seussical

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