This is Thomas Gasu as The Cat in the Hat. I'm on the right.Regardless of my own personal stories and experiences Seussical is one heck of a show. It is great and has to be watched more than once. Anyone who tells you that this musical is anything short of great has a gun to their head or hearing things. I'm going to tell you about Seussical The Musical here at the Empress.
The story line is great as always, how can anything by Dr. Seuss be horrible... oh right, Mike Meyers' Cat in the Hat... but that isn't the case here. In fact, this is the total opposite of it. The storyline is adapted by a separate writer (not Dr. Seuss) and draws from many of Dr. Seuss original stories. The main story is a beautiful mix of both Horton Hears A Who an Horton Hatches The Egg. Horton is fulfilling both story lines at once all the while several story lines are also taking place. This is not to say that the entire musical is based on a string pf separate stories that never get finished. in fact the stories that are presented come full close and even present a sense of 6 degrees of separation. Focusing on Horton we see him as he protects the Who's from the Jungle Creatures and court, Hatching an egg through a traveling circus, hunters and a terrible storm. We also zoom in on Who-ville to meet a retired Grinch, Mr Mayor, Mrs Mayor and their thinking son Jojo who is also the main character from the intro to the show. Jojo gets thrown into war and giant mishaps happen. All the while the Cat in the Hat is playing the narrator, minor characters, and Jojo's (along as our) guide. The show, songs and even the set have many references from the works of Dr. Seuss. We hear about Sneeches on Beaches, Truffula trees, Judge Yertle the Turtle, The Battle of Butterhill, McElligot's pool, The Places You'll go and a large number of even more references.
The acting in this musical is fantastic and top of the line. Although most of the time you will be focusing on the Cat's antics you will be introduced to many characters along the way. Mayzie is a self-centered beauty who does her own thing, Gertrude is ever vigilant and trying to win the heart of the ever so innocent and kind Horton. Many of the characters seem to just have been born from these books as the actors have don't a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Seuss. Apart from the main characters it should be noted that you keep and eye out for the background characters that give and breathe even more life to this storybook tale brought to life. In numbers you will find the wanna-be-G's Wickersham Brothers picking up random things and eating them and even passing them along to be eaten by another. The Mayzie wanna-be Bird girls constantly fighting with one another for the spotlight (yet never taking it from Gertrude or Mayzie), you will find them pushing each other or fighting for the love and attention of the Cat in the Hat.
The singing is fantastic. The voices are powerful and passionate in two words (3 if you count "and"). They envelope a lot of emotion and enunciation is great... and that's just the solos and small group numbers. The giant group numbers are fantastic with various lyrics being sung at the same time, all the while creating a sense of chaos on stage.
The story line is great as always, how can anything by Dr. Seuss be horrible... oh right, Mike Meyers' Cat in the Hat... but that isn't the case here. In fact, this is the total opposite of it. The storyline is adapted by a separate writer (not Dr. Seuss) and draws from many of Dr. Seuss original stories. The main story is a beautiful mix of both Horton Hears A Who an Horton Hatches The Egg. Horton is fulfilling both story lines at once all the while several story lines are also taking place. This is not to say that the entire musical is based on a string pf separate stories that never get finished. in fact the stories that are presented come full close and even present a sense of 6 degrees of separation. Focusing on Horton we see him as he protects the Who's from the Jungle Creatures and court, Hatching an egg through a traveling circus, hunters and a terrible storm. We also zoom in on Who-ville to meet a retired Grinch, Mr Mayor, Mrs Mayor and their thinking son Jojo who is also the main character from the intro to the show. Jojo gets thrown into war and giant mishaps happen. All the while the Cat in the Hat is playing the narrator, minor characters, and Jojo's (along as our) guide. The show, songs and even the set have many references from the works of Dr. Seuss. We hear about Sneeches on Beaches, Truffula trees, Judge Yertle the Turtle, The Battle of Butterhill, McElligot's pool, The Places You'll go and a large number of even more references.
The acting in this musical is fantastic and top of the line. Although most of the time you will be focusing on the Cat's antics you will be introduced to many characters along the way. Mayzie is a self-centered beauty who does her own thing, Gertrude is ever vigilant and trying to win the heart of the ever so innocent and kind Horton. Many of the characters seem to just have been born from these books as the actors have don't a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Seuss. Apart from the main characters it should be noted that you keep and eye out for the background characters that give and breathe even more life to this storybook tale brought to life. In numbers you will find the wanna-be-G's Wickersham Brothers picking up random things and eating them and even passing them along to be eaten by another. The Mayzie wanna-be Bird girls constantly fighting with one another for the spotlight (yet never taking it from Gertrude or Mayzie), you will find them pushing each other or fighting for the love and attention of the Cat in the Hat.
The singing is fantastic. The voices are powerful and passionate in two words (3 if you count "and"). They envelope a lot of emotion and enunciation is great... and that's just the solos and small group numbers. The giant group numbers are fantastic with various lyrics being sung at the same time, all the while creating a sense of chaos on stage.
The choreography is great, although when compared to previous plays such as Joseph, they can seem simplistic. A lot of the solo number are mostly standing in places, although the magic truly comes from the larger group number which just like the singing causes amazing chaos on stage. This is not to say that its unorganized, in fact it is the total opposite. With so many characters on stage, your eyes will be wandering catching so glimpses and funny moments such as Horton running and hiding from the Sour Kangaroo and the Sour Kangaroo running right past him, Wickersham Brothers flirting with the Bird Girls and even the Cat in the Hat just waving a red flag of war or fishing. Although one number is simply genius and nothing short of genius. Having a Hunch (which I will not describe) will not only catch your eyes and ears it will creep you out in many ways. as you watch you will be enveloped in a dark atmosphere and the music will send a chill through your back. Truly a one of a kind experience that makes the entire production even better.
The costumes are great and colorful. Whether you are watching the jungle creatures, whos, Bird Girls or the Wickershams you can absolutely tell who belong where. With the costumes creating more cartoon-like people rather than creating animals on stage you can still feel a Seuss like atmosphere to each character. Whether you are looking at the psychedelic Sour Kangaroo, the overall wearing pair of Gertrude and Horton or the Tuxedoed up Cat in the Hat.
Technically the show is great as well with Lights truly adding to the show. Whether in the darkness of Having a Hunch, the green jungle setting or blue ocean of McElligot's pool the Lights add an essence of awe. You will even see shooting stars on stage. Sound does a great job as well using high quality minus tracks provided by the MT Pit of Utah. And even the stage is well drawn. It feels like a Seuss book expanded on stage along with the Field of Clovers drawn out in the first act. Also put an ear out for some sound effects such as bird chirps and dog growls as an example.
Overall the show is great and perfectly done. I give this production 5 out of 5 stars. the actors personify the characters well, great singing, fantastic choreography and little bits and tidgets that will make anyone who sees this show more than once (which I highly suggest) smile and giggle with glee.
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