Seussical
Seussical is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg while incorporating many other stories. The musical's name is a portmanteau of "Seuss" and the word "musical".[1] Following its Broadway debut in 2000, the show was widely panned by critics, and closed in 2001 with huge financial losses. It has spawned two US national tours and a West End production, and has become a frequent production for schools and regional theaters.
Seussical
Lynn Ahrens
Stephen Flaherty
The works of Dr. Seuss
2000 Boston tryout
2000 Broadway
2002 1st US Tour
2003 2nd US Tour
2007 Off-Broadway
2012 West End
2016 Off-off-Broadway
2018 Off West End
Productions[edit]
Pre-Broadway[edit]
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 2000, coordinated by Livent Inc., Andrea Martin played the Cat in the Hat.[3] Positive early buzz set off a bidding war among New York theatre producers, with Barry and Fran Weissler acquiring the rights.[4] The musical had its out-of-town tryout in Boston, Massachusetts at the Colonial Theatre in September 2000.[5]
An extensive sequence adapting The Lorax was seen in the original script, which involved Jojo meeting the Once-ler 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[edit]
Seussical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on November 30, 2000.[6]
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.[7] 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.[4] In January 2001,[6] in response to falling ticket sales, producers brought in Rosie O'Donnell to replace Shiner as the Cat in the Hat for a month-long engagement. O'Donnell also came in because Shiner went on vacation to see his wife in Germany. The move was criticized as stunt casting, but was successful at temporarily boosting ticket sales. After O'Donnell's run ended, Shiner returned to Seussical as the Cat in the Hat in February until March.[4] In March, young pop star Aaron Carter and former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby were cast as JoJo and the Cat respectively for short engagements. Due to poor box office, the show closed on May 20 the same year after 198 performances.[6] Its ultimate financial losses were estimated at $11 million, making it one of the worst financial flops in Broadway history.[4]
US tours[edit]
Following the Broadway production, there were two US national tours. Rigby reprised her role as the Cat for the first tour which ran from September 2002 to June 2003.[8][9] A second non-Equity production toured from 2003 to 2004.[10]
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[edit]
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.[11][12] This production was downscaled for the National Tour, which had its last show in spring 2018.
West End (London)[edit]
Seussical opened on the West End at the Arts Theatre on December 4, 2012, presented by Selladoor Worldwide.[13] It returned in 2013.[14]
Off West End (London)[edit]
Seussical opened at the Southwark Playhouse on 22 November 2018, and ran for only 7 performances.
South Africa[edit]
Seussical opened at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef Cityon December 20, 2019, for the festive season, presented by AndCoSA &CO.
One-act versions[edit]
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.[15] 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.
An even shorter version of the show, Seussical KIDS, is also available from MTI.[16] 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.[17]