Seussical

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A man of whimsy on a path did walk,
when a creature he spied on a narrow, thin stalk.
“What manner of creature are you on that stalk.
I need to know, so please do talk.”

The creature looked up and, with a twinkly eye
said clearly and forthrightly, “It is Horton, am I.
I sit here this day on an egg which to hatch,
and protect the Who on this small clover thatch
And you, are who, that I may ask?
With questions and concern for this my task.”

“Why I am Suess, a doctor by name
and I tell stories that make children exclaim,
‘Oh joy and happiness, these stories do bring
And how great it would be if they could sing.’”

So it happened that someone heard the cry
and decided to take heed and give it a try.
So out came the work in the form of a musical,
That was to be known as the happy show Seussical.

EPIC Players (Empower, Perform, Include, Create) is a neuro-diverse theatre company dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities and supportive social communities in the arts for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists. Their production of Seussical the Musical is one of their two yearly mainstage productions. It is based on a selection of works by Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Aubrie Therrien, Executive Artistic Director, and Meggan Dodd, Co-Director, skillfully enable this production.

Seussical the Musical, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, has been produced worldwide since its first production in 2000. The original staging was not well received so it was revised before the first national tour. The revised version is based on three of Geisel’s books: Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg. The current version has been more successful, having had Off-Broadway productions and being regularly produced by regional theaters and school groups. The stories’ familiarity and the characters’ sweetness are the main reasons the show is still being produced. These attributes are why the EPIC Theater production works so well in addition to the enthusiasm and hard work of the cast.

In the middle of the stage, in the center of a spotlight, is a red-striped hat approached by a young girl. As she picks up the hat, a character appears on roller skates, puts on the hat, and introduces themself as the Cat in the Hat. This quixotic character, perfectly embodied by Shoshanna Gleich, begins the adventure with the young girl ultimately becoming Jojo (Christine Newberry), the daughter of the Mayor of Whoville (Matt Tierney) and his wife (Sandy Gladstone Karpe). Whoville is a planet on a speck of dust blowing in the breeze.

The people of Whoville (Bre Baron, Sami Binder, Miles Butler, Tess Carvelli, Shafer Gootkind, Prince Hurst, Ethan Jones, Genesis Solivan) are in danger of being destroyed, and they call out for help to anyone who will hear. In the Jungle of Nool, a kindhearted elephant named Horton hears them because of his big, floppy ears. He catches the dust, puts it on a clover flower, and promises to keep them safe, exclaiming, “A person is a person no matter how small.”

Gianluca Cirafici solidly plays Horton, imbuing the character with a sweetness befitting the description from the book. Cirafici’s vocals are not the strongest, but he does a credible job with the lyrics.

Horton’s discovery of the Who and his efforts to save their world is narrated in song by a group called the Bird Girls (Alice Franssen, Rachel Paine, Elisa Weiss). As the Bird Girls are finishing their guidance on Horton’s efforts, a new character, Sour Kangaroo (Emily Demaio), hops into view with her Baby Kangaroo (Anjel Bell) and sings “Blame Old Fool,” a song mocking Horton’s efforts. They are soon joined in teasing Horton by the Wickersham Brothers (Nick Moscato, Ethan Homan, Sven W), three monkeys who ultimately cause Horton to become upset when they do something with the clover flower holding the Who.

An element of the jungle scene is the Cat in the Hat, acting as a talk show host interviewing the jungle creatures to learn more about Horton. This clever device introduces the key characters from the remaining two books the show is built on.

The first to be interviewed is Gertrude McFuzz (Natalie Kaiser), described as a plain bird with a small one-feather tail. She lives next door to Horton and secretly has a crush on him. Kaiser gives a sensitive, understanding performance of the shy Gertrude who becomes important to Horton as his life appears to unravel. Her tale from the book “Gertrude McFuzz” is about how she grew an enormous tail to attract Horton’s attention. She did it with the help of Dr. Dake, played by Ethan Jones in the show.

The next to be interviewed is Mayzie LaBird (Kayla Robinson), a glamorous, flamboyant, and selfish bird. Robinson perfectly embodies all of those traits with a sassy performance as a self-absorbed creature of leisure. She manipulates Horton to care for her egg while she scoots off to lounge on a beach. She is also responsible for Gertrude obtaining an absurdly long tail.

Back in the Jungle of Nool, a trial is ordered with Yertle the Turtle (Prince Hurst) presiding and the creatures of the jungle as the jury. Horton is charged with talking to a speck of dust, disturbing the peace, and loitering on an egg. With the support and trust of Gertrude and the strong voices of the citizens of Whoville, Horton is able to convince the creatures of the Jungle of Nool that there is a world on the speck of dust and sitting on the egg was the right thing to do. Horton is true to his belief when he exclaims, “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!”

The creative team adds immeasurably to the feel-good nature of the show. Scenic designer Christian Flemming captures the style and feel of Geisel’s illustrations with Cameron Filepas’s lighting design, which helps to define the characters and guide the action. Costumes are critical in capturing the spirit of Dr. Seuss’ works, and Izzy Kitch’s designs are spot-on. Props designer Dana Weintraub perfectly captures the whimsy of the Seussian stories, with sound designer Sean Ramos keeping all the merriment of the dialogue and songs clear and well-heard. In a story like this, dance and movement are essential, and choreographer Travis Burbee solidly supplies both. Last but not least music director Blake Brauer guides the performers through the score skillfully, even when their voices are not quite correct. While the cast varies in skill levels, and there are a few bumps and technical glitches, it is still a show worth experiencing.

Seussical (through May 18, 2025)

Epic Players

The Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres, 502 West 53rd Street, 2nd Floor, in Manhattan.

For tickets, call: visit http://www.epicplayers.ticketspice.com/epic-players-presents-seussical

Running time: two hours including one intermission