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Once
again, Dr. Seuss is on the loose
December
8, 2002
BY MISHA
DAVENPORT STAFF REPORTER
The Cat in the Hat came
back.
While those words find
their way into a title of a popular children's book by Theodor "Dr.
Seuss" Geisel, they also could be used to describe "Seussical the
Musical," which is based on several of his books. The show failed
in its initial Broadway run, but has found new life and an audience
on the road. It opens Tuesday at the Cadillac Palace.
Yes, a national tour
of a failed musical is unconventional, but this is, after all, Seuss.
We should be used to expecting the unexpected. To borrow a line
from the show: "Take a tip from the cat and hold onto your hat,
because this ain't Mother Goose."
Fans of the Dr. Seuss
books will recognize the characters that populate the musical. Of
the 40 or so books authored by Geisel, 17 find themselves in "Seussical"
as lyrical and visual references or actual characters. There's Mayzie
the lazy bird who abandons her egg in the care of an elephant named
Horton. In addition to his egg-sitting duties, Horton also is persecuted
because he is the only animal able to hear the tiny Whos, whose
mini-world exists on a single speck of dust. At the center of "Seussical"
is the mischievous Cat in the Hat and Jojo, a boy who is constantly
in trouble because of his active imagination.
For one of the show's
writers, Lynn Ahrens, the project has been a labor of love. She
says both she and "Seussical" co-author Stephen Flaherty grew up
reading the books and she can still quote entire passages by heart.
"Stephen and I both thought
it was such tremendously fertile territory," Ahrens says. "When
we started working on the show, we immediately began to find musical
ways to tell the stories."
Ahrens says the biggest
task the pair faced was how to remain true to the spirit of the
text without having to rely solely on Seuss' original rhymes.
"The text really was
a jumping-off point for the songs. That's the way it had to be.
Seuss' rhyming pattern is exactly identical in every story. So we
really wrote songs inspired by the text," Ahrens says.
For "Seussical," Ahrens
says the pair took an improvisational approach to writing.
"We'd talk about the
characters, the moments we wanted to address, what emotions they
were feeling and the dramatic impulses of the scene. Little by little,
something would bubble up."
Ahrens and Flaherty were
so successful in adapting the material for the stage, Geisel's widow,
Audrey, told Ahrens she was pleased with the show.
"She actually told me
she couldn't tell where he [Seuss] left off and where I began. It
was very flattering," Ahrens says.
The show had all the
makings of a hit when it opened on Broadway in 2000: a built-in
fan base courtesy of a legion of people familiar with the books;
the talented writing team of Ahrens and Flaherty ("Ragtime"), who
contributed script, lyrics and song; and a powerhouse production
team consisting of SFX Theatrical Entertainment and Barry and Fran
Weissler. Rosie O'Donnell even used her talk-show clout when she
jumped into the lead role to beef up ticket sales.
Unfortunately, the show
suffered some technical and creative difficulties in its out-of-town
tryout in Boston. It eventually delayed the New York opening. When
the curtain was finally raised, the musical was met with mixed critical
reaction and producers found the audience for the show--much like
the heart of Seuss' the Grinch--was simply two sizes too small.
The show played 34 previews and 198 performances before it closed,
losing much of its initial investment.
When the subject of what
went wrong is broached with Ahrens, she declines to answer. She
says she never reads the reviews for her shows and she can find
little benefit in playing a blame game when things don't work out
the way one would hope.
"To tell you the truth,
I didn't think there was a lot wrong with the show. Things in the
show that were considered to be problems have been addressed. The
joy, fun and heart are all still there, though," Ahrens says.
Cathy Rigby, who takes
over the Cat in the Hat duties for the national tour and also played
the role during its brief Broadway run, says she thinks "Seussical's"
initial failure was due in part to too many cooks in the kitchen.
Everyone wanted input.
In the end, there were too many chiefs instead of one captain. Lynn
and Stephen ended up compromising and second guessing themselves.
Fortunately, now we have a chance to do the show the way they did
it when it was initially workshopped," Rigby says.
Ahrens agrees. "This
is definitely closer to the original version we workshopped. That
version had a tremendous amount of both heart and humor. In certain
ways, that got lost on Broadway."
The national tour gave
Ahrens and Flaherty one more shot to tweak the story. The pair stripped
the story to the original concepts.
"Basically, you have
the Cat and the child at the heart. The rest of the musical springs
from their imaginations outward," Ahrens says.
What once began with
a big, rousing number that employed the entire company, starts more
simply. The curtain rises on a lone prop on stage--the Cat in the
Hat's tall top hat painted with alternating horizontal stripes of
white and red.
Rigby describes the other
changes as little pieces that tell you where you're going in the
story. Rigby's character has more stage time now that the Cat plays
a more important role in how the overall piece flows. Ahrens says
she can't think of anyone else who could carry the role like Rigby.
"Cathy is extraordinary.
She has a charm, wit and warmth you rarely see on the stage. Her
Cat in the Hat has a warm, mischievous quality. Even when the Cat
is getting the kid in trouble, Cathy gives you the feeling that
the Cat is doing it for the good of the child," Ahrens says.
As for the touring production,
Ahrens gives you the sense that she feels they finally got it right.
"I read audiences. I'm
a big fan of sneaking into the back of an auditorium. I've seen
children leaning forward and paying rapt attention or dancing. That's
what I care about the most. Kids come away from 'Seussical' wanting
to go back to theater."
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