Music by Stephen Flaherty

Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Book by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty

Conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle

Directed by Frank Galati

Choreography by Kathleen Marshall

Orchestrations by Douglas Besterman

"Oh the thinks you can think

Think and wonder and dream

Far and wide as you dare

When your thinks have run dry

In the blink of an eye

There'a another think there.

If you open your mind

Oh, the thinks you will find

Lining up to get loose

Oh, the thinks you can think

When you think about Seuss "

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Seussical is based on the works of the beloved children's author Theodore Geisel, known to the world as Dr. Seuss.

One would think it an impossible task to condense the major characters and stories of Seuss into a cohesive evening, but Stephen and Lynn have managed to incorporate bits and pieces of at least 14 Seuss classics, including Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, Gertrude McFuzz, The Butter Battle Book, If I Ran the Circus, McElligott's Pool, I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew and of course,The Cat in the Hat!! The main story involves Horton the Elephant's efforts to save his friend Jojo and the other inhabitants on Who, even though everyone else in the Jungle of Nool thinks Horton is the "Biggest Blame Fool" for believing in people who live on a small speck of dust. But Horton is a determined, loyal and faithful friend who fights for what he knows to be true. In the end, Seussical is really about believing in yourself, keeping promises and the rewards of being an independent "thinker." The Seussical score is a wonderfully eclectic mix of everything from traditional ballads like "Alone in the Universe" and "Solla Sollew" to the funkier sound of "Monkey Around" and the Sousa-inspired sound of "The Military." Of course, Ahrens and Flaherty have a reputation for writing fantastic opening numbers, and "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think" is certainly no exception.

The show had its first 2 week reading in New York from May 3-May 14, 1999, and a month long workshop was mounted in Toronto from July 26- August 21, 1999.The first public performances were held in Boston from August 27- Sept 21, 2000. It opened on Broadway on November 30, 2000 and ran until May 20, 2001.

The first national tour of SEUSSICAL played the U.S. in 2002. A second national tour lasted through March of 2004. The rights for the show were recently released, and Seussical has become one of the hottest properties on the regional /amateur circuit. In a survey conducted by the National Thespian Society, the show was the most licensed property in high schools across America last year!! Also, Seussical now ranks in the top three of all the shows licensed by MTI. There were 650(!!!!!) productions in 2005, and there are already almost 200 productions slated for 2006! In early 2008, SEUSSICAL entered the top 15 on the Billboard Original Cast Recording Chart. Ohh What a Trip!

The Original Broadway Cast

David Shiner-- The Cat in the Hat

Kevin Chamberlin -- Horton the Elephant

Janine LaManna -- Gertrude McFuzz

Anthony Blair Hall / Cameron Bowen/ Andrew Keenan-Bolger -- JoJo

Stuart Zagnit -- Mayor of Whoville

Alice Playten -- Mrs. Mayor/ The Lorax

Michele Pawk -- Mayzie Bird

Erick Devine -- General Ghengis Khan Schmitz

Sharon Wilkins -- The Sour Kangaroo

David Engel, Eric Jordan Young, Tom Plotkin-- The Wickersham Brothers

William Ryall-- The Grinch

Natascia A. Diaz, Sara Gettlefinger, Catrice Joseph-- Bird Girls

Devin Richards-- Judge Yertle the Turtle

Ann Harada-- Marshal of the Court

Darren Lee-- Vlad Vladikoff

Bryan Batt-- Standby for the Cat

Additonal ensemble: Mary Ann Lamb, Joyce Chittick, Jennifer Cody, Justin Greer, Jerome Vivona, Casey Nicholaw, Shaun Amyot, Jenny Hill, Michelle Kittrel, David Lowenstein. Eddie Korbich, Monique Midgette

The Songs

Act One:

1. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think-- Cat and Company
2. Our Story Begins-- The Cat
3. Horton Hears a Who-- Bird Girls, Horton, and Citizens of the jungle of Nool
4. Biggest Blame Fool-- Sour Kangaroo, Horton,Wickersha, Brothers, Bird Girls, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Citizens of Jungle of Nool
5. Here on Who-- Mayor of Whoville, Mrs. Mayor, Whos
6. A Day for the Cat in the Hat-- Cat, Cat's Helpers, Jojo
7. McElligott's Pool/ It's Possible-- Jojo and the Fish
8. How to Raise a Child -- Mayor and Mrs. Mayor
9. The Military-- Gen. Genghis Kahn Schmitz, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Jojo, Cadets
10. Alone in the Universe-- Jojo and Horton
11. The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz-- Gertrude
12. Amazing Mayzie-- Mayzie, Gertrude and Bird Girls
13. Amazing Gertrude -- Gertrude, The Cat, and Bird Girls
14. Monkey Around -- Wickersham Brothers
15. Chasing the Whos-- Horton, Sour Kangaroo, Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The Cat, Vlad Vladikoff, and Whos
16. How Lucky You are-- The Cat
17. Notice Me, Horton -- Gertrude and Horton
18. How Lucky You Are ( reprise) -- Mayzie, Horton, The Cat
19. Act I Finale-- The Company

Act Two:

1. Entre' act / Our Story Resumes-- The Cat, Horton, and Bird Girls
2. Egg, Nest and Tree -- Bird Girls, Wickersham Brothers, The Cat
3. The Circus McGurkus -- The Cat, Horton, and Circus McGurkus animals and performers
4. How Lucky You Are ( reprise) -- Horton
5. The Who's Christmas Pageant -- The Grinch and Whos
6. A Message From the Front -- Gen. Schmitz, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, and Cadets
7. Mayzie in Palm Beach -- Mayzie, The Cat, and Horton
8. Solla Sollew -- Horton, Animals and Performers, Mayor and Mrs. Mayor
9. Havin' a Hunch -- The Cat, Jojo and Hunches
10. All For You-- Gertrude and Bird Girls
11. The People Versus Horton the Elephant-- Horton, Wickersham Brothers, Sour Kangaroo, Gertrude, Marshal of the Court, Judge Yertle the Turtle, Bird Girls, The cat, Citizens of the Jungle of Nool, Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, Jojo and Whos
12. Finale/ Oh The Thinks You Can Think-- The Company
    

Sounds

1) Oh the Thinks You Can Think --1 (The Company)

2) Notice Me Horton (Kevin Chamberlin & Janine LaManna)

3) Here On Who ( Stuart Zagnit, Alice Playten and Company)

4) Alone in the Universe ( Kevin Chamberlin, Anthony Blair Hall)

5) The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz ( Janine LaManna)

6) The Military (Erick Devine, ensemble)

7) Havin' a Hunch ( David Shiner)

8) All For You ( Janine LaManna)

9) The People Versus Horton the Elephant (Ann Harada)

10) Finale (Kevin Chamberlin, Janine LaManna, Company)

Quotables

• 
  " I loved writing this song and tried to create a childlike sense of wonder in the music. At the same time there also needed to be a real sense of yearning in this duet between an elephant and a young boy, two individuals living in societies that don’t prize individualism. So I hope you can hear both the starry skies and the aching hearts in these notes." ( Stephen Flaherty on "Alone in the Universe.")
  

• "The real beauty of this show is the music, which contains references that range wildly from Isaac Hayes' ``Shaft'' to Cy Coleman's ``Sweet Charity.'' Some of the best songs include the high-octane opening number, ``Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!,'' the funky gospel number, ``Biggest Blame Fool,'' the sweet song of hope, ``It's Possible'' and the musical's oft-repeated ``theme'' song, ``How Lucky You Are.'' Matching the music is Marshall's clever choreography (a synchronized swimming routine in ``McElligot's Pool'' is absolutely brilliant) as well as fluid, but never overstated moves for the animals. Director Frank Galati (``Ragtime'') keeps things swirling around the stage and he's got some impressive talent to work with." (Boston Herald 9/7/00)

• "This is a book musical, not a revue....We've taken characters and elements from 20 of the books. There is something that runs through several of the books that isn't just children's literature. It's of a more profound and adult nature. Not to give too much away, there is a traditional family, the Whos, and a nontraditional one-- an elephant, a bird, and the lost child they adopt."( Stephen Flaherty, in The Advocate, September 26, 2000)

• "The little Whos are like Earth: we're adrift, looking to save ourselves. We tried to be truthful to the innocent anarchy in the books. There is a deep concern in them for the planet, for human beings and how we should behave toward one another, and it plays out in all this zany stuff". ( Lynn Ahrens, in The New York Times, 9/10/2000)
  

Articles

"Seussical" CD Liner Notes (December 2000)

AP Seussical Review (December 2000)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Review of "Seussical" ( December 2000)

"A Meussical Called Seussical" -- Link to Playbill Magazine ( October 2000)

TalkinBroadway interview with Lynn Ahrens about "Seussical" (September 2000)

Boston Globe Article about "Seussical" (August 2000)

Providence Journal article about "Seussical" ( August 2000)

"The Long Road from Whoville to Broadway." The New York Times, Sunday September 10, 2000. p. AR1

Michael Riedel's NY Post Article on the initial workshop (August 1999)

Interesting facts

• After the Boston run, Rob Marshall took over as the show's director.

• Andrea Martin declined to originate the role of the Cat in the Hat on Broadway due to family obligations.
  
  
• On March 27, 2000. SFX sponsored a group sales presentation to generate interest in SEUSSICAL. There was a half hour presentation of a few songs from the show. Songs performed included "The Thinks You Can Think", "Biggest Blame Fool", "Notice Me Horton", "McElligot's Pool", "Alone in the Universe", "Egg, Nest and Tree" and "Solla Sollew".

• The initial workshop was attended by over 600 people, including representatives from most major North American production companies.

• The initial month long workshop cost $750,000.

CD Information

Production Rights

Handled by Music Theatre International