Dr. Seuss is loose at Pulaski High School, and patrons of the arts will need to bring all the thinks they can think when they come see the latest musical.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, “Seussical the Musical” will be taking the stage at the home of the Red Raiders as an amalgamation of characters from multiple Dr. Seuss books — Horton, the Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, Yertle the Turtle, the Grinch and even Thing 1 and Thing 2 — will bring a colorful production of humor and song to the community.
“Seussical” follows primarily from the book “Horton Hears a Who,” where Horton the Elephant discovers a microscopic world of people on a speck of dust resting on clover. No matter who Horton tells about the Whos, the animals of the Jungle of Nool, including the Sour Kangaroo, mock him.
The Cat in the Hat serves as the narrator of the musical, and a small boy with the cat is pushed into the story to become Jojo, the son of Who-ville’s mayor. The clover containing the speck of dust gets taken by the Wickersham Brothers but is eventually rescued by Gertrude McFuzz, who has fallen head over heels for Horton.
As for Horton, he is kidnapped and sent to a circus. After that, the jungle animals snatch him back and make him stand trial for talking to dust specks and loitering on the egg of the vain Mayzie LaBird.
Director Amy Tubbs said there was a lot of talent at PHS to make the musical come alive.
“We’ve been asking the kids, ‘What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss story?’ and it’s just good to hear some of the titles that I’ve forgotten,” Tubbs said. “It’s fun to see Horton and the Cat in the Hat. The Lorax, he only gets mentioned, but he’s not part of the show. It’s just fun to see them all come back and interact in the show.”
Costuming and set designing for “Seussical” has been a romp for PHS as final touches are being placed on Mayzie’s egg and other props that utilize every color imaginable. Searching for colorful costumes has been a priority, and the show is even using black-lighting to bring some of the stories to life, allowing the school to utilize some theatrical techniques that haven’t been used in a while.
“It just seemed like a fun, light-hearted show and was one we haven’t done at the high school before,” Tubbs said, although the show has been done by nearby community and school theater programs. “It was time to finally do it.”
Tubbs said two of the more interesting storylines surround the two bird characters of Mayzie and Gertrude.
“Mayzie loves to just party and run around. She’s got an egg, but she doesn’t want to be stuck on this nest. So she convinces Horton to take over,” she said. “Gertrude wants Horton’s attention, but he’s kind of a little dense maybe and doesn’t realize what a good friend she is and how kind she is to him. So she grows a crazy long tail to be someone other than who she is. At the end, she realizes, ‘Oh, I’m OK the way I am.’”
Mady Henslin, who plays the careless Mayzie, likes being able to bring the world of Seuss to life for younger audiences.
“I think it’s really exciting and really fun to just come to life and see everybody’s work and effort come together,” Henslin said.
Leatrice Dyal plays Gertrude, and she is eager to see what audiences think of the work she and fellow students have put into bringing classic children’s literature into the spotlight.
“I love performing, and especially since this show is perfect for little kids,” Dyal said. “I think it’s inspirational, especially for the arts, because it’s important to keep that alive. It’s important for little kids to come and see these shows like this, because it can really bloom their imagination.”
The show is ideal for all ages, according to Tubbs, and it’ll be a great excuse to bring the children to see all their favorite Dr. Seuss characters come alive. She said she like the message of “A person’s a person, no matter how small” and thinks it’s an especially important message in this day and age.
“It’s a great story for kids,” Tubbs said. “It’s constantly changing, so they’re not going to get really bored. It’s not the same scene for hours. They’re quick scenes, quick music. You have new characters entering, lots of things happening, lots of action, lots of color. It’s perfect for elementary age all the way up.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
