Correction appended.
Dr. Seuss implores readers to open up their imaginations, and this weekend, The Jewish Theater Ensemble (JTE) asks a lot of audiences’ imaginations as JTE transforms the Louis Room into a jungle and an invisible planet in its production of Seussical the Musical.
Seussical is an incredibly ambitious undertaking for a student theater production with a limited budget. To begin with, the production of Seussical is daunting; in its original reception on Broadway in 2000, Seussical lost 10 million dollars, closed after six months and was deemed a monumental flop. Most criticism focused on overproduction and an apparent desire to pack as many Dr. Seuss characters into one tribute piece.
But since the initial disappointment in New York, Seussical has found new life in reproductions throughout the county. The original writers of the show, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, crafted three new Seussicals for licensing. On community and high-school stages throughout the country, there’s a full-length production similar to the original and three new, abbreviated versions: a one-hour production for children’s performances, a 30-minute version for very young children and a 70-minute, “streamlined production” intended for all ages.
JTE’s version is most similar to the original, but the ensemble may have benefited from choosing one of the simpler versions. The main storyline gets a little mired in superfluous subplots, and I’m still not quite sure why Horton must save the Whos, his mission throughout the play. If the audience can pay less attention to Ahrens and Flaherty’s narrative mistakes and focus their attention directly on JTE’s work, it will see characters who are brilliant and inspiring.
Communication junior Drew Principe, who plays an incredibly earnest Horton, really makes you believe his repeated phrase: “A person’s a person no matter how small.” His voice is perfectly sweet and courageous throughout his quest; you can’t help but root for him.
Fellow Communication junior Andrea Hochkeppel, who plays Horton’s secretly admiring neighbor Gertrude, has the same childish innocence in her eyes. She adorably pines after Horton and when she bites her lip in shame for her pitiful feathers, her embarrassment is pure. She uses her ranging voice very effectively, belting out when she’s frustrated and almost whispering when wistful.
The narrator of the show, the Cat in the Hat, is portrayed magically and mischievously by Communication sophomore Johnson Vaughn Brock, who bounces like Tigger and transforms effortlessly into a few different characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if any kids in the audience want his autograph after the show.
The music is classic Broadway, resembling many of Alan Menken’s famed shows, especially Little Shop of Horrors. Catchy tunes, phrases and key melodies repeated throughout the show are sure to be stuck in your head for hours. Two members of the ensemble stand out in this respect: Communication freshman Carly Cantor, as the Sour Kangaroo, supplies great pipes as the conventional attitude-packed female with the big voice; and Weinberg senior Bryan Young, as The Mayor of Who, has very charming duets boasting great harmonies with his onstage wife (played by Communication sophomore Liz Olanoff).
The show’s duets and harmonies demonstrate immense talent in the cast, from The Bird Girls’ choruses to songs shared between Horton and Gertrude and between Horton and Jojo. The best musical sequences arrive in the first act before the plot gets a little complicated. “Horton Hears a Who,” and “Monkey Around” combine the talents of the whole cast into well-choreographed, fun numbers: The energy is focused and infectious and the audience can’t help but smile.
Had JTE condensed the plot (by deleting an unnecessary segment using Seuss’s The Butter Battle Book, for example) JTE’s Seussical would have been able to take its audience further into the Seussian world. It’s disappointing that the Cat in the Hat doesn’t don a suit jacket resembling the original, and the other characters on the whole lack convincing animalistic features (though Horton does use his tie as a trunk sometimes to hilarious effect, especially when matched with a whaling brass instrument).
The actors embody their characters with attitude or innocence, and the rosy rhymes that could come out corny manage to flow naturally from their lips. Yet some viewers may need more help to imagine birds and elephants rather than humans. While a white backdrop can invite bouts of imagination to fill in the blank, the audience may have benefited from a few more visual clues to help transport it into the jungle. Children may have an easier time picturing Seuss’s world than adults will. The Cat’s directions and colorful lighting aid in creating different atmospheres, but occasionally the combination of street clothes against a plain backdrop lets the audience forget where they are supposed to be. JTE’s vision of Seuss’s locations is a little more ambiguous than other productions and allows for more audience interpretation.
The universal appeal of Dr. Seuss and his validation of imagination explains why Seussical has become so popular with high schools and community theaters. It’s not a perfect translation of his message, though. The show misses the quirkiness of Dr. Seuss’s books, but conveys his lessons of being thankful, being free to imagine and respecting all persons, yet with a somewhat sugar-coated feel. Despite the show’s narrative shortcomings that caused problems in 2000, Jewish Theater Ensemble’s production is supremely fun, and the talent of the actors, as charming characters and powerful singers, really carry the show.
Due to the credit system of the Northwestern directory, several students’ years were improperly identified. Also, Communication freshman Carly Cantor was not properly identified as the Sour Kangaroo. Additionally, Johnson Vaughn Brock’s name was spelled incorrectly. North by Northwestern regrets the errors.