“Seussical, the musical” family-friendly fun

by Kory Loucks
STORRS-What a lovely, family-friendly musical is "Seussical the Musical," the second of three Summer Nutmeg Series productions at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

The Dr. Seuss compendium of children’s books offers rich and fertile story lines to choose from, with his rhyming couplets are tailor-made for lyrics.

In this show, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, they combine two stories of Horton the Elephant — "Horton Hears a Who" and "Horton Hatches an Egg."
Steve Hayes plays the much-put-upon pachyderm, Horton. While the other characters dress in neon brights, Hayes is in plain gray. Hayes’ Horton is charming, shy, and sweet, and he has a lovely voice when he sings "Alone in the Universe" and other songs.

This is the kind of show where you should really bring a child along to fully enjoy the production. The children who were in the audience on Saturday night were literally sitting on the edges of their seats. Its fun for adults too, who can marvel at the wonderful details of this show.

The day-glow costumes are gorgeous and extremely detailed, with fanciful hats and bright rainbow hues, by Leslie Neilson-Bowman. I would have like to see all tail feathers for Gertrude McFee, rather than crinoline and tulle. Using nothing but bright boas would have been better and looked more amusing too.

Bradford Scobie does a masterful master-of-ceremonies turn as the Cat in the Hat, complete with many playful voices and just the right amount of mischief to show what a silly troublemaker the Cat in the Hat really is.

Allyssa Schmitt plays an adorable, sweet, and lovelorn Gertrude McFuzz, who does all she can to get Horton to notice her.

Rachel Rosado plays a glamorous Gertrude McFuzz with energy and pizzazz, and Noah Zachary captures the youthful wonder of JoJo who delivers quite a "Yopp" at the end.

The flexible Jamie Goldman along with Charles South and Cody Strand, all play the Wicksham Monkeys with appropriate menace.

Excellent choreography by Cassie Abate, who also directs this fast-paced musical.
Amani Dorn is stunning as the Sour Kangaroo, with a fabulous soulful voice.

Lindsay Andretta plays Mrs. Mayor to Strand’s Mr. Mayor of Whoville and they are both adorable.

The set, by Michael Anania, is apparently simple, but highly functional, with sliding shelves that hold props, and a floral painted floor with a secret compartment that introduces the Cat in the Hat in the most dramatic manner.

Even the backdrop changes colors to match the scenes and adds to the magic. I particularly like the shooting stars in the night scene. Lighting design by Al Crawford.

The live band directed by John Pike, is hidden from view, and they do a stellar job keeping pace with the singers.

For me the stars of the show are the amazing, although too briefly seen, fish puppets that are as innovative as they are imaginative. The actors push, swirl, crank, and flutter the various fish around the stage during the bathtub scene (clever bathtub!), and are remarkably beautiful. Puppet design by Paul Spirito.

It’s a shame that this show is ending Sunday. I would love to see them tour this at every Connecticut State University theater through the summer. More people and especially children should have the opportunity to attend this fine production of "Seussical the Musical" and see this talented cast perform.

4 Stars

(4 stars, excellent, 3 stars, good; 2 stars, fair; 1 star, poor)

Location: Nafe Katter Theatre, 802 Bolton Road, Storrs.

Production: Music by Stephen Flaherty. Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Book by Ahrens and Flaherty. Co-conceived by Ahrens, Flaherty, and Eric Idle. Directed and choreographed by Cassie Abate. Music direction by John Pike. Scenic design by Michael Anania. Costume design by Leslie Neilson-Bowman. Lighting design by Al Crawford. Sound design by Nathan Leigh. Puppet design by Paul Spirito. Technical direction by Gordon Sanfacon. Production stage manager Sarah M. Della.

Running time: 75 minutes with no intermission.

Show Times: Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Oct. 26.

Tickets: Range in price from $11 to $28. Call 860-486-4266 of visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.

ACTOR…CHARACTER

Bradford Scobie … The Cat in the Hat

Steve Hayes … Horton the Elephant

Allyssa Schmitt …. Gertrude McFuzz

Rachel Rosado … Mayzie LaBird

Noah Zachary … JoJo

Amani Dorn … Sour Kangaroo

Jamie Goldman … Wichersham 1

Charles South … Wichersham 2

Cody Strand … Wichersham 3, Mr. Mayor

Lindsay Andretta … Bird Girl, Mrs. Mayor

Photo: Jojo (Noah Zachary) magically meets The Cat in the Hat (Bradford Scobie) in Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Summer Nutmeg Series production of Seussical The Musical.

Photo: Horton the Elephant (Steve Hayes) Looks for the tiny Who's only he can hear.

Photo credit: Gerry Goodstein