Dr. Seuss Comes To Toronto
Seussical To Receive Canadian Premiere At Lorraine Kimsa
Lynn Ahren and Stephen Flaherty, the creative team behind the hit musical Ragtime, have done what many have tried, and failed to do.
A musical based on the work of Dr. Seuss - can it be true?
What is a young persons theatre to do?
Stage the work with endless class!
And hope the story of Horton and The Who's Will Last!
Dr. Seuss would do it so much better.
The eminent childrens author has had his work used in various mediums, including film and TV. The holiday season isn't the same without the cartoon version of his The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Now a musical production based on his characters will finally hit the Toronto stage, several years after it's premiere.
The first workshops of Seussical took place here in Toronto, and many thought it would enjoy a long and healthy life, but the collapse of Livent, the company interested in producing the work got in the way of a Toronto run.
The show ended up on Broadway, where it was a moderate hit. Rosie O'Donnell at one point stepped into the role of The Cat In The Hat, who is the narrator of the show, to boost ticket sales. Even her star power couldn't save the show from the critics, and it closed on Broadway shortly there after.
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People is one of Canada's foremost theatres for young audiences, and they continue their strong season with the Canadian Premiere of the work by Ahrens, Flaherty, and Monty Python alumni Eric Idle.
According to press notes, "The Cat in the Hat leads your favourite Dr. Seuss characters from the page to the stage, to sing and dance through these treasured tales! At the heart of the story is the endearing Horton the Elephant. Everyone in the jungle of Nool thinks Horton is a fool for believing he can hear calls for help from the microscopic planet of Who. But Horton ignores the scorn of his fellow jungle citizens. Although he can’t see the Whos, he can hear them and he refuses to ignore their cry for help. After all – “a person’s a person no matter how small”. This wonderful new (shortened) version of the Broadway musical tells the enchanting story of true friendship, loyalty and perseverance.
The themes presented (kindness, acceptance, self-esteem, the value of imagination, human rights, and faithfulness) are simple enough to be understood by children, yet universal enough to touch the hearts of even the most Grinch-like adults. There is a profound importance to lyrics such as "a person’s a person, no matter how small” and the plight of the planet of Who has an eerie timeliness: “Here on Who we live in fear/We’re drifting through space and cannot steer/A troubled and a tiny land/Our future’s in your hand.”
Dr. Seuss has been "one true friend in the universe" to millions of young readers for generations and Seussical - A Musical brings these valuable stories to audiences in a wonderful new form."
The cast is led by George Masswohl (CanStage's Sweeney Todd) as Horton, Corrine Koslo as Gertrude McFuzz, and Michael-Lamont Lytle as the ever loveable Cat In The Hat.
The show is directed by the Artistic Director of Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People, Allan MacInnis, with musical direction by Liz Baird.
Seussical begins performances on November 12th for a run until December 31st, 2006.
For ticket and show information, click here.
