There’s no doubt about that! Loyalty and self-sacrifice are what Dr. Seuss’s Horton the Elephant is all about, making him the perfect character on which to base Seussical the Musical. This fun and heartwarming show has recently been made available to local theatres, and our local theatres are pouncing on it. With a great story, memorable characters culled from a variety of Dr. Seuss books, and a fantastic musical score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island), it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Under the direction of Becky Cherlin Baird, the youth at La Jolla’s J*Company are putting on an entertaining, creative, and impressive production of this tribute to San Diego’s own Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel whose widow Audrey Geisel still lives in La Jolla). Vibrant and stylish costumes by Shulamit Nelson help bring to life the enchanted world of singing jungle animals and tiny Whos, while an exceptional cast gives the characters a lot of character.

In the case of Jesse Bradley, he actually becomes several characters as the one-and-only Cat in the Hat, narrating our journey through Seuss-land and popping up here and there as several other quirky little characters, doing it all with great charisma and flair (and some impressive juggling). It is the Cat who gets little JoJo, a highly imaginative little boy, to start thinking all the thinks he can think, giving birth to the wonderful worlds presented onstage. The young but already seasoned Joe Metcalf has the adorable look of a young dreamer and a great voice to go with it, all of which we really get to enjoy as he takes a bubble bath in a tub that becomes McElligot’s Pool.

The storybook characters include, of course, Horton himself, here played by Tim Roberts whose grounded performance simply exudes genuine loyalty and unwavering concern for those who aren’t able to help themselves including the poor Whos and a certain bird’s egg that he gets tricked into sitting atop. His duet with JoJo Alone in the Universe and the lullaby Solla Sollew that he leads the cast in are some of the most mesmerizing moments of the show. Up-and-coming star Kari Campbell stars as Horton’s neighbor and admirer, the sweet bird-next-door named Gertrude McFuzz with a plain one-feathered tail that simply wasn’t meant to catch the eye of an elephant. With a lovably dorky and expressive voice perfect for the character (virtually identical to the Broadway cast album), a great sense of humor, and cute facial expressions, Kari is a hit throughout including her unusual love songs The One-Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz, Notice Me Horton, and All For You.

Other standouts include Eboni Muse as the Sour Kangaroo who can belt out her disparagement of Horton like nobody’s business (seconded by Stephanie Neifeld as her Young Kangaroo with a lot of attitude and a great voice to boot). Bethany Slomka shines as the selfish and vain Mayzie LaBird as she dupes Horton into sitting on her nest. Tiffany Jane is a riot as JoJo’s totally soccer mom-ish mom who with her mayor husband (Sam Creely) can’t quite understand their daydreaming son, eventually sending him off to military school. There poor JoJo is faced with General Samantha Greenstone who has eyes that you can’t take your eyes off of as they say a million things to her recruits – mostly some form of deep disapproval. The great ensemble includes six Bird Girls who help the Cat narrate the story, the six bully Wickersham Brother monkeys who monkey around with Horton and the Whos, and the most adorable and enthusiastic little Whos you can imagine.

Performs through November 7, 2004.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

Cat in the Hat:

Director/Choreographer/Music Director: Becky Cherlin Baird
Choreographer: Jodie Bowman
Stage Manager: Avalon Hernandez
Set Design: Heidi Atchison
Lighting Design: Jason Beiberman
Costume Design: Shulamit Nelson
Sound Design: Tom Jones