MISCHIEVOUS FELINE. Karen Christensen stars as the Cat in the Hat in the Lakewood Playhouse production of â??Seussicalâ?? which runs through Jan. 7. (Photo by Dean Lapin)
Dr. Seuss is a name that conjures up images of shaggy, saggy creatures amid wildly tipsy and tangled architecture. Rhythmic, nonsensical rhymes and streams of conscious storylines are indelibly seared into our minds. So unique and without antecedent are the Dr. Seuss books that they have retained a state of timelessness. They are firmly entrenched as part of our cultural baggage.
Recent years have seen the Dr. Seuss characters and stories appear in both Hollywood cinema and on the Broadway musical stage. “Seussical” is the title given to the latter, a Dr. Seuss-based musical conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Monty Python’s Eric Idle.
Now, via the talents of the Lakewood Playhouse, “Seussical” has come to life in the Tacoma area. The Lakewood Playhouse production of “Seussical” opened Dec. 8 and will run through Jan. 7. The opening night of this musical circus was well attended with many children present in the audience.
“Seussical” is a patchwork of Dr. Seuss tales that are stitched together into an overarching narrative and set to music. The basis for the whole narrative is given as the places thought into being by Jojo, instigated by that maker of fruitful mischief, the Cat in the Hat. At base, the narrative centers around Horton, the good-hearted and long suffering elephant who becomes the defender of the Whos on their speck of dust and is also duped into sitting on a nest to incubate an egg.
As a subplot there is the story of Gertrude, the plain bird who is in love with Horton and tries to grow a wonderful tail in order to get him to notice her. Other side stories take place in Whoville, where there is a war between the “butter-side uppers” and the “butter-side downers.”
The musical compositions by Flaherty and Ahrens are lush and various, ranging from the raucous, full cast blasts like “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think” to haunting and melodic pieces like “Solla Sollew.”
Lakewood Playhouse managing artistic director Marcus Walker both directs and acts, playing the starring role of Horton. He brings a depth of acting experience to the role and is successful in giving his audience a portrayal of a creature who is unwaveringly good and is possessed of a huge capacity for endurance in doing right.
Also starring in the production is Peter Gernon as Jojo, the boy who is at the center of everything, including thinking the whole Seuss world into existence. He is drafted into an absurd war and holds dialogues with Horton, the protector of his tiny world.
Both Walker and Gernon bring energy and stage presence to their roles. As this is a musical, however, cast members are required to sing as well as act. Walker and Gernon both are able to carry a tune that is for the most part quite adequate. Neither, however, has the ability to give their melodies that professional quality of vocal creaminess necessary to elevate their solo parts into truly dreamy realms. As a result, songs like “Alone in the Universe,” which is a musical dialogue between Horton and Jojo, suffer somewhat. Yet even here, where their voices are fully exposed, the two do manage to have a haunting effect.
Karen E. Christensen is fantastic as the Cat in the Hat, the narrator, master of ceremonies and the court jester of the show. She sings her parts with a strong and brassy voice that is comparable to that of Janice Joplin.
Perhaps the most well-rounded member of the cast, gifted with both acting skills and musical abilities, is Stephanie C. Nace who plays Gertrude, the bird with a “one feather” tail who is desperate to remedy that perceived shortcoming in order to attract Horton’s attention.
As the Sour Kangaroo, Cynthia Bettes, a music and drama teacher at Hudtloff Jr. High, belts out her parts with such in-your-face gusto that she cannot but succeed in making herself into the obnoxious instigator to Horton’s persecutions. She is amusingly backed up by fith grader Sariah Brumet ,who plays the young kangaroo that is the echo and accent mark of her mother’s strident opinions about Horton.
Frances Rankos’ costume designs are a mixed bag. The bird characters are wonderfully done. The “Bird Girls” are dressed in airy, shimmering green outfits and have eyelids, noses and lips done in exotic swirls of green. Another bird, the Amazing Mayzie, is similarly made up in sparkling reds. The denizens of Whoville are also well-done – especially the Munchkin-like mayor and his wife, and the soldiers who look as if they’ve come straight from the toy box.
Scott Brown’s lighting brings a number of wondrous moments, such as the effect of an underwater space during one of the songs. During a piece called “Havin’ A Hunch,” the Wickersham Brothers perform a dance wearing white vests and white top hats under black light. The effect is joltingly magical.
Hats go off to the musicians who played the entire instrumental accompaniment live. Terry O’Hara’s keyboard skills carry the bulk of the load.
With “Seussical,” Lakewood Playhouse has pulled off another success. A musical fantasy realm is brought into being. Characters vaguely remembered from childhood readings of the Dr. Seuss books are summoned forth to sing and cavort in a deliberately off-kilter carousel of tunes that go twirling by, one after the next - almost too quickly to grasp.
“Seussical” runs through Jan. 7 and is perfect family entertainment for the holidays. For more information call (253) 588-0042 or visit www.lakewoodplayhouse.org.
