SEUSSICAL Based on the works of Dr. Seuss

Act I (45 minutes)

On the empty stage is a red and white striped hat. Out from the audience comes a Boy quickly followed by the famous Cat. They begin to imagine and bring to life a story that weaves together some of Dr. Seuss’s most beloved tales and characters including Horton the Elephant, the Whos from Whoville, and Gertrude McFuzz, to name a few. With the Cat in the Hat acting as host, the story begins...

Horton is swimming in the Jungle of Nool when he hears a small noise coming from a speck of dust floating past. He knows there’s someone on the dust speck and decides to rescue it because “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” No one in Nool believes Horton. As the Cat in the Hat reports, everyone (especially the Sour Kangaroo and Wickersham Brothers) ridicules poor Horton.

Meanwhile, Gertrude McFuzz wishes Horton would notice her. But, how could he when he’s so unique and she’s just a bird with a one-feather tail?

Horton was right! There is someone on the speck of dust. And not just one someone, but a whole world called Whoville. The Whos plead for Horton to save them from a horrible fate. He promises to protect them.

The smallest of the Whos, named JoJo, is causing trouble for his family. Inspired by the Cat in the Hat, JoJo is doing a lot of new thinking which greatly concerns his parents. They beg for him to think normal thinks, take a bath, and go to bed.

Although JoJo tells the Cat in the Hat to go away, the Cat inspires him to think of his bath as a great body of water. Suddenly, fish swim and bubbles float around as JoJo takes everyone along on his underwater adventure. But, his parents end the fantasy when they tell him to turn off the water because his bath has flooded their house!

Horton appears and, although he and JoJo can’t see each other, they each reveal how lonely and misunderstood they are. Finally, they both know someone who understands.

As Gertrude sadly sings about her one-feather tail and its inability to catch Horton’s eye, the extraordinarily feathered Mayzie LaBird and her Bird Girls swoop in. Mayzie informs Gertrude she can have “amayzing” feathers, too. All Gertrude needs to do is visit Doctor Dake.

Gertrude begs the hesitant Doctor Dake (played by the Cat in the Hat) for help. She throws a tantrum until he finally agrees to give her the necessary pills. Impressed with her new tail, Gertrude runs off with the all of the pills and the Cat in pursuit.

Unfortunately, Horton happens upon the Wickershams as they monkey around the Jungle of Nool. The Wickershams take the clover from Horton and a slow-motion chase ensues (much to the Whos’ distress). The Wickershams’ eagle friend, Vlad Vladikoff, escapes with the clover and drops it in a whole field of clovers.

While Horton desperately searches for the Whos, Gertrude has gained the confidence to finally approach him. But, he is so engrossed in finding the right clover, he doesn’t even notice her or her new feathers.

Meanwhile, Mayzie is lamenting that after three weeks of bliss in Fort Worth, she has now laid an egg. Mayzie tries to convince Horton to stop searching for the clover and take her place for a while so she can take a vacation. Horton reluctantly agrees. Time passes, seasons changes, Gertrude’s tail is getting longer and longer, the Whos are still missing, and yet Horton has to remain on the egg until Mayzie returns. All of a sudden, hunters appear and catch Horton (and the egg) in their big net. Horton cries for Help!

Intermission (15 minutes)

Act II (25 minutes)

The hunters take Horton on a long voyage and the Cat eventually auctions Horton and the egg off to the Circus McGurkus.

Mayzie thinks she should be enjoying her freedom, but she is bored. She asks the Cat for help and he takes her to the circus where Horton is still sitting on the egg. Although Horton begs for her to take her egg back, Mayzie leaves for good.

Horton faithfully stays with the abandoned egg. He promises he will protect it and sings the egg a lullaby about Solla Sollew.

Suddenly, Gertrude appears at the circus. She’s been on a mission to rescue Horton. After going back to Dr. Dake to have her feathers removed, she went through quite an adventure to get to Horton. And, she even found the missing clover. Finally, Horton says what Gertrude’s been waiting to hear: he thinks she’s amazing.

The Whos are happy to be reunited with Horton. But the Sour Kangaroo and the Wickershams find Horton, make a citizens’ arrest, and he’s put on trial. After Horton is found guilty, the judge announces that the dust will be boiled. Horton pleads for the Whos to make noise to prove they are real. Although they scream as loud as they can, no one can hear them until JoJo comes up with a new think and yells “Yopp!” JoJo has saved his people! The whole world was saved by the smallest of all.

Just then, the egg hatches and, to everyone’s surprise, it’s an elephant bird. As Horton panics, Gertrude promises to help him and they decide to raise the elephant bird together.

The story ends with a song that invites everyone to “think and wonder and dream.” The characters join on stage singing one last Dr. Seuss classic: Green Eggs and Ham!

Notes:  This is an exciting and fast-paced musical.  There is a sense of danger in scenes with the Sour Kangaroo and the Wickershams.  Some characters come into the aisles (opening and ending scenes as well as during Jojo’s fish song and the Wickersham chase).  There are flashlights in the opening number.  Per typical Dr. Seuss material, there is a lot of rhythm, rhyme, and repetition in this musical.  The costumes and set are bright and colorful, just like a Dr. Seuss book!

For further understanding of content, we encourage you to read other Dr. Seuss books including: Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, Gertrude McFuzz, McElligot’s Pool, and The Cat in the Hat.