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‘Seussical Jr.

The cast of 'Seussical Jr'. Photo by Heidi Sutton/TBR News Media

By Heidi Sutton 

Written in 2000 by Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Seussical the Musical is a love letter to Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, featuring stories from his  most famous children books including “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches an Egg,” “Gertrude McFuzz,” “McElligot’s Pool” and “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!”

Now the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the Smithtown Historical Society, pays tribute to the creative genius by bringing his colorful characters to life in an outdoor production of Seussical Jr. on the historical society’s grounds through Aug. 17.

Acted out entirely in rhyme, the Cat in the Hat serves as narrator and introduces us to Horton the Elephant who one day hears a cry for help and discovers a floating speck of dust containing the town of Whoville. After safely placing it on a clover flower, the Wickersham Brothers steal it and hand it off to Vlad Vladikoff the black-bottomed eagle who drops it in a field of thousands of clover. Horton is then tricked into sitting on Mayzie LaBird’s egg for 51 weeks, is captured by hunters and eventually sold to the circus. When Gertrude McFuzz finds the clover and give it back to Horton, he is put on trial by Sour Kangaroo for “sitting on an egg and talking to a speck.” Will this faithful pachyderm ever catch a break? What will happen to the citizens of Whoville? Only Judge Yertle the Turtle will decide.

During last Saturday’s opening performance, the 13-member young adult cast — Eldan Bazile, Kat Conway, Alexa Gallery, Erin Risolo, Samantha Rubin, Molly Sanges, Ava Ross, Robby Boswell, Alex Eskin, Julia Gallery, Julia Jackson, Caroline Nuzzo, and Lorelai Mucciolo — did a phenomenal job transporting the audience to the Jungle of Nool. Other cast members include Katie Lehmann, Amanda Sidman, Kendall Danley, Allison Heidrich and Medha Rao.

The wonderful songs, including the catchy introduction “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!” by the entire cast, to “Horton Hears a Who,” “Notice Me Horton,” an uplifting rendition of “It’s Possible,” Horton and Jojo’s duet, “Alone in the Universe,” and “Solla Sollew,” are perfectly executed. 

Using limited props, costumes and sets, the summer stock theater show is the perfect way for these young actors to hone their craft, with the audience seated less than 4 feet from the stage, and small children lounging on blankets in front of them. They learn to ignore the distractions such as a car beeping, a plane flying overhead or a child suddenly jumping up to grab a snack, as well as coping with the weather and bugs. Teamwork also plays a major role in this valuable experience of a lifetime. 

In the end, the audience walks away from this musical extravaganza with the inspiring message that “a person’s a person, no matter how small,” to follow your dreams and let your imagination fly. 

Smithtown Performing Arts Center presents Seussical Jr. at their outdoor stage on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society, 239 E. Main St., Smithtown with no intermission on Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 17. All seats are $18.50. To order, call 800-595-4849 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

By Heidi Sutton

With quirky worlds and peculiar creatures, some familiar and some not, Dr. Seuss’ enchanting stories have entertained children and adults for generations. Now the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts brings some of those most memorable tales to the theater’s stage with a Kids Performing for Kids production of “Seussical Jr.” The show opened on St. Patrick’s Day and runs through the end of April.

Kieran Brown as Jojo and Luke Ferrari as the Cat in the Hat in a scene from ‘Seussical Jr.’

With book, music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Michael Flaherty, the show combines “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Miss Gertrude McFuzz” with all their wonderful characters into a two-hour fantasmical musical adventure; in essence, creating the perfect respite on a chilly March afternoon.

Andrew Murano (“Shakespeare in Love”) directs an incredibly talented young cast of 23 actors, ranging from the age of 8 to 18, in bringing the magical world of Dr. Seuss to life in perfect rhyme, and oh, how magical it is!

From the moment the Cat in the Hat (Luke Ferrari) pops out of a trap door on the stage and belts out “Oh the Thinks You Can Think (When You Think About Seuss),” the show takes off and never loses momentum. Ferrari’s feline character serves as narrator and transports the audience from the Jungle of Nool with Horton the elephant and Gertrude the girl-bird, to the microscopic city of Who-ville with Jojo to, in the second act, the Circus McGurkus, with singing, dancing and uplifting messages.

While the entire cast does a great job, the main characters are simply outstanding. Michael Loccisano shines as Horton and his recurring solo, “Horton Hears a Who,” where a person’s a person no matter how small, is heartfelt. Kieran Brown is a natural as Jojo and his incredible talent is unveiled in “It’s Possible.” Other standouts include Brooke Miranda (Gertrude,) Lorelai Mucciolo (Sour Kangaroo) and Leah Kelly as Mayzie. Their futures as actors look promising indeed.

A nice touch is how the cast utilizes the aisles and even the balcony to convey the story. Designed by Ronald Green III, the costumes are lively and colorful and the set, constructed by Tim Golebiewski, look as if they’ve jumped right off the pages of one of Seuss’ books. The “Green Eggs and Ham” finale is just the cherry on top.

The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 East Main St., Smithtown will present “Seussical Jr.” through April 29 with special Spring Break Days from April 2 to 6 at 1 p.m. Booster seats are available and there is a 15-minute intermission. Meet the Cat in the Hat, Horton, Gertrude and Jojo in the lobby for photos after the show. Children’s theater continues with “Willy Wonka Jr.” from May 19 to June 17 and “Mary Poppins Jr.” from Sept. 15 to Oct. 28. All seats are $15. To order, call 631-724-3700 or visit www.smithtownpac.org.

All photos by Danielle Nigro