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Come see the zany world of Dr. Seuss come to life onstage November 14, 15 and 16 as the North Central Performing Arts Department presents Seussical. Written by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, Seussical is a musical experience perfect for the whole family. Let the Cat in the Hat be your guide on a fantastic onstage adventure as Dr. Seuss’s most iconic characters go on incredible journeys. Despite all the silliness along the way, the power of imagination always prevails!
In addition to imagination, Seussical teaches kindness, acceptance, self-esteem and faithfulness. Simple enough to be understood by children, yet universal enough to touch the hearts of even the most Grinch-like adults. “It’s such a colorful and fun show.” said Director Nathan Shewell. “Everybody loves Dr. Seuss, no matter what age you are, you love Dr. Seuss!”
The show incorporates characters from dozens of Dr. Seuss’s books and puts them in a story that centers around Horton, the lovable elephant from the classic book, Horton Hears a Who, is trying to save the Whoville people who live on a dust speck on a clover, as well as taking care of an abandoned egg.
But of course there are many more stories to tell as Seussical features more than 70 actors. Horton is played by Kevin Melrose, Matt Conwell plays the famous Cat in the Hat and Gertrude McFuzz’s “tail” is told through Katie Haan. Lazy Mayzie LaBird who abandoned her egg, played by Hope Fennig, also makes an appearance.
Kevin Melrose is enjoying, “the anticipation of his tusks growing in” and likens his character Horton to Martin Luther King, “we’re both human rights activists, kinda.”
“Just having the opportunity to play Gertrude is exciting in itself,” Katie Haan says, “I’ve played a lot of girly, spunky, innocent characters so Gertrude isn’t far out of my comfort zone!”
Matt Conwell remarked that, “Being able to put my own spin on the beloved Cat in The Hat character is so cool and it doesn’t hurt that I get to be super weird and do exploits that I probably wouldn’t get to do in other shows.
“Getting to play this outrageous character with a fabulous costume, fun and impressive songs and being the antagonist of the show is so exciting.” said Hope Fennig who played Mayzie before in St. Richard’s 2011 production of Seussical Jr.
North Central in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the state’s premiere high schools and recognized nationally as a leader in Theatre, Stage & Performance Choirs, Bands and Orchestras.
Seussical runs November 14, 15 & 16; curtain at 7:00 in the North Central High School auditorium (1801 E. 86th Street) Tickets are $10.00 ($8.00 for children 12 and under) and can be purchased in advance at www.NorthCentralTheatre.us or at the box office 30 minutes prior to each show.
Win free children’s tickets to Seussical at www.NorthCentralTheatre.us
