The Menomonie Theater Guild’s 2012
production of Seussical Jr.

The fantastical stories of Dr. Seuss – filled as they are with hat-wearing cats, Christmas-stealing Grinches, green egg-gobbling Sam-I-Ams, not to mention assorted Drum-tummied Snumms, Fiffer-feffer-feffs, and Zizzer-zazzer-zuzzes – have inspired generations of kids to fall in love with reading. So why not see if they’ll inspire a love of theater, too? The Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild’s upcoming show, Seussical! The Musical, is designed to do just that. The musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2000, brings to life some of the most beloved characters from the works of Dr. Seuss (otherwise known as Theodor Seuss Geisel): the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Yertle the Turtle, and even the nasty Grinch himself. Director Mike Cook – who has helmed numerous CVTG shows, most recently Thoroughly Modern Millie – says the plot of Seussical is a mash-up of the books Horton Hears a Who! and Horton Hatches an Egg, with Horton taking responsibility for the Whos of Whoville (who are so miniscule that they dwell on a speck of dust) as well as an egg abandoned by its mother. By “thinking thinks” (to those not well-versed in Seussisms, that means using their imagination), the Cat in the Hat and his child sidekick, Jojo, enter the action. “It’s going to be a lot of fun for all ages,” Cook promises. “We’re talking about really little kids – this might be their first exposure to theater.” Expect a storybook-style set heavy on bold blues, reds, and yellows, and designed to bring the characters out into the audience. While the tunes might not be familiar, the styles will be, ranging from traditional Broadway to honky-tonk to Beach Boys-esque. As with the Seuss books, there’s also plenty of backhanded social commentary that grown-ups will appreciate. “They don’t have to sit there and say, ‘Oh my gosh this is a boring kids show,’ ” Cook adds. After all, Dr. Seuss’ creations can be called many things, but “boring” isn’t one of them.

Seussical! The Musical • 7:30pm June 27-29, 1:30pm June 29-30 • The State Theatre, 316 Eau Claire St. • $20 adults, $18 seniors, $10 students, $8 youth • 715-832-PLAY (7529) • cvtg.org