A strange red-and-white-striped hat appears on an empty stage, and the Cat in the Hat emerges, inviting a young Boy to use his imagination. Together, they enter the colorful world of Seussical, where familiar characters from Dr. Seuss’s stories come to life

In the Jungle of Nool, Horton the Elephant hears a tiny voice calling for help. He discovers that the voice belongs to the Whos of Whoville, a microscopic community living on a speck of dust. Horton promises to protect them, believing that “a person’s a person no matter how small.” The Sour Kangaroo, the Wickersham Brothers, and the other jungle citizens mock Horton for believing in people they cannot see.

Meanwhile, Jojo, the Mayor and Mrs. Mayor’s son, struggles because his powerful imagination and constant “Thinks” get him into trouble. His parents send him to military school, where he meets General Genghis Khan Schmitz. Despite their differences, Jojo and Horton discover each other and become friends because they both feel alone and misunderstood.

Gertrude McFuzz, Horton’s neighbor, secretly loves him but believes he does not notice her because of her small, unimpressive tail. With advice from Mayzie La Bird, Gertrude takes pills that make her tail grow spectacularly long. However, Horton remains focused on protecting the Whos.

The Wickersham Brothers steal the clover containing Whoville and give it to an eagle, who drops it into a huge field of clover. While Horton searches desperately for the tiny Whos, Mayzie tricks him into sitting on her egg while she leaves for vacation. Horton remains faithful to his responsibility, eventually being captured and taken to a circus.

At the circus, Horton encounters Mayzie again. She gives him the egg permanently, leaving him responsible for both the egg and the Whos. Meanwhile, Jojo begins questioning the senseless war he has been ordered to fight and disappears after an explosion.

Gertrude, realizing that Horton needs help, removes her enormous tail and travels far to rescue him. She also finds the clover containing Whoville. Horton finally recognizes Gertrude as his true friend.

Horton is put on trial for talking to a speck and sitting on an egg. Just as the Whos are about to be destroyed, Jojo returns and thinks of a new word: “YOPP!” Everyone shouts together, and the animals of Nool finally hear the Whos, proving that they exist.

Horton is saved, and the egg hatches into an astonishing creature—a bird with elephant features. Horton and Gertrude agree to raise it together. As the Cat in the Hat reminds us, the possibilities are endless when we open our minds and use our imaginations.

Inspiration


Seussical is an amalgamation of stories by Theodore Seuss Geisel (AKA Dr. Seuss). His 46 children's book are staples in the world of American children's literature and the cultural impact of these stories has been profound since he began writing in the 1930s. Prior to Seussical, Dr. Seuss work had been adapted for both television and film, in some cases by Geisel himself. Seussical is primarily based on the Dr. Seuss stories, "Horton Hears a Who," "Horton Hatches an Egg" and "The One-Feathered Tail of Gertrude McFuzz," although it incorporates many references to other Dr. Seuss stories.

Productions


After shaky beginnings, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens' Seussical began its journey with a two-week reading of the show in New York. This reading was followed by a month-long workshop in Toronto in the summer of 1999. At that initial workshop, there were no costumes or scenery and only minimal props. Yet, the effect was magical. As Ahrens wrote "The strength of the workshop was its simplicity, its rough-around-the-edges charm, its intimacy." The invited audiences loved the presentation, and Seussical was immediately dubbed Broadway's "next big hit."

But, some complications happened on the way to New York, and by the time the show opened on Broadway in 2000, it had been turned into a big, splashy production that was quite different from what had worked so well in the initial workshop. The show played at the Richard Rodgers Theater for six months, where audiences loved it. Ultimately, however, Seussical did not realize its potential, primarily because it was not the show the authors had envisioned. When the show closed on May 20, 2001, it was an emotional night for the actors and writers who believed so strongly in the essential material.

When producer, Ken Gentry, decided to produce a national tour, the authors welcomed the opportunity to revisit their work. They made small changes in the book and score, allowing Jojo to become more of a force in the storytelling. Most importantly, they sought to pare down the physical aspects of the production, advocating a "less is more" approach. The reviews for that tour were overwhelmingly positive. A second national tour was launched in 2003, bringing the joys of Seussical to an even wider audience.

When the amateur rights to the show were released in 2004, hundreds of schools and community theatres jumped at the chance to produce it.