Director's Concept Statement

What is Suessical the Musical?

Seussical the Musical is a show that brings us back to joy. The plot centers on friendship, acceptance, being an individual, and gaining gratitude for life. We learn to feel lucky no matter what we are going through. To evoke inspiration I have pulled out a Dr. Seuss hat and some of his books. In my daughter's toy chest I found a stuffed Horton and a stuffed Cat in the Hat. I have placed all of the items in my office for inspiration.

The Style of the play

The music of Seussical the Musical is lively and upbeat. The phrasing of the musical is very simple and yet the orchestration is complex. The dialogue is true to Dr. Seuss with its simple phrasing and rhyming patterns. The reader also feels a bit perplexed by the writing. Dr. Seuss might be a children's book writer and yet, there is hidden meaning in all of his writing. Additionally, Seussical is modern mash up of all of his plays. There are often times in the script where the writer references a theme or character from another book. Seussical the Musical is a direct reflection of Dr. Seuss' writing because the musical also intertwines his stories. For example, the Whos are singing to Horton about how they are going to war and they make reference to the Lorax trees coming down, "but that's another story." It is imperative that as the director, I emphasize the actors using clean articulation and strong projection so that the audience will hear all of the nuisances in the script. The overall tone of the musical is upbeat, and yet there are a few very tender moments in the production. When Horton feels that all is lost and he is traveling with the Circus McGurkis, he and the company sing "Solla Sollew". "There's a faraway land somewhere beyond the horizon. Troubles there are few." I see this as a tender moment in the production where we see the characters reveal that they are real. They are like us. They are striving for more.

Production Considerations

Seussical evokes bright colors, stripes, designs, and polka dots. The characters and colors feel as if they are popping out of the pages of a book. The costumes should accentuate the colors by adding to the mood of the play. The set will have large movable pieces to further accentuate the feel of a book turning pages. It is important for the set to be high. There is a lot happening at different points of the show with many different characters being present in different locations. The height will allow for the lines to be clearly drawn. Because the cat breaks the fourth wall several times throughout the play, I will want to add a piece that connects the stage to the floor. I would like to add a colorful staircase to serve as a bridge from the stage to the audience. I would like the choreography to accent the "family groups" that are in the show. So actors are easily identified. I would like to see the friction when the two groups collide.

Final Thoughts

The most important element of this production is to be sincere with my approach to the work. I don't want it to appear to "cheesy" or "showy". There is a lot of magic in this script. I want to help my actors tap in to the magic of this show and share it with the audience.