Seussical, the Musical

"Sometimes my thinks are what gets me in trouble." Who hasn't thought almost
those words at some time? This is wisdom from one of the many tales of Dr.
Seuss.

Seussical, the Musical features Horton the Elephant who heard the Who people in
Whoville or who also sat babysitting Maysie's egg. Everyone can find a little
of themselves in Horton as well as Gertrude McFuzz. Who could not symphathize
with Gertrude McFuzz and her sparse feathery tail?

Seussical, the Musical is a combination of many of the Dr. Seuss stories,
particularly Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, and Gertrude McFuzz.
With a few of the other Seuss classics woven around these tales, Seussical is a
toe-tapping, phenomenal musical for all ages with reminders about certain
life-lessons.

The Cat is the Hat, portrayed by Kevin Ehrhart was delightful, while still being
a little creepy. The motley looking costume with the whitened face as well as
the knack of appearing from nowhere and having no boundaries to his stage,
perfectly matched this creature. He truly was a delightful and entertaining
master-of-ceremonies.

Kevin Mikuls was wonderful as the naive JoJo. For being a child, Kevin
commanded the role with confidence never missing a step, note, or a line.
Jacks Erbs as Horton the Elephant quickly connected with the audience to
truly feel, "A person's a person no matter how small", and definitely with,
"An elephant's faithful 100%." He actually became the character of
Horton the Elephant with a wonderful singing voice.

I loved the character of Gertrude McFuzz portrayed by Rochelle Pickett,
with her yellow outfit and various tails, she could sing, act, while still
exhibiting her love for Horton. All the birds were outstanding,
including the eagle.

Mary Carrick played Sour Kangaroo along with Baby Roo played by Stella Ehrhart
both belted out their melodies with phenomenal voices. I just didn't like
Sour Kangaroo for not being nurturing to Baby Roo. Can you be sour while still
nurturing? That definitely would be a challenge.

However, the show's heart was definitely with the people of Whoville who were
expressive, regardless of the age, obviously immensely talented, and whose
costumes were outstanding. Including the Grinch, this group was the
intertwining storyline with the entire Whos moving and acting as a unified
component which reminded everyone of their significance to the story. With
monkeys, jungle people, a bird trio, and a host of other Seuss characters, all
were outstanding in performance with colorful and enthralling costumes.

Seussical, the Musical has superb costumes, wigs, make-up, and movements
to make all the fictional characters being easily recognizable. The
sets, props, lighting, special effects, and sound system were all perfect
while still being practical and artistic.

Seussical, the Musical, is not just a show for kids even though it is at The
Rose, this is a show for everyone who has ever tried to do the right thing but
found it to be unpopular. The music and message are well-worth the cost of
this delightful adventure.

The Rose Theater will continue with this show through June 17th. The shows
will be on Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at 2
p.m. Children and adults would enjoy the show more if they have a little
background of the Horton stories from Dr. Seuss. Ticket prices are $25 for
the main floor and $20 for the balcony with Rose members having a discount
of $5 per ticket. Contact The Rose Box Office at 402-345-4849 or online at
www.rosetheater.org.