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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

The team of Stephen Flaherty (book and music) and Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) created the original full-length Seussical. Though the Broadway musical was criticized for being overblown with a tangle of plot lines and characters, the Coterie developed a neat, succinct theater for young audiences version, which premiered in 2004. This is the Coterie’s third presentation, which was also produced in 2008.

The plot for this version meshes the Horton tales Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches an Egg, with smatterings of other stories. The Cat in the Hat acts as narrator and devil’s advocate, guiding the character JoJo, along with the audience, into Seuss’s whimsical world.

This production was directed and choreographed by David Ollington. The action is well paced and fluidly moves from scene to scene. During ensemble numbers it gets a little chaotic, but never frantic.

Chaos is, however, part and parcel of the Seuss universe. There is always something to see, something a little askew that catches the eye. Set design by Gary Wichansky draws literally from Seuss’s artwork, creating a bright, versatile space through which the characters scamper. William Hill’s puppetry inventively represents elements from a dour circus to the miniscule Whoville.

Jennifer Myers Ecton’s costumes are excellent extensions of Seuss’s recognizable—but not quite familiar—menagerie. Art Kent’s lighting and David Kiehl’s sound design round out the ingenious marriage of visual and aural stimuli.

Jeremy Watson was the music director for this production. The ensemble pieces were snappy and individual works vibrant and soulful. Sometimes individual voices got lost in the mix, depending where the actors stood on stage. Generally, though, the vocals were well balanced with the backing tracks.

The cast—some returning, some new to their roles—present an all-around stellar performance. Seth Golay reprises Horton, which he developed in 2004, a sympathetic, sensitively nuanced creature. Jennifer Mays returns as Mayzie, the selfish, show-stopping diva, with great aplomb.

Tim Scott, as The Cat, is a perfect cast. JoJo, played by Nick Grant the day I attend, showcased a sweet young alto voice, seemingly right on the edge of growing up. The Cat gets there just in time to deter him.

Jennie Greenberry is the doting Gertrude McFuzz, a bit like her awkward “Lucky Duck” role and equally as successful. Enjoli Gavin plays the Sour Kangaroo, a delightfully mean-spirited character.

With the condensed script many of the actors play double- and triple-duty. Katie Karel brings her powerful vocals and impeccable cuteness to the role of Mrs. Mayor and, along with Emily Shackelford and Shelby Floyd, the back-up singer Bird Girls. Steven Eubank plays the pompous, yet floundering Mayor and fellow Wickersham Brother with Tosin Morohunfola and Shea Coffman.

The numbers are pure Broadway and are enjoyably memorable. This production is fun and sophisticated, a fast romp through the realm of imagination.

REVIEW: 
Coterie Theatre
Seussical
Tuesday November 8^th, 12:00p.m.  9Reviewed) Runs through December 31^st.
First floor of the Crown Center Mall
2450 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO
For tickets, information, and show times: call 816-474-6552 or visit www.coterietheatre.org .

Top Photo: The Sour Kangaroo (Enjoli Gavin) and her little one too in Seussical through Dec. 31 at the Coterie. (Photo by J. Robert Schraeder)

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.