Seussical

Take the whole family when Emerald City Theatre Company brings the world of Dr. Seuss magically to life with its fresh new staging of Seussical the Musical, a whimsical, wonderful musical for the whole family by Eric Idle, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, based on the collected works of Dr. Seuss.

Chicago's largest professional theater devoted entirely to families, Emerald City is presenting the new pared down Seussical for younger audiences, a hilarious affair in which Dr. Seuss's most beloved characters from more than a dozen of his early reading classics delightfully intertwine.  Performances are January 20-March 30, 2007 at the Apollo Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.

Emerald City's new production of Seussical coincides with the national celebration of the Cat in the Hat's 50th Birthday on March 2, 2007.   Stay tuned for details about Emerald City's Celebrate Reading 2007 literacy initiative, in honor of Cat in the Hat's 50th.  Activities will range from "Cat in the Hat's Birthday Tour" of area schools, libraries, shelters and community organizations, along with book donations to children in need.  The celebration culminates at 2:36 pm CST, Friday, March 2, when Emerald City will host more than 400 kids at the Apollo Theatre for the national read-aloud of the Cat in the Hat book, followed by a free performance of Seussical.

With Cat in the Hat as a mischievous narrator and a wonderfully eclectic score, Seussical shows family audiences a world where anything is possible through the power of imagination.  Remember Horton?  The sensitive elephant? So sensitive in fact he is the only one who can hear the tiny Whos of Whoville, lost on a speck in a field of clover.  While desperately trying to find them, Horton stumbles upon the vixenish Mayzie La Bird sitting on her egg.  Now Horton's in a pickle: he's agreed to watch over Mayzie's egg while she takes a break, yet he still has to save the Whos of Whoville! Through inspiring lessons of courage we are reminded that a person's a person no matter how small.

Behind the Scenes of Seussical

Ernie Nolan (director/choreographer) is an Artistic Associate at Emerald City Theatre. He directed this season's acclaimed opener Snow White as performed by Professor TJ Barker's Troupe of Theatricals, his new adaptation of the Snow White story, and last season's smash hit The Jungle Book.  Nolan also directs with Kansas City's Coterie Theater, one of Time Magazine's Top 5 Children's Theatres in the nation.  This summer, he choreographed Academy Award-winner Steven Schwartz' new family musical Gepetto & Son at the Coterie, where he also staged the premiere of The Dinosaur Musical, the Reale brothers' first new play since Frog & Toad.   Nolan is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he earned his MFA in Directing.

Playing Cat in the Hat is Chicago stage and cabaret veteran Stephen Rader, memorable for his Emerald City debut last season as another feline character, Shere Khan in The Jungle Book.  Rader is a three-time After Dark Award winner, and has performed at top Chicago theaters including the Goodman, Porchlight, TimeLine, Pegasus Players, Bailiwick Repertory and Theatre Building Chicago.

Emerald City's cast also features Isaiah Brooms (Wickersham/Mayor), John Burns (Jojo) Matthew Gottlieb (Wickersham/Yertle), Kent Haina (Wickersham/Vlad), Michael Kingston (Horton), Kelli Morgan (Mazy), Teresa Scalise (Mrs. Mayor), Bethany Thomas (Kangaroo) and Dana Tretta (Gertrude). The Seussical design team includes Christopher Ash (set), Joe Court (sound), Marc Dunworth (puppet and prop design), John Horan (lights), and Nicole Winning (costumes).

Performances for Seussical are January 20-March 30, 2007 at the Apollo Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.  For tickets and information, call 773-936-6100, or go to www.emeraldcitytheatre.com