Oh, the Things You Learn

Dr. Seuss remains an iconic selling point for all ages. But that’s just the starting point for why director Hisa Takakuwa and music director Erin McNally chose Seussical as this year’s Summer Players production.

There’s the learning element. Takakuwa explained that Seussical teaches its actors a wide range of skills necessary to bring the Lynn Ahrens (lyrics and book) and Stephen Flaherty (music and book) production to life. When she and McNally select plays for the Summer Players, 31 of the best and brightest from SCR’s Youth Conservatory, the educational benefits the students gain from a production are the first things considered.

What are the lessons from Seussical?

“They have to go to both ends of the spectrum in this show,” Takakuwa said. “They have to have bravery, abandon, imagination, creativity and a sense of play. There’s a brightness and boldness to this show. On the other end of the spectrum is specificity and detail. The music is specific. The language and the intention and the character working with the parts that are sung and the instrumentation that is there is very specific. Now, add choreography, because there is a lot of movement in this show.

“To do that kind of detailed work and the precision work balancing that with a lively sense of play and boldness, I think that’s the special challenge here.”

Which leads into another reason Takakuwa and McNally chose Seussical—the music. Most of the dialogue is sung.

“The score is gorgeous,” Takakuwa said. Ahrens and Flaherty are brilliant. It’s lively and bright and deep and specific. It provides jewels for actors and audiences to enjoy and a broad range of music styles. The storytelling through the music and the lyrics is just really great.”

Plus Dr. Seuss provided iconic characters. That sense of playfulness Takakuwa and McNally want audiences to experience comes out when talented young actors get to play characters they grew up reading.

“Dr. Seuss sits at the storytelling aspect of this. The ideas and concepts and themes and characters and what’s important in this story can be told so truthfully through young voices,” Takakuwa said. “It’s just a special musical because of that, especially now. It’s resonant because it’s so much about kindness and listening to others and taking care of others.”

Finally, there’s the cast. Because the Summer Players involves so many actors across a wide age range, Takakuwa and McNally need a show that offers enough roles for cast members to learn those lessons.

“One of the great reasons to do this show is it’s very flexible in terms of age, gender and the talent pool we have to cast from,” Takakuwa said. “There are roles here that can be played by a 19-year-old and the same role could be played by a 12-year-old. This is the third time we’ve done this show and each time is markedly different in terms of the people playing the roles. And that’s part of the fun. Every incarnation has been its own truth.”

Experience all of the music, playfulness, and sheer fun of Seussical, running for eight performances Aug. 3-11 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Join all your favorite Dr. Seuss characters on a magical, music-filled journey.  The Cat in the Hat and Horton the Elephant take you from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the World of the Who’s—and a little boy with a big imagination proves that a person is a person, no matter how small and the power of friendship and loyalty is eternal.