Once upon a rhyme Seuss onstage at the Children's Theatre BY MEGAN GRUMBLING
	Seussical: The Musical By Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty | directed by Pamela DiPasquale | Produced by the Children’s Theatre of Maine | through August 6 | 207.828.0617

Here’s one for the kids. They like plays, too, you know,

so this week we turn to that Seussical show.

It went clear to Broadway, which seems to denote

that Seuss-love endures in both kids and their folks.

This show treats the kids to bright sights and refrains,

staged now by the fine Children’s Theatre of Maine.

And think, what deep sense memories might you loose

reliving the creatures and argot of Seuss?

Hunked in the hub of the Seussian wheel

is Horton — the kind, pachydermous schlemiel

from whose sundry tales is this play all connected

to others in Seussland who’re feeling dejected.

Horton’s discovered the planet of Who

(the smallest around, so it wafted and blew)

but no one believes him; the mockeries chafe

and Horton must struggle to keep the speck safe.

Meanwhile his new friend, free-thinker Who Jojo,

is too sharp for school; she just has too much mojo.

Her parents are sick of her Thinks and her fooling

and so send her off for some harsh martial schooling.

So the girl must be saved, and the Whos kept from harm,

and on top of that, Horton must keep an egg warm

when Mayzie, whose fling with an eagle gets scrapped,

pawns off the result into poor Horton’s lap.

These stories — remember them? — vivid in hue,

are matched by stage sights that might well pique an "Ooh!"

With purple and yellow bedabbled and glammed

the set recognizably maps out Seussland,

and there — green and orange, with fluffulous leaves,

those iconographical Tuffula trees!

The frocks — feathers, beaks, wigs of blue and of pink

are wild, wacky fodder for many fun Thinks.

The actors who flaunt all these fripples and flizz

are here and there grown-ups, but mostly, they’re kids.

The young folks are laudably poised, toned, and cued,

their focus as great as the glee they exude.

Young Molly Stewart is an elfin delight;

her Jojo is candid and spunky and bright.

Ensemble kids riffle wild rivers from sheets,

sing sound-offs and gospel, step rhythm-right feet.

The older folks, mostly, are gung-ho and spry

(though some need remember to raise voices high).

As Horton, Dan Bracken is earnest, soul-naked;

suave Cat in the Hat (Thomas Smallwood) can shake it.

Craig Bowden’s General (our Jojo’s war teacher)

roars silly and mean when he fails to reach her,

and Megan Brandt-Meyer, as blue-wigged Mayzie,

is as flighty a flapper as ever was lazy.

Suffice it to say that poor Horton’s rewarded

for weathering out all the creatures that thwart him.

Through war-mongers, skeptics, freeloaders and fools

wise Horton and Jojo obey their own rules.

The Theatre’s show tickled; with kid-force it shook.

Its actors were beaming, the house overbooked!

And Seussical spirit, when house lights came up,

had kids up and dancing — alone, praise enough.

Megan Grumbling can be reached at mgrumbling@hotmail.com