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Horton will hear a Who and cheerful chaos will ensue when MTVarts and Ariel Corporation present “Seussical JR.” on March 10, 11 and 12 at Knox Memorial Theater, 112 East High Street, Mount Vernon. Performances are 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 10; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11; and 2 p.m., Sunday, March 12. Tickets are $20 main floor and $15 balcony with a discount of $3 for children 10 and under. Buy four or more and use the ALL CAPS code HORTON for an additional discount. The low processing fee of $2 per ticket will be added. All patrons must purchase a seat. Buy tickets online at mtvarts.com, at the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium office on South Main Street, at Park National Bank on the Square or at the door one hour prior to curtain.
Seussical JR. begins when young JoJo (Jenna Jurkowitz) conjures up the Cat in the Hat (Kate Marhefka) with her powerful imagination and is whisked to the Jungle of Nool for a fantastical adventure. There, JoJo learns of the plight of the tiny citizens of Whoville, (Charles Arrigo, Maddie Graham, Kate Gottke, Michelle Packard, Josie, Snyder, Lark Wright) who live on a planet the size of a speck of dust. Their sole protector is Horton the Elephant (Kale Oswalt,) who is the only one with large and sensitive enough ears to hear them bipping and beeping and playing their oompahs. The small world is threatened by Sour Kangaroo (Kailee Foreman) and the Wickersham Brothers (Zach Cramer, Charlee Foley, Briggs Swallow, Amelia Wells,) who, in disbelief that a world could be so small, try to steal the dust-speck so they can cast it into a vat of Beezle-Nut oil. During all of this drama, Horton has not noticed that he has an admirer, Gertrude McFuzz (Isabella Oster.) She blames his indifference on her one-feather short tail and endeavors to find a way to change her looks. Meanwhile, Horton’s friend, Mayzie La Bird (Evelynn Brandenburg), is bored of perching on her nest and convinces the watchful elephant to sit on her egg so she can take a vacation. Meeting characters along the way, (Baby Kangaroo Charlee Clinedinst; Birds Nora Gotschall, Kiersten Clinedinst, Izzy Cook, Ady DeCosky and Reese Ferenbaugh; the Grinch Devyn Hall; Max Charli Barrett; Thing One Ainsley Sweeney; and Thing Two Lanah Andrews), The Cat follows all of these storylines and finally casts the girl into her own as the irresponsible child of Mr. Mayor (Will Pletcher) and Mrs. Mayor (Dori McCoy) of Whoville, JoJo, who ultimately saves his whole tiny world with one big, imaginative “think.”
Artistic Director Bruce Jacklin is working with Director Serra Barrett, Music Director Laura Ackert, Choreographer Megan Bell, Stage Manager Christina Cook, Rehearsal Assistants Caroline Pletcher, Kate Ernsberger, and others to ensure an engaging live theatre adventure. Visit the Seussical show page at MTV arts.com to see all the dedicated production team members working behind the scenes to make this arts education experience possible. MTVarts, a local community theatre organization, provides performance-based arts education for youth ages 8 to 18 under the banner of artsIQ.
Co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle, Seussical JR. combines Dr. Seuss tales (and tails!) using the plinker-plunker of many musical styles – ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk – as colorful as the classic books.
Seussical JR. is presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International, which also supplies all authorized materials, 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 (212) 541-4684, mtishows.com.
