PROVO — While the stories of Dr. Seuss need no introduction, Theatreworks USA does.
Calling itself the “largest and most prolific professional not-for-profit company for young and family audiences,” Theatreworks was established in 1961 and has some impressive alumni. The list includes directors (four-time Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks), writers (Marta Kauffman and David Crane of TV’s “Friends”) and actors (F. Murray Abraham, Henry Winkler, Tony-winner Roger Bart, to name a few).
Theatreworks traveled to BYU on Friday and Saturday to present its scaled-down, theater for young audiences version of the “Seussical” musical, from the team of Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty. (The Tony winners actually began their professional collaboration in 1985 with “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” on commission from Theatreworks.)
The young BYU audiences were raptly intent with the strictly-for-children staging. This scaled-down version, which began life as a 2006 tour and was presented at the company’s annual free New York program in 2007, eliminates four “Seussical” songs and the entire General Genghis Khan Schmitz military story line. While the cuts reduce the running time to a manageable-for-tots length of 80 minutes, the multiple Seuss stories are rushed and even more jumbled than the regional theater version of “Seussical.” But the non-stop barrage of winning songs and dance numbers keeps everyone engaged.
The Equity actors were clearly talented and uniformly enjoyable, performing the upbeat and catchy material with preprogrammed spontaneity that is par with a long-running touring show. Further cutting back, the traveling show has 10 performers rather than 12, so the traditional trios of Bird Girls and Wickersham Brothers are reduced to two.
Micah Spayer dons the striped stovepipe hat with a gleaming sense of mischief to create a nimble Cat in the Hat, and Bridget Riley, with the show’s best voice, was lovable as the lovelorn Gertrude McFuzz. Karen Joy Pangantihon also scored with her solos as the Sour Kangaroo. Most impressive is the entire cast’s tolerance of the threadbare set and unremarkable costuming.
Tony-nominated director-choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge sets the show in playground environs, using found objects as props, which works if you can accept an inner tube and a basketball as bird’s nest and egg. Most perplexing is Gertrude’s fantastical tail feathers made from a wash line of sweaters and shirts. But in contrast, the large fanciful puppets late in the show are a welcome surprise.
Blair Howell is a writer and editor.