SEUSSICAL
COMPOSER: Stephen Flaherty
LYRICIST: Lynn Ahrens
BOOK: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
SOURCE: The stories of Dr. Seuss (c. 1950s)
DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall
CHOREOGRAPHER: Kathleen Marshall
PRINCIPLE CAST: Kevin Chamberlain (Horton), Janine LaManna (Gertrude), David Shiner (The Cat in the Hat)
OPENING DATE: Nov 30, 2000
CLOSING DATE: May 20, 2001
PERFORMANCES: 198
SYNOPSIS: The wild world of Dr. Seuss comes to life as Seuss’ various characters come together to tell the story of Horton, a lonely elephant, and Gertrude McFuzz, a shy bird, as they fall in love with one another.
Nathan Brewer argues for Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Seussical as a significant show that, despite lackluster reviews and box office sales, went on to find financial success as a staple within community theatre and educational institutions, especially through the work of director Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Seussical’s ability to redefine theatrical financial success, and public exposure, after its failure on Broadway, offered shows that were not commercially viable to become regionally successful such as Little Women, The Addams Family, and Be More Chill.
Nathan Brewer is a director of theatre, opera, concerts, film, and events. Directing credits include Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Washington National Opera, Park Avenue Armory, Theatreworks/USA, New York Musical Theatre Festival, numerous symphonic and pops concerts, and televised award shows. Nathan is on the musical theatre faculty at The New Studio on Broadway at NYU/Tisch, and The College of New Jersey. He has previously taught at Penn State and Westminster Choir College. Assisting credits include Aladdin (Broadway), and Relatively Speaking (Broadway). Nathan is the Founder & Artistic Director of Recreational Arts, a performing arts educational organization, with programs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Stephen Flaherty is the composer of the Broadway musicals Ragtime (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC Awards, two Grammy nominations), Seussical (Grammy, Drama Desk nominations), Once on This Island (Tony nomination, Olivier Award, Best Musical) and Rocky. Additional Broadway includes Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (original songs) and Neil Simon's Proposals (incidental music). Stephen has also written four musicals at Lincoln Center Theatre: The Glorious Ones (OCC, Drama Desk nominations), Dessa Rose (OCC, Drama Desk nominations), A Man of No Importance (OCC, Best Musical, Drama Desk nomination) and My Favorite Year. Other theater includes In Your Arms (Old Globe), Little Dancer (Kennedy Center), Lucky Stiff (Playwrights Horizons) and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein (Chicago's Jefferson Award, Best New Musical.) Film includes Anastasia (two Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations), the documentary After The Storm and Lucky Stiff. Mr. Flaherty's concert music has premiered at the Hollywood Bowl, Boston's Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim Museum and Symphony Space. This year celebrates Stephen's 32-year collaboration with lyricist-librettist Lynn Ahrens. Stephen and Lynn are members of the Dramatists Guild Council and co- founders of the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program. In 2015 they were inducted into the Theater Hall Of Fame. Upcoming: the stage adaptation of Anastasia. AhrensAndFlaherty.com.
SOURCES
Seussical, Original Cast Recording, Decca Records (2000)