Saturday, February 17, through Sunday, February 25
Davenport Junior Theatre, 2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA
With its latest show described as “colorful, energetic, and wonderfully silly” by TheatreJones.com and praised for its “sweetness, humor, and energetic high spirits” by the New York Times, Davenport Junior Theatre treats family audiences to the company's debut of Seussical Jr., a one-act, all-student-performed version of the Tony-nominated storybook musical.
Composed by the Tony-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Seussical Jr. is an amalgamation of many of Dr. Seuss' most famous children's stories, with the majority of its plot based on Horton Hears a Who! As Horton the Elephant attempts to hatch an egg and The Cat in the Hat causes no end of mischief, this hour-long version of the 2000 Broadway extravaganza re-introduces audiences to iconic Seuss characters such as Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird, Yertle the Turtle, The Grinch, and the many residents of Whoville. The score, meanwhile, features such delightful and memorable favorites as “How Lucky You Are,” “Alone in the Universe,” and “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!”, all of which will be brought to life by director Jessica Sheridan, music director Aaron Randolph III, and a cast and crew of three dozen young area talents.
Included among the Seussical Jr. ensemble are Jonathan Young (Horton), Isaac Smith (The Cat in the Hat), Emma Brandel (Gertrude), Sydney Rosebrough (Mayzie), Jack Stremlow (Yertle), and Rebecca Carver (The Grinch). Sour and Baby Kangaroo are portrayed by Audrey Smith and Carly Berta, with Trey Gordon and Anah Easton as Thing One and Thing Two, and Croix Baker playing the human boy Jojo.
Also featured in the cast are Morgan Ahlers, Emily Arndt, Evan Baker, Kaitlyn Baker, Rebecca Carver, Anna Harris, Charlie Hepner, Emma Hughes, Lily Jewel, Emma Johnson, Katie Mahl, Emma Oliver, Roger Pavey, Sudarshan Prasanna, Angel Reighard, Tyler Wilburn, Lillian Young, and Ava, Becky, and Colton Untiedt. And serving as Seussical Jr.'s six-person backstage crew are Seth Chappell II, Rebecca Christy, Katie Harris, Katrina Pfeiffer, Tori Randolph, and Elizabeth Young.
Seussical Jr. will be presented at 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, tickets are $6-8 at the door, and more information is available by calling (563)888-2227 and visiting DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.
