Above: Colby Coren, Ethan Suess, and Trissa King<\/p>\n
For decades, the rhymes, whimsical characters, and memorable tales in Dr. Seuss\u2019s storybooks have been shared with children around the world. Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Seussical<\/i> is a musical starring familiar characters from about ten different Dr. Seuss stories, including Miss Gertrude McFuzz<\/i>, Horton Hatches the Egg<\/i>, and Horton Hears a Who!<\/i> Asheville Community Theatre will produce the show from February 12 through March 6.<\/p>\n
A mischief maker, The Cat in the Hat takes us on a journey that features a cast of 18. \u201cThe Cat serves as a sort of narrator, but does not tell the stories to the audience per se,\u201d says director Mark Jones. \u201cThe stories unfold and mix together, with the characters themselves telling you who they are, to create one world of Dr. Seuss. It lets the audience believe that all of his characters exist in the same world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making his ACT debut, Colby Coren will play the role of Horton the Elephant. \u201cDr. Seuss has been near and dear to my heart as long as I can remember,\u201d says Colby. \u201cIn fact, when I graduated high school, my parents gave me a copy of Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!<\/i> as I headed off to college. I even wrote my first college English paper on the book.\u201d<\/p>\n
Children can go on a magical adventure as adults revisit characters that they grew up with. \u201cI think the main theme, with Horton and Gertrude, is that it\u2019s OK to be different. I hope that the audiences leave with a feeling of kindness and goodwill,\u201d says Mark, adding, \u201cAs Dr. Seuss says, \u2018Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n