Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia (Avenue Q) will star as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical — the Lynn Ahrens - Stephen Flaherty musical based on the famed children's books by Dr. Seuss — which will feature 86 young performers from the Newtown area this August at the Newtown High School.
Seussical: The Musical, one of Broadway’s most joyous musicals, written by the esteemed, Tony Award® winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, will be presented at Newtown High School this summer. Authors, Ahrens and Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island, My Favorite Year, A Man of No Importance and the upcoming Rocky musical) have expressed their joy that this musical has been selected as the inaugural production of the 12.14 Foundation.
The three main forces behind “From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook“, which took place on January 28 at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, CT, will reprise their roles on this production. Michael Unger (international theatre and opera director, A Christmas Carol – McCarter Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – world premiere) will direct, Jeffrey Saver (End of the Rainbow, Chicago, Sister Act – and 15 other Broadway shows) will musical direct and Tony Award® winning producer, Van Dean (Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Porgy and Bess, Matilda – and seven other Broadway shows) will executive produce. Jennifer Paulson Lee (City of Angels – Goodspeed, Annie Get Your Gun – Lincoln Center, Enter Laughing – York Theatre/Mark Taper Forum) will join them to choreograph. Other established theatre professionals will complete the creative team. Ahrens and Flaherty, the authors of Seussical and several Broadway performers will be visiting some of the rehearsals and performances.
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"I am so excited to perform with these amazing kids," Tartaglia said in a statement. "Live theatre is a great way to help encourage healing and positive expression, as well as entertain and bring people together, and this is a perfect show to accomplish this."
Unger added, "In addition to John's incredibly impressive talents, his heart is about as large as they come. Neither we, nor Theodor Geisel - a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, could dream up a better person for this job. I am certain that John will make what already promises to be an unforgettable experience for the children and audiences of Newtown, that much more zany, fun, meaningful and filled with wonderment."
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Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza. The show lovingly brings to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton The Elephant, The Cat in The Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo, a little boy with a big imagination. The colorful characters transport us to the Jungle of Nool, the Circus McGurkus, and the invisible world of the Whos. Sponsored by the 12.14 Foundation, Seussical celebrates the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community and is fun for the whole family! Multiple performances will be held between August 9 and August 11, 2013.
Newtown High School is located at 12 Berkshire Road in Newtown, CT. For more information and to purchase tickets (base price $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors for general admission,) visit 1214Foundation.org/Seussical.
All information was taken from the 12.14 website and Playbill.com
