Off Off Broadway to perform Seuss production this weekend
Bright and bold colored trees swoop and swirl on twisted trunks and lush, rolling green hills span the whimsical windings of the Jungle of Nool.
The Cat, in his grand red hat, plays narrator to the blossoming rhymed romance between the most lovable elephant in all of literature and the luscious lashes of Gertrude McFuzz.
It’s “Seussical” — the musical that tells the Dr. Seuss tale of childhood in a new, mixed and matched score — and USC’s Off Off Broadway will be performing the famed production this weekend at Benson Theatre.
“It’s a very free spirited and simply fun musical,” said fourth-year psychology student Jonathan Berry, Off Off Broadway’s president. “It also inspires the childhood imagination in all of us and challenges people to think about commonplace, everyday things in new and inventive ways.”
“Seussical,” which originally debuted on Broadway in 2000, brings together the best of Dr. Seuss to create a new, untold story. The musical includes characters and story lines from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “The Lorax,” “If I Ran the Circus” and “Green Eggs and Ham.”
But Horton — whose bashful innocence and huge heart have earned him following both on page and on the big screen — takes the cake in the musical lineup, with “Horton Hears a Who” and “Horton Hatches the Egg” threading together the central love story.
Off Off Broadway, USC’s student-run theatre group, is known for its musical revues, which string together songs from several different musicals. The company’s last full-blown musical was “Into the Woods” in Spring 2010, with production costs limiting Off Off’s schedule.
There are 22 students and USC alumni in the cast, each embodying a story book favorite or character fit for Nool. And there’s one central message that links all of the colorful, crazily-crafted stories together, making “Seussical” the standout choice for this semester’s production.
“We hope to bring that sense of childhood imagination,” Berry said. “All ideas are worth exploring and there’s no reason to leave any stone unturned when searching for knowledge.”
Although the work for the musical began at the beginning of the semester, the cast and crew started production April 1, putting together the scene-setting backdrops and props in just two weeks.
“The club has turned the once completely black Benson Theatre into the colorful Jungle of Nool,” Berry said.
Not only have they painted the walls in the eye-popping hues that define the jungle, Off Off has created two rotating triangles to change out musical scenes as well as a rolling tree that carries The Cat.
And then there are the costumes.
Sara Hilton, a first-year computer science student, designed the costumes through a collaborative cast effort — the wardrobe mixes in already-owned vintage pieces from Goodwill and other city thrift shops.
It’s “Seussical,” and it’s on a budget, but it preserves all the creative thrill of the original theatrics — all with a USC student touch.
“Seussical” premieres tonight at Benson Theatre at 7 p.m., with shows Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students with a CarolinaCard and $8 for non-students.