Arts!Oglethorpe presents "Seussical" July 9-11 & 15-17

Tickets are available online CLICK HERE, at the Oglethorpe Echo or by calling 706-354-1339. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door (if available). Shows tend to sell out so be sure to get your tickets early!

            “Seussical” weaves together elements from at least fifteen of Dr. Seuss’ books including “Horton Hears a Who”, “Horton Hatches an Egg”, “The Butter Battle Book”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.  But it isn’t just a string of his stories set to music. Many of these characters never met one another before. But they meet in the show. And in the course of the evening, some will fall in love, some will have desperate adventures and some will save the world.
            As with Dr. Seuss’ books, the story of “Seussical” works on many levels making it a wonderful show for adults – that children will love too.
            The cast features an incredible array of talent from in and around Oglethorpe County.  Derrick Gregory has traded in his Cowardly Lion costume for the much cooler duds as Horton the Elephant.  Returning to the Arts!O stage after several years hiatus are Heather Palmer as Gertrude McFuzz and Bryan Shaw as The Cat in the Hat.
            Horton has heard a Who (although no one else has)… and he is determined to save the tiny planet of Who which he has conveniently placed on a clover.  The full-sized Mayor and his Wife are played by Clayton Montgomery and Valerye McGreevy along with their young “son” JoJo – played by Fiona McGreevy.
            Although Gertrude is too shy to tell Horton that she likes him, Mayzie La Bird is more than happy to dump her egg with Hort while she runs off to Palm Beach for an extended vacation.  Mayzie is played by newcomer Marci Anthony with her attendant Bird Girls – Mamie Simonds, Linda Hueseman and Whitney Wheeler.
            Between the Whos on the Clover and Mayzie’s egg in the nest, Horton has his hands full – and then along comes even more trouble.  The Sour Kangaroo, played by Shelli Delgado, and the Wickersham Brothers – Jake Davenport, Jim Barrow and Sean Ogle – steel Horton’s clover and pass it off to one black-bottomed eagle named Vlad Vladikoff aka. Scott Lewis.
            And then there’s General Genghis Khan Schmitz played by none other than Sr. Brian Lance.  Schmitz leads his cadets into war against the wretched Butter-Side Downers and it doesn’t come out too well for the Butter-Side Uppers!
            The cast is rounded out by a bevy of talented in the Whoville and Jungle of Nool Ensemble including: Barbara and Richard Andersen; Leigh, Charity and Hank Hodges; Eliana Heckman; Delaney Morcom; Kriz Kimbel; Keith Rainey and Emily Faz.  And appearing as the Grinch is Jack Beach.
            Arts!Oglethorpe, Inc. has been bringing the arts to Oglethorpe County since 1994.  Since their purchase of the historic Crawford Schoolhouse in 2004, they have continued to perform several shows a year while continuing to restore the building as a full-fledged community arts center.
            If you haven’t been to an Arts!Oglethorpe show, don’t miss “Seussical”.  The cast is phenomenal, the music is great and the air conditioning is cool!