Seussical Will Get a 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert at 54 Below | Playbill

Cabaret & Concert News Seussical Will Get a 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert at 54 Below

Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Janine LaManna, Ann Harada, and more from the Ahrens and Flaherty musical's original company will perform.

David Shiner in a promotional photo for Seussical.

Do you hear a "Who?" 54 Below will celebrate the 25th anniversary of cult favorite Broadway musical Seussical The Musical with a pair of reunion concerts, both October 20. On hand to perform Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's score will be a number of members of the show's original company, some reprising their originating performances.

Among those original stars reprising their performances will be Anthony Blair Hall and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Jojo, Janine LaManna as Gertrude McFuzz, Darren Lee as Vlad, William Ryall as The Grinch, and Stuart Zagnit as Mr. Mayor, along with Joyce Chittick, Jen Cody, Natascia Diaz, Justin Gomlak Greer, Eddie Korbich, David Lowenstein, and Jerome Vivona.

The remainder of the cast will be played by alumni of the original production and national tour, many taking on roles that they understudied during the original run, including Bryan Batt as Cat in the Hat, Cameron Bowen as JoJo, Gaelen Gilliland as Mayzie LaBird, Ann Harada as Mrs. Mayor, Brian Michael Hoffman as Horton, Catrice Joseph as the Sour Kangaroo, and Michael Farina.

Based on the cast listing—which includes Harada as the Lorax and Korbich as The Once-ler—the performance will reinstate "The Lorax," written for the musical but deleted before it made it to Broadway. The concerts will also feature projections by David Engel, music direction by David Madore, and stage management by Bonnie Panson. Original cast member Vivona is producing and directing.

Originally premiering on Broadway in 2000 after a try-out in Boston, Seussical is a mash-up of stories written by Dr. Seuss, primarily Horton Hears a Who!Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg. With music by Flaherty, lyrics by Ahrens, and a book by both, the work struggled its first time around after negative reviews and low ticket sales. Producers famously brought in Rosie O'Donnell to replace as the Cat in the Hat surprisingly early in the run, but it still ran for just 198 performances, becoming one of its time's biggest financial failures.

But it's also one of Broadway's most dramatic comeback stories. When the show hit the licensing market for school and amateur productions, it became the resounding hit the musical's Broadway run had been unable to make itself. Music Theatre International made a number of revisions of the shows available to groups, including a Broadway Junior edition aimed at young performers, a Theatre for Young Audiences version designed for young audiences (which got an Off-Broadway revival in 2007), and a KIDS version for elementary school-aged performers. The title has since become incredibly popular at theatres worldwide.

Tickets for the 54 Below concerts are at 54Below.org.

 
Today’s Most Popular News: