10 ways "Seussical" has bettered humankind
Shawnee Mission East
by Kaeli Heffner & Chris Peterson
Riddle me this: what’s bright, borderline blinding, occasionally glows in the dark, and leaves a trail of technicolor feathers everywhere it goes?
No, not this year’s Met Gala. Though fair guess.
I’m talking about Seussical the Musical.
And if you’ve somehow managed to avoid being in it, assistant stage managing it, or being emotionally wrecked by a middle school performance of it at least three separate times, I regret to inform you that your theatre journey might be incomplete. Like, were you even a child?
Allow me to present a very serious and not-at-all-unhinged list of reasons why Seussical has improved the human race:
1. The songs go hard
You think you're safe? You think you're stronger than “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think”? You’re not. No one is. That song will live in your head rent free until your dying breath, and honestly, you’ll welcome it. The score genre hops like a musical theatre fever dream. Broadway ballads, jazzy bops, gospel numbers, and whatever “Havin’ a Hunch” is. It’s a buffet. A chaotic, delightful, humming for days buffet.
2. These characters get you
Don’t act like you’ve never tried to completely reinvent yourself for someone who doesn’t know you exist, only for them to immediately run off and co-parent a literal egg with someone else. Gertrude McFuzz is all of us. Mayzie is every red flag we’ve ever ignored. And Horton? Horton is your overly loyal friend who really should block their ex but won’t.
3. It’s secretly school
Yeah, it’s educational. Like, it’s Dr. Seuss. Technically literature. Technically wholesome. Technically an escape from the flaming trash heap that is adult life. Plus, it teaches rhyming, vocabulary, and the fact that jungle animals are apparently just as petty as humans. Win win.
4. Musical theatre rules? Fully honored
Exposition overload in the first 10 minutes? Check. Belty high note for the sidekick? You know it. A lead character with two “I want” songs and an entire subplot involving a bird spa? Absolutely. And don’t even get me started on the parade of random Seuss cameos that show up just to break the fourth wall and bounce.
5. THE COSTUMES
Listen. If you don’t find at least one rogue feather in your apartment six weeks after closing Seussical, you didn’t do it right. The show is glitter, glue guns, and boas. It’s sensory overload in the best way. Your Roomba will never forgive you.
6. Surprise! It’s actually about stuff
Mayzie is literally navigating the decision to give up a child she’s not ready for. Horton is being gaslit and threatened with jail for hearing things. Jojo is punished for creativity and shoved into military school to be taught how to be “a real man.” And Gertrude, bless her heart, takes drugs to change her body just to feel noticed. Yeah. This show is for kids.
7. The message still hits
Beneath the feathers, harmonies, and full blown theatrical glitter explosion, Seussical is about empathy. About listening to people, even when they’re small or quiet or different. It’s about being brave enough to follow your instincts and loyal enough to stick around when it gets hard. Honestly, if we all tried to be a little more like Horton, the world would be a kinder place.
8. Every role is iconic
This is one of those rare shows where literally every part is fun to play. Cat in the Hat gets to break the fourth wall like he’s auditioning for Fleabag: The Musical. Horton gets all the pathos and a power ballad. Mayzie struts around like she owns the jungle (because she does). Even the Wickersham Brothers are out here giving Broadway level choreography with absolutely no stakes. No role is too small. Every single one is a chance to go full goblin and that’s what theatre should be.
9. Chaos? Organized
Seussical is barely hanging on to its plot and that’s part of the charm. There are like five storylines, two worlds, three morals, and a war about to start between clovers and kangaroos. And somehow it works. It's like a musical theatre juggling act with glitter and moral lessons flying at your face at all times. It should collapse. It doesn’t. That’s magic, baby.
10. It’s community theatre gold
You want a show that lets you cast 47 kids, 3 drama moms, 1 very enthusiastic gym teacher, and a puppet operated by a sixth grader? This is it. Seussical is the perfect storm of flexible casting, colorful chaos, and low budget friendly spectacle. You don’t need much. Just some cardboard trees, a few feather boas, and the collective emotional vulnerability of a community theatre cast willing to cry in a circle during the closing night preshow pep talk.