By CAMILLE AGIE
Imagine a universe in which Dr. Seuss’s imaginative whimsical world blends with Broadway star power. Beth Malone, recognized for her powerful roles in Fun Home (Tony nominee) and Angels in America (revival), has traded her more serious parts for a top hat and a cheeky smile to play The Cat in the Hat in Lynn Ahrens and Pittsburgh’s own Stephen Flaherty musical comedy, Seussical the Musical.
Also know for television and film appearances that span from intense drama to quirky comedy, Malone’s journey into the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss showcases her versatility. Not only is The Cat in the Hat a narrator, but he also serves as a tour guide through this crazy and magical world.
“Seussical, it takes everything that is wonderful about every Dr. Seuss book that you ever read, and it doesn’t just regurgitate it back,” Malone said. “It sort of smashes them all together and gives it to you in this fresh musical world. It’s not like reading a book—it’s like its own thing. A fresh brand-new thing.”
The main sources of inspiration in Seussical the Musical are Horton Hears a Who! and Horton Hatches the Egg, but there are also aspects from The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and many more of Seuss’s tales.
Jacob Keith Watson, Amos Hart in PCLO’s 2016 Chicago, returns to the company to play Horton. He was seen most recently in the Tony-winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along. Kate Loprest (Mayzie) and Darius Harper (Sour Kangaroo) are among other returnees to Pittsburgh, while Susana Cordon, a 2024 Carnegie Mellon University graduate, plays Gertrude. CLO Academy student Henry Thomas, 11, plays JoJo.
Seussical debuted on Broadway in 2000, and has since become one of the most produced shows in America.
Even as Dr. Seuss’s books frequently enthrall readers with their lighthearted and whimsical style, they frequently have important underlying lessons. Beneath the rhymes and lively images are themes of acceptance, determination, and the value of standing up for what is right all beautifully woven together by Dr. Seuss.
Seussical, the finale of Pittsburgh CLO’s summer season, opens Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at the Byham Theater. It comes in the 120th anniversary year of the birth of Theodore Geisel – aka Dr. Seuss. A measure of his importance in American literature is that his birthday, March 2, is celebrated annually as National Read Across America Day.
“Well, The Cat in the Hat is sort of fantastic because it really just wants to encourage creativity and free-thinking, fun adventure, and sometimes naughtiness. You know, those are things that I can relate to in my life,” Malone stated. “So, it’s not even a caricature, it’s like a real honest troublemaker, but for a good cause.”
When asked how she prepared for the role of Cat in the Hat and if any of her past roles helped her in playing this character, Malone explained, “You know, Cat in the Hat has always been my favorite Dr. Seuss character. I did literally no prep. I just did video prep. I’m just sort of like the Cat in the Hat like in my life, you know, I’m sort of the one who’s like, ‘Let’s do it guys, let’s jump off that thing.’ My life has been prep for playing this part.”
Malone’s connection to the Cat in the Hat illustrates both the character’s timeless appeal and how it resonates with her own sense of spontaneity and adventure.
So, what message does Malone hope the audience will take away from this production?
“After they see it, they’re going to be unexpectedly moved and they’re going to be taken back to their own inner child and their own sense of wonder and play,” Malone said. “That part of ourselves, that sort of disappears as we get older. It’s still in there and it doesn’t have to disappear. It’s still there.”
Camille Agie is a student at Duquesne University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh CLO’s summer season finale, Seussical the Musical, runs July 30 – September 29, 2024, at the Byham Theater, Downtown. Tickets: visit https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/seussical .
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Show Previews
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