Seussical!

Caught Repertory Philippines’ Seussical previews this weekend (thanks to Jeeves for the friday night, and my boss for Saturday morning) and I’m still singing along to the songs. Even my dog likes Seussical — he wags his tail every time I play the soundtrack.

I was eager to catch this Dr. Seuss extravaganza, because Dr. Seuss books were among the first I learned to read in pre-school. I remember Are You My Mother? particularly well because my school put on a play and I was the chick, because I was the tiniest (and I do mean tiniest) kid in pre-school and I could memorize lines in a jiffy, I was always the starring character in the plays (yes, also Henny Penny and The Little Lamb from the Christmas tale).

I’ve also been building up my Dr. Seuss collection, scrounging for the old books (the non-glossy covers) in bargain bins, and even scoring  the balancing Cat in the Hat toy! A couple of years ago, my book club even had a wonderful Dr. Seuss book discussion, children’s party style.

I’ve seen the last five Rep shows (I even got a season ticket this year) and I wasn’t about to miss this one!

I’ve listened to the cast recording before, but it’s really different when you go watch onstage, because you can take it all in: the trademark Seuss silliness, the music, the visual spectacle.

I enjoyed watching familiar Dr. Seuss characters from different books come together, cleverly fitting in one story — I recognized Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a Who; Oh, The Thinks You Can Think; McElligot’s Pool; One Fish, Two Fish; Oh, the Places You’ll Go, and If I Ran the Circus. The Cat in the Hat is the Narrator; while the Grinch makes a cameo in one of the numbers.

(Note, if you’ve seen the Broadway Seussical, Rep’s version is a simplified version for younger audiences).

I also love how the songs preserve original words from the books, paying homage to Dr. Seuss’ rhyme and cadence, hence they’re very much singable (and the show’s still on loop in my head). My favorite songs/numbers include “Oh, The Thinks You Can Think,” “It’s Possible,” “Notice Me Horton,” and “Green Eggs and Ham” (curtain call).

I imagine Dr. Seuss fans of all ages will have fun watching Seussical! Go watch! :)

Seussical is directed by Joy Virata, and is playing at Greenbelt Onstage from August to December 2011. For tickets call 571-6926 or log on to Ticketworld. A friend is also hosting a show for a good cause on the 27th — they still have orchestra tickets at P450.

P.S. Joko, Carla and I had photos with the cast — will update this post when Jeeves uploads the photos!