a GADS Youth Theatre production – our first public performance!!
Whimsical and Magical Musical of Seussical Proportions Opens Friday 4th April 2025
GOSFORTH, CUMBRIA AND FROM THE JUNGLE OF NOOL TO KALAMAZOO – GADS Youth Theatre students will unlock the imaginations of Gosforth citizens when they bring the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird, the Whos in Whoville and other Seuss favourites to life with their production of Seussical JR., it was announced today by the Cat in the Hat and Drew Cohen, president and CEO of Music Theatre International (MTI). Co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle, Seussical JR. combines Dr. Seuss tales (…and tails!) using the plinker-plunker of many musical styles – ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and R&B to funk – as colourful as the classic books.
“It takes a lot of creativity and focus to bring this whimsical world to life, while communicating its subtle themes and meaningful lessons,” says Cohen. “MTI hopes their audience outnumbers all the Whos in Whoville,” he adds. MTI, through its MTI’s Broadway Junior™ division, works with the authors of classic musicals to create special editions suitable for students to perform.
“Now, I’m here, there is no telling what may ensue with a Cat such as me, and a Thinker like you!,” says the Cat in the Hat.
Horton will hear a Who and cheerful chaos will ensue when GADS Youth Theatre presents Seussical JR. on Friday 4th April at 6pm, at Gosforth Public Hall.
There will be a ‘pay what you think it’s worth’ bucket for tickets on the way out and any feedback that you might have would be well received.
Seussical JR. begins with a young boy named JoJo who conjures up the Cat in the Hat with his powerful imagination and is whisked to the Jungle of Nool for a fantastical adventure. There JoJo learns of the plight of the tiny citizens of Whoville, who live on a planet the size of a speck of dust. Their sole protector is Horton the Elephant, who is the only one with large and sensitive enough ears to hear them bipping and beeping and playing their oompahs. The small world is threatened by Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham Brothers, who in disbelief that a world could be so small, try to steal the dust-speck so they can cast it into a vat of Beezle-Nut oil. During all of this drama, Horton has not noticed that he has an admirer, Gertrude McFuzz. She blames his indifference on her one-feather short tail and endeavors to find a way to change her looks. Meanwhile, Horton’s friend, Mayzie La Bird, is bored of perching on her nest, and convinces the watchful elephant to sit on her egg so she can take a vacation. The Cat follows all of these storylines and finally casts the boy into his own as the irresponsible son of Mr. and Mrs. Mayor of Whoville, JoJo, who ultimately saves his whole tiny world with one big, imaginative “think.”
Seussical JR. is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 (212) 541-4684, mtishows.com.
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
Contact: gadsgosforth@gmail.com
