“Seussical,” November 26 through December 26

Friday, November 26, through Sunday, December 26

Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL

With the New York Times lauding the show as "85 minutes of sweetness, humor, and energetic high spirits," the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Seussical enjoys a November 26 through December 26 run of morning and matinée performances at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, the musical's recreation of beloved storybook characters and situations brought to life by Tony-winning composers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, Seussical finds the Cat in the Hat telling the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos – one of whom, the Who child Jojo, gets in trouble for thinking too many “thinks.” Not only must Horton protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must also guard an abandoned egg that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him, and what results is a musical extravaganza that Broadway World praised as "a whimsical journey through the world of Dr. Seuss that's fun for all ages."

Serving as director and choreographer for Circa '21's Seussical is Ashley Becher, a castmate in the theatre's current mainstage production Winter Wonderland whose credits include Davenport Junior Theatre's Aesop's Falables (A Rock Musical), which she co-directed alongside her husband Bobby Becher. Another Winter Wonderland co-star, Bobby himself plays Horton the Elephant in Ashley's production, with additional participants from Circa '21's evening show also appearing in Seussical: Erica Lee Bigelow (as Mayzie), Savannah Bay Strandin (as Gertrude), Tristan Layne Tapscott (as the Cat in the Hat), and Winter Wonderland playwright Brad Hauskins (as one of the Wickershams alongside Evan Brody and Adam Sanders).

The show's cast is completed by Sydney Dexter, Ellerie Hurley, Sophie Killburg, Kirsten Sindelar, and Megan Warren. And with Ashley Becher also serving as scenic designer alongside Jeremy Littlejohn (the show's production manager), Seussical's additional creative-team members include musical director Shelley Walljasper, costume designer Gregory Hiatt, stage manager Mel Maylum, and production stage manager Kendall McKasson, who is also responsible for Seussical's lighting and prop designs.

Seussical runs at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse from November 26 through December 26, with scheduled 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. performances on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, plus noon brunch performances on Sundays and the opening-day performance the day after Thanksgiving. Admission is $9.50 for the show-only productions and $16.80-22.05 for the brunch events, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.