Napa, CA - Theatreworks USA’s production of Seussical, a musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss, will be performed at the Napa Valley Opera House on Sunday, November 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children.

“Oh, the thinks you can think” when Dr. Seuss’s best-loved stories collide and cavort in this unforgettable musical caper! Adapted from the Broadway version, Seussical is written by Broadway veterans Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island and the film Anastasia). Theatreworks USA’s production features 12 actors and enhanced production values and is Theatreworks’ biggest show ever. Target is the national tour sponsor of this production.

The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because “a person's a person, no matter how small.”

On that small speck of dust lives JoJo, an imaginative young Who. JoJo has astounding “thinks,” in which anything's possible, but his parents believe this creativity is inappropriate for the son of the Mayor of Who-Ville.

Meanwhile, the one-feathered bird, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, desperately wants Horton to notice her. Maybe, she thinks, she just needs a more impressive tail. At the same time, the amazingly lazy Mayzie La Bird connives, cajoles and convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she goes off on a spree.

Will the planet of Who survive? Will Horton pay attention to Gertrude? Will Mayzie ever return for her egg? Dr. Seuss's beloved classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure, in which the power of imagination and the most miraculous “think” ever save the day!

Seussical, with music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Ahrens and Flaherty, and conception by Ahrens, Flaherty and Eric Idle (Monty Python), and was adapted from the works of Dr. Seuss. Ahrens and Flaherty’s first professional job together was writing The Emperor’s New Clothes for Theatreworks USA in the early 1980s. The production is directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, with scenic design by Narelle Sissons and costume design by Tracy Christensen. This production is recommended for audiences age 4 and up.

After playing on Broadway in 2000-2001, Ahrens and Flaherty condensed their musical into a one-act version appropriate for young audiences, which premiered at the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Theatreworks USA’s production of Seussical began its national tour in September 2006 and was presented at Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York in summer 2007 as Theatreworks USA’s annual Free Summer Theatre program.

Seussical differs from Theatreworks USA’s usual format in that it features twice as many actors as other productions, and also has enhanced scenic and costume elements. The 12 actors and stage managers in Seussical rehearsed for two weeks in New York City with the director. Once the tour begins, the actors and stage managers typically arrive at the performance venue early in the morning to set up the scenery and to prepare for the performance. Following the show, they pack the set, costumes, and sound equipment into two large vans, and drive to the next city, sleep in a hotel, and begin the whole ritual again the following day.

Theatreworks USA is America's largest and most prolific professional not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences. Since 1961, Theatreworks USA has enlightened, entertained, and instructed over 68 million people in 49 states and Canada, now performing for about four million people annually. Every year, the company tours approximately 16 shows from its ever-growing repertoire of 110 plays and musicals. In addition, Theatreworks USA also has an extensive multi-cultural guest artist roster, including storytellers, puppeteers, poets, and magicians. Under the direction of Barbara Pasternack (Artistic Director) and Ken Arthur (Managing Director), Theatreworks USA is one of the most honored theatres of its kind. It is the only children's theatre to receive both a Drama Desk and a Lucille Lortel Award. In addition, Theatreworks USA was the recipient of a 2001 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and in May 2000, The Actors Fund of American bestowed its Medal of Honor upon its founders, Jay Harnick and Charles Hull.

WHO: TheatreworksUSA In
WHAT: Seussical
WHEN: Sunday, November 4, 2 PM
COST: $25 Adult/$15 Child
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338