LT Students Think Their Thinks in Bright, Colorful ‘Seussical’

“I’m the boy in the beginning,” explains sophomore Kaley Shannon. “I get pushed into the story, and then my name’s Jojo, and my Thinks end up saving the clover, and Horton is not crazy.”

Neither, it turns out, is Shannon. She’s talking Seussical.

Lyons Township students will present the wild adaptation of the work of Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel this weekend, in which, as Shannon went on to put it, “anything can happen.” Like, for instance, "Thinks" saving a clover. ()

The musical’s plot is mostly framed by Seuss’ classic Horton Hears a Who!, but incorporates elements from dozens of the doctor’s stories, with cameos by beloved characters like the Grinch and Yertle the Turtle, as well as sly references to other tales like The Lorax. The whole shebang is narrated by a mischievous—who else—Cat in the Hat.

Seussical’s two central heroes, Jojo the boy and Horton the elephant, are both ridiculed for daring to imagine (or, as the musical puts it, Think). Of course, it’s the power of such imagination that eventually carries the day.

“I think what you get from [Seuss’] work that still exists in the play is that zany, quirky, off-center thinking and behavior is not only accepted, but encouraged,” said the play’s director, Eugene O’Reilly. “You should be able to think about anything you want without being pressured to change your imagination.”

Horton, as any Seuss fan knows, hears a Who—a denizen of a Lilliputian village on a speck of dust. His compassion and motto (“a person’s a person, no matter how small”) lead him to quest for the village’s protection in spite of his peers’ scorn.

“He’s a very lovable guy, very noble, very loyal to the Whos,” said senior Nick Lindmark, who plays Horton in a hat with floppy gray ears. “But because he’s so different, a lot of the rest of the animals are scared of that and treat him as an outcast.”

And pulling all the strings of the story is that eternally frisky feline, the Cat in the Hat, leading the overture and later crashing the audience for interviews and hugs.

“I’ve never had a character who breaks the fourth wall before,” said Cat portrayer and LT sophomore Chloe Baldwin. “I just love the energy and the excitement. In this type of show, anything can happen.”

Filled with over two dozen songs and dances, and a cast of 70 students, Seussical is cheery fun for the whole family—especially a family that believes in the power of imagination.

Seussical runs from Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Reber Center at Lyons Township North campus (100 S. Brainard Ave., La Grange) Tickets are $5 for children, LT students and seniors; $10 for adults.