Customer Reviews

Seussical [2000 Original Broadway Cast]

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's always cause for celebration when a 50-something-year-old jaded person (that would be me) is pleasantly surprised by. . .anything! That being said, I reluctantly went to see this show when it passed through Southern California a while ago, and was completely won over by it. I enjoy Dr. Seuss but am not a purist, so any liberties taken in the show are forgiven, in the spirit of capturing the essence of his characters and his work. But when all is said and done, it's the delightful score that makes the whole thing work. (I was in NYC when it was on Broadway but avoided it like the plague. My mistake.) I enjoyed the songs so much that I bought the cast album, the piano score, and even wrote a letter of appreciation to Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty thru their agent. Much to my surprise, Lynn Ahrens wrote a nice letter back, thanking me. (I guess composers and lyricists don't get as much recognition as they should; however, just go to a tuneless musical and you come out with a new appreciation for what memorable songs really do for a show.) So, put the inner-Grinch on hold, go see this show if it's in your city, but at least buy the cast album and enjoy.

I think this recording is really great.

I first learned about this show by stumbling over it on the internet and seeing Rosie talk about it on her show, and as soon as I heard the concept, I knew I had to buy the recording.

All of the actors are great! Kevin Chamberlin is a touching, elephant-like Horton, Gertrude McFuzz is great, and Sharon Wilkins wails out her lyrics like a pro!

My personal favorite songs are the opening number, "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think," "Horton Hears A Who," which shines as a caribbean (Once On This Island) style song that tells Horton's story. "Here On Who" is great as a Ragtime-like song. Some other good ones are "It's Possible" and "Solla Sollew."

But, my personal two favorite songs are:

"NOTICE ME, HORTON" and "ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE"

This is a great CD for fans of Ahrens and Flaherty's musicals (Including Ragtime and Once On This Island), anyone who grew up with Doctor Seuss, and anyone who can manage to stay young at heart.

Do yourself a favor and buy Seussical

Like many people, I heard nothing but negative reviews for this show, but when I went to see it on Broadway, I was pleasantly surprised. No, actually make that amazed. I am amazed that such a fantastic, fun, and original show could be so blasted by the critics and all but ignored. I find it very sad that it took Rosie O'Donnell's horrible performance as the Cat in the Hat to get people to come to this otherwise terrific evening of entertainment. That is why I am so happy that not only does this CD have very nearly the entire show and all of the wonderful music on it, but (hallelujah!) Rosie is not on it!!! The original Cat, who is a million times better just from hearing him on the disk, and all of the original cast is here. Now, listening to the CD is no substitute for seeing the beautiful, fanciful costumes, lights and scenery of the Broadway show, but it comes very close. This is one of the strongest, best scores I've heard for a show in a long time because it so well compliments the crazy, zany language and stories of Dr. Seuss. The score is, by turns, playful, silly, fun, soulful, touching, and always delightful. The songs are very tuneful and instantly memorable. It has been a long time since I've returned home to a Broadway show for which I'd never heard the music before and still remembered a great deal of it by the time I came home. My personal favorites include "Oh! The Thinks You Can Think," "A Day for the Cat in the Hat" and "Notice Me, Horton." The show is excellent and brilliantly weaves together countless stories from Dr. Seuss' large canon into one great epic tale mostly revolving around Horton the Elephant who hears a who and hatches an egg. Don't listen to the critics. The CD (and the show itself) is absolutely unmissable!

I was not inclined to add to my collection a musical like this because it was not adult. But on an impulse I bought it. I was delighted by the music. There are some things in the show that only the adults will get - and they are funny. Flaherty's music and Ahrens lyrics are catchy, funny and poignant. Children will understand what they mean, but adults also will appreciate them. I particularly refer to "How Lucky You Are" as a song with allusions only adults can appreciate. The music is attuned to children, but adults will find the score upbeat. This was a happy surprise of a purchase.

This is simply a great musical. Memorable songs with great melodies, a funny story line and a very engaging use of the core Suess material. Over time this will become one of the classic standards despite being panned by the critics. You simply can't like musicals and not appreciate the quality of this show.

This is A SPECTACULAR MUSICAL!! One of my personal favorites...not only is it for kids, it's for everyone. The music is insanely great, and very catchy. It's so sad that the reviews were so bad, because It really didn't deserve them. Despite a few flaws, this is WONDERFUL. But, sadly, it's broadway career is over. It closed May 20th, losing $11 million. The biggest flop in broadway history, but my favorite flop...my faorite musical...THE BEST!!

One thing that I've noticed while reviewing some of the reviews for Seussical the musical is a negative tint to even the favorable reviews. Most of the good ones say that it is a kid's musical that some adults will find charming. It's so much more than that. Dr. Seuss, like authors like Peanuts' Charles Shultz, uses his imaginary landscapes and characters to tell us about bigger pictures. It reminds us of the magic of being a kid. It shows us that there is magic in life, and all we have to use for an escape is our minds. Most adults have sadley forgotten the magic of imagination. This musical truly captures the spirit of the Dr. Seuss books. Listen to "Alone in the universe" and "Horton hears a who" to see what I mean. You can almost see the wierd, strange, and wonderful creatures that Dr. Seuss was so well known for creating. Kids to will love this album. Plus it has a great plot line that keeps interest high throughout the 27 songs. I highly recommend this album, and hope that it will bring as much joy to everyone else as it did to me. Peace out -Dan

After becoming a huge fan of Ragtime I was excited when I heard about this teams writing a new musical. I followed the negative publicity and watched the news clips in anticipation. Finally, after months the cd was released. I went to get it and my car broke down and stranded me for five hours but i did get it! The music is extremely well-written and the show well conceived. It is supposed to be entertaining they hit it well. The critics were definitely wrong about this show. What cracks me up is when Rosie O'Donnell opened the show one of the critics went and didn't even know that his seat cost $ dollars and was upset at the price! That tells you how really out of touch they are. The only way I know to describe the musical is like this: take You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, make it better in every aspect, multiply it by a million and you have this cd. The music is so solid and touching. A wonderful storyline with great characters that is funny, touching and combines incredible music. Anyone who can should see the show and get the cd. Flaherty and Ahrens deserve better than the negative publicity their show got!

"Seussical" got a pretty bad reputation from the start, and I have to say it's somewhat undeserved. I saw the show in Boston just before it went to New York. Even with some very obvious problems, many of which I assume were fixed in New York, "Seussical" showed some amazing promise. Such a charming, hard working cast, and the material is generally great. The Cat is a bit misconcieved, and David Shiner did what he could, but he just isn't a musical theater performer. Kevin Chamberlin is wonderful as Horton and comes across just as well on the recording. The album contains most of the music from the show, and many numbers stand alone just fine as simple, touching songs.

My guess is that most people who see the show will want the recording, but if you haven't seen the show it may not be the most enjoyable listen.

Seussical was my first Broadway show. I saw the first New York preview. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I remember feeling chills down my spine during several songs (including "Alone in the Universe"). I could not understand what the critics were complaining about - certainly nothing in the score.

I was moved enough to buy the CD when it came out, and it is after doing so that I truly fell in love. A first listen is never enough to judge a score by, and every time I listen to Seussical, it gets better. It borrows from many songs styles, but always retains enough Broadway to keep true musical fans such as myself happy. The cast could not be any better, with Janine LaManna, Michelle Pawk, Anthony Blair Hall, and Kevin Chamberlain particularly standing out.

This musical has some strong messages, and delivers them well through one amazing song after another in an emotional repertoire that ranges from cute to hilarious to sorrowful to thoughtful to uplifting, and a musical range that extends from R&B to pop to traditional musical theatre.

The liner notes explain the plot thoroughly and include the lyrics (this is, after all, a Dr. Seuss musical - the lyrics are of great importance).

I do not see anything here NOT to like, except for maybe a Grinch. Shame on the Tony nominaters who overlooked this amazing piece of work for best score. This is one of the greatest new works to come out in a long time, and is not to be missed.