CCM's Sesquicentennial Mainstage Series Presents 'Seussical'

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music presents the second installment of its 2017-18 Mainstage Series with

Seussical

, a musical tale of wonder and excitement for children and grown-ups alike. Composed by

Stephen Flaherty

(BM Composition, 1982) and

Lynn Ahrens

,

Seussical

opens at

8 p.m. 

Thursday, Oct. 19

 in

Patricia Corbett Theater

.

Audiences will recognize some of Dr. Seuss’ timeless characters in the show, including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Yertle the Turtle and, of course, The Grinch.

Seussical

embraces the pizzazz and quirk of Dr. Seuss’ tales with catchy songs and elaborate, dazzling costumes.

“There is so much joy and life in these stories and in all of the music of

Seussical

,” says

Vince DeGeorge

, CCM assistant professor and Joseph Weinberger Chair of Acting for the Lyric Stage. “As the director and choreographer, my job has been to honor the humanity that is the driving force behind the famous original source material and this beautifully crafted musical.”

The musical itself is closely tied to CCM; composer Stephen Flaherty graduated from CCM in 1982 with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. He often works with lyricist Lynn Ahrens to create musicals. The Tony Award-winning duo has collaborated on

Anastasia

,

Once on This Island

and

Ragtime

.

“I truly believe that

Seussical

is one of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ most inventive, playful and heartfelt scores,” DeGeorge says. “It has always been one of my favorites. The fact that Stephen Flaherty is an alumnus of CCM makes doing this project that much more meaningful for all of us involved.”

Although this will be a fairly traditional staging of

Seussical

, DeGeorge says that plenty of surprises are in store for audiences. While the design team attempted to capture the essence of Dr. Seuss’ beloved characters, they also strove for an original aesthetic and a truly unique production.

“Seuss is all about the joy of invention and surprise; it is about taking our expectations and twisting and turning them on their head," DeGeorge says. "Come expecting to see the unexpected.”

Travel to the magical world of Dr. Seuss with CCM’s production of

Seussical

, presented Oct. 19-22 and Oct. 25-29, 2017, in Patricia Corbett Theater. Tickets are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Additional student discounts are available through the CCM Box Office.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at

ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/seussical

.

Learn more about CCM's production of Seussical in this behind-the-scenes video

.

____

Creative Team

• Vince DeGeorge, director and choreographer
• Luke Flood*, musical director
• Christopher Kelley*, choreographer
• Mark Halpin, scenic designer
• Erik McCandless*, lighting designer
• Sean K. Tingle*, sound designer
• Dean Mogle, costume designer
• Kelly Yurko, wig & make-up designer
• Ann Marie White*, dialect coach
• Sam Lewis*, stage manager

* CCM student

Cast List

• Donelvan Thigpen as The Boy
• Kevin Chlapecka as The Cat in the Hat
• Frankie Thams as Horton the Elephant
• Emily Royer as Gertrude McFuzz
• Bryn Purvis as Mayzie LaBird
• Jenny Mollet as Sour Kangaroo
• Derek Kastner as Mr. Mayor of Whoville
• Marissa Hecker as Mrs. Mayor of Whoville
• Madison Deadman, Bailee Endebrock and Areo Keller as Bird Girls
• EJ Dohring, Stavros Koumbaros and Daniel Marhelko as Wickersham Brothers
• Kyle Pollack as General Schmitz
• Madison Hagler as The Grinch
• Matt Copley as Vlad Vladikoff
• Ben Pimental as Yertle the Turtle

____

Performance Times

• 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19
• 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20
• 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22
• 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25
• 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26
• 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27
• 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29

Location

Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village

University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets

Tickets to 

Seussical

are $31-35 for adults, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID.

Student rush tickets will be sold one hour before each performance to non-UC students for $12 or $15, based on availability. UC students can receive one free student rush ticket with a valid ID, based on availability.

Customizable subscription packages are also available for CCM’s 2017-18 Mainstage Series

.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at 

ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice/mainstage/seussical

.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit 

uc.edu/parking

 for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit 

uc.edu/visitors

. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit 

ccm.uc.edu/about/directions

.

____

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Musical Theatre Production Sponsor: Elizabeth C. B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld

Musical Theatre Performance Sponsor: Northwestern Mutual