Great stories are remembered, like those of Zeus, but no stories are as special as those of Seuss.
The Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center remembered the children's book legend by putting on a musical called "Seussical, Jr!" which incorporated his words in song. The musical brought the authors' most endearing characters together on the same stage.
The play began the week of Seuss' March 2 birthday and had its final showing Monday night.
The musical cast children ages 7 to 18. The director, Kim Hirt, said she wanted to find a play that would suit children of all ages.
The musical was adapted for a younger audience from the Broadway play "Seussical the Musical."
"I was trying to think of something that was fun for them, and it just happened to be the same week of Dr. Seuss' birthday," Hirt said. "It was really good publicity and really good timing."
Hirt has been a part of the arts center for three years and became the children's theater director in 2009.
The play owes part of its success to its costume director Amy Kaiser.
The vibrant colors Seuss used in his books were just as radiant in the Auburn "Seussical, Jr!" edition, from neon green dresses to red hot overalls.
"A costume designer's job is to bring to life the directors artistic vision," Kaiser said. "Kim suggested (the costumes) should be all different colors, like an all-purple costume with colorful plaids and stripes."
After finding clothing with lots of polka dots and stripes at the thrift store, Kaiser said she began the search for hats, of which Seuss was a big fan.
"I looked for funky hats, with lots of movement and things," Kaiser said. "I ordered canvas shoes and my daughter painted them to match the outfits."
The characters in this version of Seussical included the familiar faces of the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, the Mayor of Whoville and the Grinch.
The star of the play was Horton the Elephant, the love interest of Gertrude McFuzz. Played by Auburn High School senior Jacob Zabawa, Horton kept the crowd smiling with every funny phrase he sang.
In the final showing of "Seussical, Jr!" in Auburn, March 8, Zabawa was recognized for his 13 years of participation at the Auburn Community Arts Center.
"My favorite part (of acting) is meeting all the people," Zabawa said. "I like how we all bond together and make a great product at the end."
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