The Gallery Players Brings Storybooks To Life In ‘Seussical’

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,” Theodor Geisel once said. “It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”

The celebrated author, known to generations of children as Dr. Seuss, reveled in nonsense. Dreaming up unforgettable characters, places, and even words, Dr. Seuss left his readers in stitches – while seamlessly managing to blend valuable life lessons into his fantastical worlds, without an ounce of condescension.

If you’re a Seuss fan looking to get lost in a little fantasy, The Gallery Players (199 14th Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues) has a show for you. Seussical brings storybook favorites and an incredible score to the South Slope stage, and producer Justine McLaughlin tells us that it’s a family event you won’t want to miss.

We recently sat down with Justine to learn a bit more about her role with Gallery Players, their family programs, and what we can look forward to in Seussical.

CKC: First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself, and about your role at The Gallery Players.​

Justine McLaughlin: I am a Park Slope mama of two littles, and married to a tried and true Brooklyn fella. I am also the newly appointed managing director and co-director of educational and family programming at Gallery Players, where I have served on the board of directors for nearly eight years.

Has theatre always been a part of your life?​

Absolutely. I come from a family of working performing artists in this great city of New York.

When did you first team up with The Gallery Players?​

I discovered Gallery when I auditioned for their Black Box New Play Festival in 2007.

It’s been fun to watch the theater shift some of its focus to family offerings – The Peanut Gallery, TheatreSports, introducing Shakespeare to the kids of P.S. 124 – over the past several years. What encouraged this change in Gallery’s programming, and will the theater continue to expand its kid-friendly offerings?​

Gallery has been engaged in Children’s Programming for the past decade or so, beginning with our partnership with TheatreSports, and continuing with the development of our summer musical theatre camp for kids – The Peanut Gallery.

Our seasonal selections have always been driven by the artistic vision of the organization, however this season we wanted to be sure to include the younger members of our community more directly by choosing a show they might be particularly excited to see. I mean, who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss!?!?

Our relationship with our beloved neighboring school, P.S. 124, has been cultivated between the administration and my co-director of educational and family programming, Dominic Cuskern, who teachers Shakespeare to the first graders in the springtime. His commitment to making theatre accessible to children has been a gift to Gallery for some time. As we approach our 50th season, it is my hope that we will continue to engage Brooklyn youth for many seasons to come.

We were very fortunate to be contacted by a music teacher from Achievement First Endeavor Middle School in Clinton Hill, whose choir students will be performing a song from Seussical in their March concert. I am overjoyed that they will be Gallery’s guests at our final dress rehearsal on Thursday, January 28.

What are some of the benefits of introducing children to theatrical arts at a young age?​

To quote the late Alan Rickman, “A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.” Arts education has the ability to empower our children to do just that. Theatre allows anyone to tap into their imagination to create, and creation is food for the soul, in my opinion.

That brings us to Seussical! Tell us about the show.​ ​

Our innovative director, Barrie Gelles, describes it best: “In our re-envisioned Seussical, a small boy with a big imagination wanders into a theatre where a troupe of actors create a show inspired by the Dr. Seuss books. Blending favorite Seuss characters, the production embraces the simple magic of theatre in order to reveal the essential beauty of imagination.

Seussical features many stories. Horton is determined to save the Whos, though he faces ridicule, bullying, and danger. Jojo, a unique and often misunderstood child, is sent off to military school for thinking too many “thinks.” Gertrude Mcfuzz struggles with the pressure to conform to physical ideals before she discovers her own beauty – bravery and heroism.

The Cat in the Hat emerges as a narrator, instigator, and mentor, as the players reveal Seussical’s true message – whether saving an entire world, or a single lonely individual, true magic comes from love, bravery, compassion, loyalty, and community. After all, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

The pre-show Theatre Thinks sound incredible. What can families expect?​

As a special treat for our younger audience members, we will be providing a pre-show event one half hour before every matinee -Theatre Thinks.

At each of these sessions, the director of the show will welcome younger audience members and their families to the theatre to reveal some behind-the-scenes action, discuss the process of making the show, and introduce some “thinks” about theatre making.

Many of the performers will be present and audience members will get a sneak peek at what will be revealed during the show.

What age range is the show geared toward?​ ​

I suppose the show is geared toward children elementary age and up. Younger children will certainly be engaged, however asking them to sit through a two hour performance may be a tall order.

The show also deals with some important real life issues – just as Dr. Seuss does in his books. While we certainly don’t feel there’s anything inappropriate for children in the show, it is worth mentioning that subjects such as bullying, war, death, and abandonment are all touched upon and will – we hope – encourage conversation among families about these tougher topics.

Anything else that you’d like families to know about Seussical and The Gallery Players?​

This show is for the kid in all of us – not just the kids we love – so come one, come all!

Seussical runs from January 30 – February 21 at The Gallery Players. For more information, or to purchase tickets ($18 for adults and $15 for children/seniors), visit the Gallery Players website.