A Note From the Authors of "Seussical"

When we were approached to write a stage musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss, we were cautious. Although we both remembered loving his stories as children, what would their appeal be for us today? How could so many disparate stories be tied together? What would the musical world sound like? And how would we ever be able to adapt his quirky language and specific rhyme schemes into something varied and theatrical? We started by doing what our mothers had done for us when we were both kids: we sat down and read the books to one another aloud. To our amazement, the stories seemed fresh and profound and extremely relevant.

The reason Dr. Seuss remains in our hearts as we grow up is because added to the wit, wildness and sheer originality of his work is the deep sweetness and the profundity of his ideas. When you re-read the books as an adult, as we did, you find themes like ecology; racial prejudice; the vanity of cosmetic surgery; politics; the perils of pollution and the menace of war. And yet you still find yourself laughing out loud. The man was way, way ahead of his time. We've tried to do honor to his adult concerns as well as to his gloriously silly notions.

The pure process writing "Seussical" together was a joy as the many characters began leaping off the page, siging and dancing. We tapped into our childhoods, and brought our adulthoods to bear. We hope you'll do the same.

We send our very best wishes to the cast and company of TheatreWorx and hope you "break an egg!"

"Oh the Thinks You Can Think!"

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

November 11, 2005