Jennifer K Mahal “After all those years...

Jennifer K Mahal

“After all those years being stuck on the page, did you ever

imagine you’d see me onstage?”

-- The Cat in the Hat

It isn’t easy being The Cat in the Hat. When Cathy Rigby took the

job portraying the red-and-white-hatted puss, she had 10 days to

learn the words, songs and blocking to open in “Seussical the

Musical” on Broadway.

“It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said

the two-time Olympic gymnast. “I had a tape recorder in my ear every

night.”

“Seussical,” with Rigby in the lead, appears at the Orange County

Performing Arts Center through Jan. 4. The musical, created by Lynn

Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (the duo behind “Ragtime”) and available

on Decca Records, is based on the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss.

The Cat in the Hat narrates the tale, which follows the adventures

of Horton, JoJo, the Whos and Gertrude McFuzz. Bits and pieces of the

tale are taken from some of the 48 children’s books that Theodor

Seuss Geisel wrote and illustrated, including “The Butter Battle

Book,” “And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “Green

Eggs and Ham.”

“When I played Peter Pan, I remember James Barrie writing that you

have to play this in earnest,” Rigby, a mother of four, said. “It was

more of my adult side that found the Cat in the Hat, that experience

that no matter how prepared you think you are, there are always

obstacles thrown in the way.”

Rigby, an Orange County native, said she enjoyed reading “Hop on

Pop” to her children.

Eric Leviton, who plays Horton the Elephant, said his favorite

Seuss tale is “The Grinch that Stole Christmas.”

Leviton, an Irvine native, said the best moment for him is seeing

the audience’s reaction to their favorite characters coming to life.

“In Chicago, one woman came up to me and said, ‘I just need to hug

you, it’s so wonderful,’” said Leviton, who attended Orange Coast

College before graduating from UCLA and starting a career in theater.

“Then there are the kids seeing it for the first time. ... It’s

exciting being part of the beginning of theater for young kids.”

Many of Seuss’ books are cautionary tales. “The Grinch” talks

about the over-commercialization of Christmas, “The Butter Battle

Book” deals with war, “Horton Hears a Who” talks about belief in

yourself and the meaning of friendship. Some of those messages have

found their way into “Seussical.”

“Life can always take interesting turns and challenges,” said

Rigby, who celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary to husband Tom

McCoy on Sept. 11. “You have to know you will get through it. That

you do have the strength and that old thing of really having to

believe in yourself is the thing that will get you through life.

“Every time JoJo and Horton and Gertrude think they have solved

the problem by artificial means, the Cat goes, ‘Oh how happy, how

sweet,” Rigby said. “But this tale is not over.’”

And it won’t be over until Jan. 4, after which “Seussical” moves

on.