“The Cat in the Hat” is Thing One to see
HOLLAND,Mich.–The stage adaptation of The Cat in the Hat is “fun that is funny,” the Cat himself’s favorite kind, and it reminds us all that plays are, indeed, play—for children and adults alike.
The Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s production, based on the original stage adaptation done by the Royal National Theatre in London, runs with the simple elegance of the original children’s book to create a lively, interactive, playful 40-minutes of fun especially geared toward children but pleasing to adults alike.
Sally and her brother are stuck inside on a rainy day and, despite desperate protests from their anxious pet fish, receive a visitor—the mischievous Cat in the Hat—who arrives with clever games and his rambunctious friends Thing 1 and Thing 2, who, though they are fun and do not bite, practically tear the house apart while the children’s mother is away.
“I do not like the way that they play. If mother were here what would she say? . . . She would not like it to find it this way,” the children cry. “This mess is so big and deep and tall we cannot pick it up. No way at all. . . . “
Words are few and far between and echo the rhyming iambs of Suess’s original work. The children narrate the tale, but the focus is on the nonstop action that appears as if it has leapt off the book’s original pages thanks to set pieces and props by Keenan R. Minogue that mimic Seuss’s drawings.
Emily Westing’s costumes also evoke the characters splendidly and appropriately simply. A carefully-placed oversized red bow here and there and turquoise-feathered wigs on the Things are just the right touch to call to mind vivid cartoons and leave the rest to animated faces and bodies rather than painted-on make up.
These, along with colorful lights by Emily M. Brown paired beautifully with sound design from Tyler Knowles to effectively create weather and mood effects, are wonderfully deliberate choices by Director Desha Crownover to transform the intimate black box space of the Dewitt Theatre into an interactive storybook that teaches children about responsibility, imagination, and theatre appreciation in wonderful ways.
The dynamic cast of acting interns, the majority of whom, are African American, gave their all and bonded with the sold-out audience of mesmerized children from diverse backgrounds. Such active representation of a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and excellence is both commendable and notable.
As are the performances. Lance Spencer is a truly delightful Cat in the Hat, with hugely expressive movement and faces. Alexis Ijeoma Nwokoji gets the most laughs as Fish, showing her chops as an impressive puppeteer and actor. AlissaBeth Morton also deserves recognition as one of the Kittens but most notably as the terrific choreographer of everything from the fish dream sequence ballet to a jazzy soft shoe with the Cat and his kitten entourage.
This Cat in the Hat is short, sweet, fun that is funny, a playful play geared toward kids, but excellent poetic theater in its own right—the best an adaptation can be in that it’s true to the original but transformed for the stage.